A lot has been reported in the papers recently about the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the smoking ban in England. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive tax breaks to assist in keeping the businesses alive. But does the web variation of this classic game offer a lifeline, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar kin?
Bingo is an enduring game generally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game recently had seen a recent comeback in appeal with younger people opting to go to the bingo parlours in place of the clubs on a Saturday night. This is all about to be destroyed with the introduction of the cigarette ban around UK.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes whilst marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public areas will not be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most common places where people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the anti smoking law can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo halls. Players have plummeted and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Surely they haven’t deserted this established game?
The answer is on the net. People are now realizing that they can wager on bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and cigarette and in the end, enjoy monstrous jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course betting on on the web is unlikely to replace the communal aspect of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of people the rules have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with little option.
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