A lot has been stated in the press not long ago concerning the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the anti cigarette law in Britain. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive tax cuts to assist in keeping the businesses afloat. However does the online adaptation of this quintessential game present a salvation, or will it in no way compare to its real life opposite?

Bingo has been an familiar game normally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game of late had undergone a recent increase in acceptance with younger men and women opting to go to the bingo parlours rather than the bars on a Friday night. This is all about to be destroyed with the introduction of the anti cigarette law across England and Wales.

No more will players be permitted to smoke while dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 every public area will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most common places where folks enjoy smoking.

The effects of the cigarette ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo halls. Profits have plummeted and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for its life. But where did the players go? Of course they have not deserted this age old game?

The answer is on the internet. Players realise that they can play bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a cocktail and smoke and still enjoy huge cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.

Of course playing on the internet could never replace the social part of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the law has left a good many bingo players with no option.