A lot has been stated in the papers not long ago about the bingo industry singing the blues because of the cigarette ban in England. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big tax breaks to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. But can the web adaptation of this quintessential game present a escape, or might it never compare to its bricks and mortar relative?

Bingo is an age old game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game of late had seen a recent return in appeal with younger people deciding to visit the bingo parlours rather than the bars on a Friday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the introduction of the anti smoking law across England and Wales.

Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes at the same time dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public place will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most popular areas where folks enjoy smoking.

The results of the anti smoking law can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already prohibited in the bingo parlors. Players have plunged and the business is absolutely struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Of course they have not forgotten this ancient game?

The answer is on the internet. People realize that they can participate in bingo from their computer while enjoying a beer and smoke and in the end, have a chance at massive cash rewards. This is a recent development and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.

Of course betting on on the web is unlikely to replace the communal part of going over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the rules have left many bingo players with no alternative.