An abundance has been talked in the press recently regarding the bingo industry being hurt as a consequence of the anti cigarette law in the UK. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge aid to assist in keeping the industry alive. However does the internet adaptation of this quintessential game provide a salvation, or might it not compare to its land based equivalent?

Bingo is an enduring game historically played by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game lately had undergone a recent comeback in popularity with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo parlors rather than the discos on a Friday night. All this is about to be reversed with the enacting of the anti cigarette law all over England and Wales.

Players will no longer be allowed to smoke at the same time dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public places will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most favored areas where people enjoy smoking.

The outcome of the smoking ban can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo halls. Numbers have plunged and the industry is absolutely struggling for its life. But where have all the players gone? Obviously they haven’t cast aside this age old game?

The answer is on the internet. People realise that they can play bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a cocktail and cigarette and still enjoy massive prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.

Of course wagering on online is unlikely to replace the social portion of going down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of men and women the governing edicts have left many bingo players with no alternative.