An abundance has been written in the press recently concerning the bingo industry being hurt because of the smoking ban in the United Kingdom. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive aid to assist in keeping the industry afloat. But does the web variation of this classic game present a lifeline, or will it not compare to its bricks and mortar peer?

Bingo is an familiar game usually played by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game recently had seen a recent comeback in acceptance with younger men and women deciding to visit the bingo parlors in place of the clubs on a Friday night. All this is about to be reversed with the enacting of the anti smoking law around United Kingdom.

No more will enthusiasts be able to puff on cigarettes while marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 every public place will not be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favored locations where people like to smoke.

The outcome of the anti smoking law can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo halls. Players have dropped and the business is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Obviously they haven’t cast aside this classic game?

The answer is online. Gamblers know that they can participate in bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a drink and fag and still enjoy big cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has happened almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.

Of course gambling on on the internet is unlikely to replace the communal part of going down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of players the law has left a good many bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.