A lot has been reported in the papers recently concerning the bingo industry being hit as a result of the smoking ban in the UK. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive tax breaks to help keep the industry alive. But does the online variation of this quintessential game present a reprieve, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar peer?

Bingo is an familiar game generally played by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game recently had seen a recent resurgence in popularity with younger men and women deciding to go to the bingo parlors rather than the clubs on a Saturday night. This is all about to be reversed with the enforcement of the cigarette ban around Britain.

No longer will enthusiasts be able to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking off their numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public place will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most popular locations where people like to smoke.

The effects of the smoking ban can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already not allowed in the bingo halls. Players have dropped and the industry is absolutely struggling for its life. But where did the players go? Obviously they haven’t abandoned this age old game?

The answer is on the web. Gamblers realize that they can gamble on bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beer and cig and still have a chance at monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.

Of course playing on the net will never replace the communal part of going down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the law has left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with no option.