Much has been stated in the press not long ago concerning the bingo industry struggling because of the anti smoking law in the United Kingdom. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive tax breaks to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However does the web version of this quintessential game offer a escape, or will it not compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo is an age old game generally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game lately had witnessed a recent return in acceptance with younger members of society opting to hit the bingo parlours instead of the discos on a Saturday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the anti smoking law around UK.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes while dabbing numbers. From the summer of ‘07 every public area will not be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most common locations where people like to smoke.
The outcome of the anti smoking law can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already not permitted in the bingo parlors. Players have plunged and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where did the players go? Surely they haven’t forgotten this established game?
The answer is online. Players realise that they can wager on bingo from their computer while enjoying a beverage and smoke and still enjoy huge jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has happened just about perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course playing on the internet can never replace the communal part of heading down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of men and women the governing edicts have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with no choice.