Feb 102021
Much has been talked in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the anti smoking law in England. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry afloat. However can the internet adaptation of this quintessential game offer a lifeline, or might it never 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 increase in popularity with younger people opting to go to the bingo parlors rather than the discos on a weekend. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the smoking ban around England and Wales.
No longer will players be allowed to smoke whilst dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public place will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favored areas where folks enjoy smoking.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already forbidden in the bingo parlours. Numbers have dropped and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where did the players go? Obviously they haven’t abandoned this classic game?
The answer is on the internet. People realize that they can bet on bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a beer and cigarette and still enjoy massive jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has happened almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course playing on the internet could never replace the social aspect of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of men and women the governing edicts have left a good many bingo players with little alternative.
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