A lot has been written in the press not long ago about the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the smoking ban in the United Kingdom. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive aid to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. However can the internet variation of this quintessential game present a salvation, or will it never compare to its real life relative?
Bingo has been an established game normally played by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game of late had witnessed a recent return in appeal with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo halls instead of the clubs on a Saturday night. All this is about to change with the enacting of the smoking ban across United Kingdom.
No more will gamblers be permitted to puff on cigarettes while dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 every public place will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most common locations where people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already not permitted in the bingo parlours. Profits have plummeted and the business is absolutely struggling for its life. But where did all the players go? Certainly they have not cast aside this classic game?
The answer is on the web. People are now realizing that they can enjoy bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and fag and in the end, have a chance at monstrous jackpots. This is a recent development and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course wagering on on the internet will never replace the social portion of going over to the bingo parlor, but for a group of men and women the law has left many bingo players with little choice.
