Much has been talked in the press just a while ago about the bingo industry struggling as a result of the smoking ban in Britain. Things have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big aid to assist in keeping the industry alive. But does the internet adaptation of this classic game provide a lifeline, or might it never compare to its bricks and mortar kin?
Bingo is an ancient game normally played by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game recently had seen a recent resurgence in popularity with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo parlors instead of the bars on a Friday night. All this is about to change with the introduction of the smoking ban across UK.
No more will gamblers be permitted to smoke at the same time marking numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 every public area will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most favored places where people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo parlors. Profits have dropped and the business is absolutely fighting for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Certainly they have not abandoned this established game?
The answer is online. People realize that they can wager on bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and fag and in the end, have a chance at massive cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course wagering on online could never replace the social part of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the governing edicts have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with little choice.
