Much has been stated in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry being hurt as a consequence of the smoking ban in England. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded big tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry afloat. However can the online adaptation of this quintessential game present a escape, or will it not compare to its real life kin?
Bingo has been an age old game usually played by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game of late had witnessed a recent comeback in acceptance with younger members of society deciding to hit the bingo halls rather than the discos on a Friday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the anti cigarette law throughout England and Wales.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes at the same time dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public areas will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most favored areas where players enjoy smoking.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already barred in the bingo parlours. Players have dropped and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Certainly they have not deserted this enduring game?
The answer is online. Players realise that they can play bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a beverage and fag and still enjoy monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent development and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course wagering on on the web could never replace the collective portion of heading down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of people the rules have left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with no option.
