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Can the Smoking Ban in England Take Bingo Enthusiasts On to the Internet?
Much has been talked in the papers just a while ago about the bingo industry struggling as a result of the anti smoking law in the United Kingdom. Conditions have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big aid to assist in keeping the businesses afloat. However does the web adaptation of this traditional game offer a escape, or will it never compare to its land based peer?
Bingo is an established game generally played by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game of late had experienced a recent comeback in popularity with younger men and women deciding to go to the bingo parlours in place of the discos on a weekend. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the introduction of the smoking ban all over Britain.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke whilst marking numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public locations will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favorite areas where many people like to smoke.
The outcome of the anti smoking law can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already illegal in the bingo parlours. Numbers have dropped and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where have the players gone? Surely they haven’t cast aside this ancient game?
The answer is on the internet. Players realise that they can participate in bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a beer and cig and still enjoy monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course playing on the net can never replace the social portion of heading down to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of players the law has left many bingo players with little alternative.