07.22
Will the Cigarette Ban in Britain Take Bingo Enthusiasts On to the Net?
Much has been talked in the press just a while ago concerning the bingo industry being hurt because of the smoking ban in the United Kingdom. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive tax breaks to help keep the industry afloat. However does the online variation of this quintessential game present a reprieve, or will it never compare to its real life relative?
Bingo has been an enduring game generally played by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game recently had witnessed a recent comeback in appeal with younger members of society deciding to go to the bingo parlors instead of the clubs on a Saturday night. This is all about to be reversed with the introduction of the anti cigarette law around United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke whilst marking numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public places will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most popular locations where folks enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already illegal in the bingo halls. Numbers have dropped and the industry is absolutely struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Of course they haven’t cast aside this classic game?
The answer is on the net. Gamblers realise that they can enjoy bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a drink and fag and in the end, enjoy big jackpots. This is a recent development and has timed itself just about perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course betting on on the internet is unlikely to replace the social aspect of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a group of people the governing edicts have left many bingo players with little option.