09.17
Might the Cigarette Ban in England Take Bingo Players On to the Net?
An abundance has been reported in the papers not long ago concerning the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the anti smoking law in Britain. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But does the online adaptation of this quintessential game present a reprieve, or will it in no way compare to its real life kin?
Bingo has been an age old game normally played by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game lately had witnessed a recent resurgence in appeal with younger men and women opting to hit the bingo parlors in place of the bars on a Friday night. This is all about to change with the enacting of the smoking ban all over Britain.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes while dabbing numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public locations will not be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favored places where players like to puff on cigarettes.
The results of the cigarette ban can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo parlors. Players have plunged and the business is absolutely fighting for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Obviously they haven’t abandoned this ancient game?
The answer is on the web. People know that they can bet on bingo from their computer while enjoying a beverage and cigarette and still enjoy big cash rewards. This is a recent development and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course betting on online is unlikely to replace the communal aspect of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a group of men and women the rules have left many bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.