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Will the Cigarette Ban in Britain Take Bingo Enthusiasts Online?
Much has been written in the papers just a while ago concerning the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the anti cigarette law in England. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big aid to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But will the web variation of this classic game present a salvation, or will it not compare to its real life kin?
Bingo is an age old game normally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game of late had witnessed a recent comeback in popularity with younger members of society opting to go to the bingo halls instead of the discos on a weekend. All this is about to be reversed with the introduction of the smoking ban around England and Wales.
No more will gamblers be allowed to puff on cigarettes while marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 every public location will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most common places where players enjoy smoking.
The results of the anti cigarette law can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo parlours. Players have plunged and the business is literally fighting for its life. But where did all the players go? Obviously they haven’t deserted this classic game?
The answer is online. Gamblers know that they can gamble on bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a beer and fag and in the end, enjoy huge prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened almost perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course gambling on on the web is unlikely to replace the social part of heading over to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of players the rules have left a lot of bingo players with no alternative.