06.17
Might the Smoking Ban in the United Kingdom Drive Bingo Enthusiasts Online?
Much has been reported in the papers just a while ago concerning the bingo industry singing the blues because of the cigarette ban in England. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big aid to assist in keeping the industry afloat. But can the net variation of this quintessential game offer a reprieve, or might it in no way compare to its land based relative?
Bingo has been an classic game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game recently had undergone a recent resurgence in acceptance with younger men and women deciding to visit the bingo parlours rather than the discos on a weekend. This is all about to be reversed with the enforcement of the cigarette ban around UK.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke whilst marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public places will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most favored locations where folks enjoy smoking.
The results of the anti smoking law can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo halls. Profits have plunged and the industry is absolutely struggling for its life. But where have all the players gone? Surely they have not forgotten this age old game?
The answer is online. Players know that they can participate in bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a drink and smoke and in the end, have a chance at massive prizes. This is a recent development and has happened almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course wagering on on the internet is unlikely to replace the collective part of heading down to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of men and women the governing edicts have left a number of bingo players with no alternative.