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Can the Anti Cigarette Law in the UK Drive Bingo Enthusiasts On to the Net?
An abundance has been talked in the press just a while ago regarding the bingo industry being hit as a result of the anti cigarette law in the United Kingdom. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded big aid to help keep the industry afloat. But can the online variation of this quintessential game present a salvation, or will it never compare to its land based equivalent?
Bingo has been an enduring game historically played by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game lately had undergone a recent increase in popularity with younger people opting to hit the bingo halls rather than the bars on a Saturday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the cigarette ban throughout Britain.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke whilst marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public location will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favorite places where people like to puff on cigarettes.
The outcome of the smoking ban can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already forbidden in the bingo parlours. Profits have plummeted and the industry is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Certainly they haven’t deserted this established game?
The answer is on the internet. Gamblers realize that they can enjoy bingo from their computer while enjoying a cocktail and cig and in the end, have a chance at huge cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on on the internet is unlikely to replace the communal part of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of players the rules have left a lot of bingo players with little alternative.