06.16
Can the Cigarette Ban in Britain Force Bingo Players On to the Net?
A lot has been written in the papers recently regarding the bingo industry struggling as a result of the anti cigarette law in England. Conditions have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big aid to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. However does the net adaptation of this quintessential game offer a escape, or will it never compare to its real life equivalent?
Bingo is an established game historically enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game of late had experienced a recent resurgence in popularity with younger people deciding to go to the bingo parlors rather than the bars on a Friday night. This is all about to change with the introduction of the anti cigarette law all over Britain.
No more will players be allowed to smoke at the same time marking off their numbers. From the summer of ‘07 every public area will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most popular areas where many people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo parlours. Numbers have dropped and the industry is absolutely fighting for its life. But where have the players gone? Certainly they haven’t deserted this age old game?
The answer is online. People know that they can play bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and smoke and in the end, have a chance at monstrous prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course gambling on on the web could never replace the collective part of going down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the rules have left a lot of bingo players with no choice.
No Comment.
Add Your Comment