08.04
Could the Cigarette Ban in the UK Take Bingo Enthusiasts On to the Web?
Much has been talked in the papers just a while ago about the bingo industry being hit because of the anti smoking law in England. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge aid to assist in keeping the businesses alive. However will the online variation of this traditional game present a reprieve, or will it not compare to its land based opposite?
Bingo is an established game generally played by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game lately had witnessed a recent increase in acceptance with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo halls instead of the bars on a Friday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the anti smoking law around Britain.
Players will no longer be able to smoke at the same time marking off their numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public areas will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favored areas where folks like to puff on cigarettes.
The results of the anti smoking law can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo parlours. Profits have plunged and the business is absolutely fighting for its life. But where did all the players go? Obviously they have not given up on this age old game?
The answer is online. Players are now realizing that they can play bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and cig and still have a chance at big cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course betting on on the web can never replace the communal portion of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of players the governing edicts have left a number of bingo players with no choice.