11.07
Could the Smoking Ban in England Drive Bingo Players On to the Web?
Much has been stated in the press not long ago about the bingo industry struggling because of the cigarette ban in England. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge aid to assist in keeping the businesses alive. But can the web variation of this classic game provide a salvation, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo has been an age old game generally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game recently had seen a recent comeback in appeal with younger members of society opting to hit the bingo parlours in place of the clubs on a weekend. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the anti cigarette law around United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke at the same time marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 every public place will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favorite areas where players like to puff on cigarettes.
The results of the smoking ban can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already prohibited in the bingo parlours. Players have dropped and the industry is literally struggling for its life. But where did all the players go? Certainly they have not abandoned this familiar game?
The answer is on the net. People know that they can play bingo using their computer while enjoying a beer and fag and in the end, enjoy monstrous jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course gambling on on the internet could never replace the social part of heading over to the bingo parlor, but for a group of people the law has left a number of bingo enthusiasts with little option.