03.02
Might the Cigarette Ban in the UK Drive Bingo Players On to the Internet?
Much has been talked in the papers not long ago about the bingo industry being hit as a result of the smoking ban in Britain. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive aid to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. But will the internet adaptation of this quintessential game provide a salvation, or will it not compare to its land based equivalent?
Bingo is an familiar game generally played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game of late had seen a recent increase in popularity with younger men and women deciding to visit the bingo parlors instead of the discos on a weekend. This is all about to be reversed with the enforcement of the smoking ban all over United Kingdom.
No more will gamblers be permitted to smoke at the same time marking numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public areas will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most common locations where many people like to puff on cigarettes.
The results of the smoking ban can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo parlors. Profits have dropped and the business is absolutely fighting for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Of course they have not forgotten this ancient game?
The answer is on the net. Gamblers know that they can play bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and smoke and in the end, have a chance at monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent development and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course wagering on on the web could never replace the collective part of heading over to the bingo hall, but for a group of players the rules have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with little option.