03.19
Might the Smoking Ban in the UK Force Bingo Players On to the Net?
Much has been written in the papers just a while ago regarding the bingo industry struggling because of the smoking ban in Britain. Things have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive aid to assist in keeping the industry alive. But does the web variation of this quintessential game provide a salvation, or might it never compare to its real life equivalent?
Bingo is an familiar game generally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game of late had seen a recent comeback in acceptance with younger members of society deciding to visit the bingo halls in place of the discos on a Saturday night. This is all about to change with the legislating of the smoking ban throughout United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes at the same time dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 every public place will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most favorite locations where folks like to smoke.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already barred in the bingo halls. Players have plunged and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Surely they haven’t deserted this ancient game?
The answer is on the net. Gamblers realize that they can bet on bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and cig and still enjoy massive jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course gambling on on the net is unlikely to replace the communal portion of going down to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of players the law has left a good many bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.