06.15
Will the Cigarette Ban in England Force Bingo Players Online?
A lot has been reported in the papers recently concerning the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the anti cigarette law in the United Kingdom. Things have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge tax cuts to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. However will the internet version of this quintessential game provide a salvation, or might it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar kin?
Bingo has been an established game normally played by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game of late had witnessed a recent increase in acceptance with younger people deciding to hit the bingo parlours instead of the bars on a weekend. This is all about to change with the enacting of the smoking ban around England and Wales.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public locations will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most popular places where players enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the anti smoking law can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already illegal in the bingo parlours. Profits have plunged and the business is absolutely fighting for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Surely they haven’t deserted this age old game?
The answer is on the internet. Gamblers are now realizing that they can bet on bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and cigarette and in the end, enjoy huge cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course gambling on on the internet could never replace the collective portion of heading over to the bingo hall, but for a group of people the rules have left many bingo players with little choice.