06.09
Can the Cigarette Ban in England Force Bingo Players On to the Internet?
An abundance has been talked in the press just a while ago about the bingo industry struggling as a result of the anti smoking law in Britain. Conditions have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry alive. But does the web adaptation of this quintessential game present a lifeline, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar opposite?
Bingo is an familiar game generally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game lately had undergone a recent comeback in acceptance with younger people opting to hit the bingo parlours in place of the bars on a Saturday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enforcement of the cigarette ban around England and Wales.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes whilst dabbing numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public area will not be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most common places where players like to puff on cigarettes.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo parlors. Profits have plummeted and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Of course they haven’t abandoned this age old game?
The answer is on the internet. People realize that they can gamble on bingo using their computer while enjoying a drink and smoke and still enjoy big jackpots. This is a recent development and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course betting on on the net will never replace the social portion of heading over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of players the rules have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with little choice.