Can the Cigarette Ban in England Drive Bingo Players On to the Net?
A lot has been written in the press not long ago concerning the bingo industry struggling because of the anti cigarette law in the UK. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive aid to assist in keeping the industry alive. However does the internet adaptation of this quintessential game offer a reprieve, or will it not compare to its land based kin?
Bingo has been an familiar game historically enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game of late had experienced a recent resurgence in appeal with younger people opting to hit the bingo halls in place of the discos on a Friday night. All this is about to change with the introduction of the anti smoking law throughout England and Wales.
No longer will players be allowed to puff on cigarettes at the same time dabbing numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public location will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most common locations where players enjoy smoking.
The results of the cigarette ban can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already forbidden in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plunged and the industry is absolutely struggling for its life. But where did all the players go? Of course they have not abandoned this enduring game?
The answer is online. Players realize that they can wager on bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and fag and in the end, have a chance at massive cash rewards. This is a recent development and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course gambling on online could never replace the communal part of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of people the rules have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with no option.