Can the Smoking Ban in the UK Force Bingo Enthusiasts On to the Net?
Much has been talked in the press not long ago concerning the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the cigarette ban in Britain. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded huge tax breaks to help keep the industry alive. However will the net version of this traditional game provide a escape, or might it never compare to its land based kin?
Bingo has been an ancient game historically played by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game recently had undergone a recent resurgence in acceptance with younger men and women deciding to hit the bingo parlours in place of the bars on a Friday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the enacting of the anti cigarette law throughout England and Wales.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke whilst dabbing numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public places will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favorite locations where players like to smoke.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo halls. Profits have plunged and the business is absolutely struggling for its life. But where did the players go? Obviously they have not abandoned this enduring game?
The answer is on the internet. Gamblers are now realizing that they can play bingo from their computer while enjoying a cocktail and cig and in the end, have a chance at monstrous jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course betting on on the net is unlikely to replace the communal part of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of players the law has left a number of bingo enthusiasts with little option.