Might the Anti Smoking Law in the United Kingdom Take Bingo Enthusiasts On to the Net?
Much has been talked in the papers just a while ago regarding the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the smoking ban in Britain. Things have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big tax cuts to assist in keeping the industry afloat. But will the internet adaptation of this classic game offer a reprieve, or will it not compare to its land based opposite?
Bingo has been an age old game normally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. However the game lately had experienced a recent resurgence in popularity with younger people opting to visit the bingo parlours rather than the bars on a weekend. All this is about to be reversed with the enforcement of the anti smoking law around UK.
Players will no longer be able to smoke while marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public places will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most favorite areas where folks like to puff on cigarettes.
The results of the anti smoking law can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already forbidden in the bingo parlors. Players have dropped and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Certainly they have not deserted this familiar game?
The answer is online. Gamblers know that they can bet on bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a cocktail and fag and still have a chance at massive cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course betting on on the internet can never replace the collective part of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of players the governing edicts have left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with no option.