Might the Anti Smoking Law in the United Kingdom Drive Bingo Enthusiasts On to the Internet?
Much has been talked in the papers just a while ago about the bingo industry being hurt as a consequence of the cigarette ban in the UK. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded big tax cuts to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. However can the web variation of this traditional game offer a lifeline, or might it in no way compare to its real life kin?
Bingo is an enduring game normally played by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game lately had undergone a recent resurgence in appeal with younger members of society deciding to hit the bingo parlours in place of the bars on a Saturday night. This is all about to be destroyed with the legislating of the anti cigarette law across Britain.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke while marking off their numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public areas will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most popular areas where folks enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo parlors. Numbers have dropped and the business is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Surely they have not given up on this age old game?
The answer is online. Players know that they can wager on bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and smoke and still enjoy huge jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course gambling on on the internet will never replace the communal portion of going down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the rules have left a good many bingo players with little choice.