Can the Smoking Ban in Britain Force Bingo Players On to the Net?
Much has been talked in the papers just a while ago about the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the smoking ban in England. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for huge tax breaks to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However will the net version of this quintessential game offer a escape, or might it not compare to its real life kin?
Bingo has been an ancient game historically played by the "blue haired" generation. However the game of late had undergone a recent return in popularity with younger people deciding to hit the bingo parlors rather than the discos on a Friday night. All this is about to change with the legislating of the cigarette ban throughout United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes while marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public location will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favorite areas where players like to puff on cigarettes.
The results of the cigarette ban can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already forbidden in the bingo halls. Players have plummeted and the business is absolutely fighting for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Obviously they haven’t cast aside this enduring game?
The answer is on the net. People are now realizing that they can play bingo using their computer while enjoying a beer and smoke and still have a chance at huge jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has happened just about perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on on the web is unlikely to replace the collective portion of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of players the governing edicts have left many bingo enthusiasts with little choice.