Might the Anti Smoking Law in England Force Bingo Players On to the Net?
A lot has been written in the papers recently regarding the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the anti cigarette law in Britain. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big tax cuts to help keep the industry alive. However will the internet adaptation of this classic game present a escape, or might it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar kin?
Bingo has been an classic game historically enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game of late had experienced a recent increase in acceptance with younger members of society deciding to hit the bingo parlors instead of the clubs on a Saturday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the enforcement of the cigarette ban all over United Kingdom.
No longer will players be able to smoke while dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public location will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most common places where people like to puff on cigarettes.
The results of the smoking ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo halls. Players have plummeted and the business is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Certainly they haven’t abandoned this age old game?
The answer is on the internet. Players know that they can participate in bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and cigarette and in the end, enjoy monstrous jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course gambling on online is unlikely to replace the communal part of heading over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the law has left a good many bingo players with little choice.