Can the Smoking Ban in Britain Drive Bingo Players On to the Internet?
Much has been talked in the papers recently concerning the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the anti cigarette law in the United Kingdom. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive tax breaks to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. But does the net adaptation of this classic game offer a reprieve, or might it never compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo is an age old game usually played by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game lately had undergone a recent resurgence in popularity with younger members of society deciding to hit the bingo parlors in place of the bars on a Friday night. This is all about to be destroyed with the enforcement of the smoking ban all over Britain.
No longer will enthusiasts be able to puff on cigarettes at the same time dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public location will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favorite places where many people like to smoke.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already illegal in the bingo parlors. Numbers have dropped and the industry is absolutely struggling for its life. But where have all the players gone? Obviously they have not given up on this classic game?
The answer is on the web. People are now realizing that they can enjoy bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a beer and cigarette and still enjoy monstrous prizes. This is a recent development and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on on the internet is unlikely to replace the communal aspect of heading over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the law has left many bingo enthusiasts with little choice.