Might the Cigarette Ban in England Drive Bingo Enthusiasts On to the Web?
Much has been talked in the press not long ago about the bingo industry singing the blues because of the anti cigarette law in the UK. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive aid to help keep the industry afloat. However does the web version of this classic game offer a reprieve, or will it not compare to its real life relative?
Bingo has been an enduring game usually played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game lately had undergone a recent return in appeal with younger members of society deciding to visit the bingo parlors rather than the clubs on a Friday night. All this is about to be reversed with the introduction of the anti smoking law across England and Wales.
Players will no longer be able to smoke whilst marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 every public location will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most common areas where players enjoy smoking.
The effects of the cigarette ban can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plunged and the business is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Obviously they have not forgotten this familiar game?
The answer is online. Players are now realizing that they can gamble on bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beer and cig and still enjoy huge jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course gambling on on the web will never replace the social part of going down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the law has left many bingo players with no choice.