Can the Smoking Ban in England Drive Bingo Players On to the Internet?
A lot has been reported in the press recently regarding the bingo industry being hit as a result of the anti cigarette law in the UK. Things have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big tax cuts to help keep the industry afloat. However will the internet variation of this traditional game offer a reprieve, or might it in no way compare to its land based peer?
Bingo has been an age old game generally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game of late had undergone a recent comeback in appeal with younger people opting to visit the bingo parlours instead of the bars on a Friday night. All this is about to change with the enacting of the anti smoking law across UK.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke while marking numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public locations will not be allowed to permit smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most common areas where many people enjoy smoking.
The results of the cigarette ban can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plunged and the industry is literally fighting for its life. But where did all the players go? Of course they have not given up on this familiar game?
The answer is on the web. Gamblers know that they can play bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a beer and smoke and in the end, have a chance at big cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course wagering on on the net is unlikely to replace the collective aspect of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of men and women the law has left a lot of bingo players with little alternative.