Will the Cigarette Ban in the UK Take Bingo Players On to the Internet?
A lot has been talked in the press just a while ago about the bingo industry being hit as a result of the anti smoking law in Britain. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive tax cuts to help keep the businesses afloat. However will the online adaptation of this classic game provide a escape, or will it in no way compare to its land based equivalent?
Bingo has been an enduring game historically enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game of late had witnessed a recent resurgence in acceptance with younger members of society opting to hit the bingo parlours rather than the bars on a Saturday night. All this is about to change with the enforcement of the anti smoking law throughout England and Wales.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke whilst marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public areas will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favored places where players enjoy smoking.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo parlours. Players have plummeted and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Of course they haven’t deserted this age old game?
The answer is online. Players know that they can play bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a drink and smoke and in the end, have a chance at massive prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course betting on on the internet will never replace the communal aspect of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of players the governing edicts have left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with little choice.