Could the Anti Smoking Law in England Take Bingo Enthusiasts On to the Web?
A lot has been reported in the press not long ago concerning the bingo industry being hit as a result of the cigarette ban in England. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge tax breaks to help keep the businesses afloat. However will the web adaptation of this traditional game offer a lifeline, or will it never compare to its real life equivalent?
Bingo is an established game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game lately had witnessed a recent return in appeal with younger members of society deciding to visit the bingo parlours rather than the discos on a Friday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the enforcement of the cigarette ban all over UK.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes at the same time dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public places will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most common places where folks enjoy smoking.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo halls. Profits have dropped and the business is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Obviously they haven’t given up on this familiar game?
The answer is on the web. Gamblers realise that they can wager on bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a drink and cigarette and in the end, have a chance at monstrous prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened almost perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course gambling on on the net is unlikely to replace the social portion of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the rules have left a number of bingo players with little alternative.