Will the Anti Cigarette Law in the UK Drive Bingo Enthusiasts On to the Net?
A lot has been stated in the papers recently regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the cigarette ban in England. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive tax breaks to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. But does the web variation of this traditional game offer a reprieve, or will it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar peer?
Bingo has been an classic game normally played by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game lately had witnessed a recent return in acceptance with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo halls rather than the discos on a Saturday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the anti cigarette law all over United Kingdom.
No more will players be allowed to smoke at the same time marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public locations will not be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most popular locations where many people like to puff on cigarettes.
The results of the smoking ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo halls. Profits have plummeted and the industry is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Certainly they have not abandoned this classic game?
The answer is on the web. Players realize that they can gamble on bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and cigarette and still enjoy monstrous prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course playing on the net could never replace the communal portion of going over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the governing edicts have left a number of bingo players with no alternative.