Might the Anti Smoking Law in Britain Drive Bingo Enthusiasts On to the Net?
Much has been talked in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry singing the blues because of the anti cigarette law in Britain. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big aid to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. But will the web version of this quintessential game present a salvation, or might it not compare to its real life relative?
Bingo is an ancient game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game recently had undergone a recent return in popularity with younger people deciding to hit the bingo parlours rather than the clubs on a Friday night. This is all about to be reversed with the introduction of the smoking ban all over UK.
No more will enthusiasts be allowed to puff on cigarettes whilst marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 every public location will not be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favored locations where many people enjoy smoking.
The results of the anti smoking law can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already prohibited in the bingo parlors. Players have plunged and the industry is absolutely struggling for its life. But where have all the players gone? Of course they have not forgotten this enduring game?
The answer is on the internet. Players realize that they can enjoy bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and cig and in the end, enjoy monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course playing on the internet is unlikely to replace the communal portion of heading over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the governing edicts have left a lot of bingo players with little alternative.