Can the Smoking Ban in Britain Take Bingo Enthusiasts Online?
Much has been reported in the papers not long ago concerning the bingo industry singing the blues because of the anti smoking law in Britain. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive tax breaks to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. But will the net version of this traditional game provide a reprieve, or might it in no way compare to its land based peer?
Bingo has been an established game historically played by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game recently had experienced a recent increase in appeal with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo parlours rather than the bars on a weekend. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enforcement of the cigarette ban across Britain.
No longer will gamblers be allowed to puff on cigarettes while dabbing numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public place will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most common areas where people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the cigarette ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo halls. Numbers have plunged and the industry is literally struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Of course they haven’t cast aside this classic game?
The answer is on the web. Gamblers know that they can enjoy bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and cig and in the end, have a chance at huge prizes. This is a recent development and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course betting on on the internet is unlikely to replace the communal part of going over to the bingo parlor, but for a group of people the law has left a lot of bingo players with little alternative.