Might the Cigarette Ban in the UK Force Bingo Players Online?
Much has been talked in the papers not long ago concerning the bingo industry struggling as a result of the cigarette ban in England. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big tax breaks to help keep the industry alive. However can the net version of this traditional game present a lifeline, or will it not compare to its real life peer?
Bingo has been an established game historically enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game of late had experienced a recent return in appeal with younger members of society opting to visit the bingo halls rather than the discos on a Saturday night. All this is about to be reversed with the legislating of the anti smoking law all over Britain.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke while dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public place will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favored places where players like to smoke.
The results of the smoking ban can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plunged and the industry is absolutely fighting for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Certainly they haven’t given up on this established game?
The answer is online. Players are now realizing that they can gamble on bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and cigarette and still have a chance at massive jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course betting on online is unlikely to replace the collective portion of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of people the rules have left many bingo players with little alternative.