Can the Cigarette Ban in the United Kingdom Take Bingo Players Online?
Much has been stated in the press just a while ago concerning the bingo industry being hit as a result of the smoking ban in the UK. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive tax cuts to help keep the businesses afloat. But does the internet adaptation of this traditional game present a lifeline, or will it not compare to its real life kin?
Bingo is an established game usually played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game recently had experienced a recent increase in acceptance with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo halls instead of the discos on a Saturday night. All this is about to be reversed with the legislating of the smoking ban all over United Kingdom.
No longer will players be permitted to puff on cigarettes while marking off their numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public area will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most common locations where folks enjoy smoking.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo parlors. Profits have plummeted and the industry is literally struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Certainly they haven’t abandoned this enduring game?
The answer is on the web. People realize that they can participate in bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a drink and smoke and still enjoy massive jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course wagering on on the net is unlikely to replace the communal part of heading over to the bingo parlor, but for a group of players the law has left many bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.