Will the Anti Cigarette Law in England Take Bingo Enthusiasts On to the Net?
Much has been written in the papers just a while ago regarding the bingo industry struggling because of the anti smoking law in the United Kingdom. Conditions have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded huge aid to help keep the businesses alive. But does the net variation of this traditional game present a reprieve, or will it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar peer?
Bingo has been an enduring game historically played by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game recently had witnessed a recent increase in popularity with younger people deciding to visit the bingo parlours instead of the bars on a Friday night. All this is about to change with the legislating of the anti smoking law around Britain.
Players will no longer be able to smoke at the same time dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public areas will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most common places where many people enjoy smoking.
The results of the anti smoking law can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already illegal in the bingo halls. Numbers have plunged and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for its life. But where have all the players gone? Surely they have not cast aside this age old game?
The answer is on the net. People realize that they can play bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a drink and cigarette and in the end, have a chance at big prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on on the net can never replace the communal portion of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of players the law has left a good many bingo enthusiasts with no option.