Jan 202020
A lot has been stated in the press not long ago concerning the bingo industry being hit as a result of the smoking ban in Britain. Conditions have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive tax cuts to assist in keeping the industry afloat. But can the web version of this traditional game present a reprieve, or will it never compare to its land based relative?
Bingo has been an ancient game generally played by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game of late had undergone a recent increase in appeal with younger men and women deciding to go to the bingo parlours in place of the bars on a weekend. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the anti cigarette law across Britain.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes whilst marking numbers. From the summer of ‘07 every public place will not be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favored locations where players enjoy smoking.
The effects of the cigarette ban can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo halls. Numbers have dropped and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for its life. But where have all the players gone? Obviously they have not cast aside this enduring game?
The answer is on the net. Players realise that they can participate in bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beer and cig and still enjoy monstrous prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course betting on on the internet is unlikely to replace the social part of heading over to the bingo parlor, but for a group of people the law has left a good many bingo players with little choice.
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