An abundance has been reported in the press recently concerning the bingo industry singing the blues because of the anti cigarette law in the UK. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded big aid to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. However will the internet variation of this classic game offer a lifeline, or might it never compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo has been an age old game historically played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game lately had undergone a recent resurgence in acceptance with younger members of society deciding to visit the bingo parlors instead of the discos on a Saturday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the anti smoking law throughout UK.
No more will enthusiasts be able to puff on cigarettes while marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public locations will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most popular areas where folks like to puff on cigarettes.
The outcome of the anti smoking law can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo parlors. Numbers have dropped and the industry is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Of course they have not abandoned this ancient game?
The answer is on the web. Gamblers are now realizing that they can wager on bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and smoke and still enjoy big cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course betting on on the web could never replace the communal part of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of men and women the law has left a lot of bingo players with little option.