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An abundance has been written in the papers recently regarding the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the smoking ban in the UK. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded huge aid to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. But does the internet version of this classic game provide a reprieve, or will it in no way compare to its land based equivalent?

Bingo is an age old game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game recently had experienced a recent return in popularity with younger people opting to hit the bingo halls instead of the clubs on a Saturday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the anti smoking law all over Britain.

Players will no longer be allowed to smoke whilst marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public areas will not be allowed to permit smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most common places where folks like to smoke.

The outcome of the smoking ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already prohibited in the bingo halls. Numbers have plunged and the industry is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Obviously they haven’t given up on this enduring game?

The answer is on the net. People realize that they can enjoy bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and cigarette and still have a chance at big cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.

Of course wagering on on the net will never replace the collective aspect of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of people the rules have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no choice.