Much has been stated in the press recently concerning the bingo industry being hit because of the smoking ban in the United Kingdom. Things have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge aid to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. However will the web variation of this traditional game provide a reprieve, or will it not compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo has been an established game historically enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. However the game recently had undergone a recent resurgence in appeal with younger people deciding to hit the bingo parlors rather than the clubs on a weekend. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enforcement of the smoking ban all over England and Wales.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public locations will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most common areas where folks enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the anti smoking law can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo halls. Profits have plunged and the business is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Of course they haven’t abandoned this established game?
The answer is on the web. Players are now realizing that they can bet on bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and cig and in the end, enjoy monstrous prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on online is unlikely to replace the collective aspect of going down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of players the governing edicts have left many bingo players with little choice.
August 12th, 2025
Tamara
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