Can the Cigarette Ban in Britain Force Bingo Players On to the Web?
Much has been reported in the press just a while ago concerning the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the anti smoking law in the UK. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry afloat. However can the net adaptation of this traditional game provide a reprieve, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar equivalent?
Bingo is an familiar game usually played by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game recently had undergone a recent comeback in popularity with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo halls instead of the clubs on a Saturday night. This is all about to change with the introduction of the anti smoking law across England and Wales.
Players will no longer be able to smoke whilst marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public areas will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most popular places where people enjoy smoking.
The results of the anti smoking law can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already not permitted in the bingo parlours. Profits have plunged and the business is absolutely fighting for its life. But where have the players gone? Obviously they have not forgotten this familiar game?
The answer is online. Players are now realizing that they can participate in bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a drink and smoke and still have a chance at huge cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course gambling on on the internet is unlikely to replace the social aspect of going over to the bingo parlor, but for a group of people the law has left a good many bingo enthusiasts with little choice.
No comments yet.