Will the Smoking Ban in the UK Take Bingo Enthusiasts On to the Web?
A lot has been talked in the press just a while ago about the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the anti cigarette law in the UK. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge tax cuts to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. However does the web adaptation of this classic game provide a lifeline, or will it not compare to its bricks and mortar equivalent?
Bingo is an ancient game normally played by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game of late had witnessed a recent increase in acceptance with younger members of society deciding to go to the bingo halls instead of the discos on a Friday night. All this is about to change with the enforcement of the cigarette ban throughout UK.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke at the same time marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 every public location will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favored places where people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the cigarette ban can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already not permitted in the bingo halls. Players have plummeted and the industry is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Certainly they haven’t forgotten this classic game?
The answer is online. Gamblers are now realizing that they can enjoy bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and cigarette and still enjoy huge prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course betting on online is unlikely to replace the social portion of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the rules have left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with little option.
No comments yet.