Might the Smoking Ban in England Take Bingo Enthusiasts On to the Web?
An abundance has been reported in the papers recently about the bingo industry being hit because of the cigarette ban in the UK. Things have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big aid to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But does the web adaptation of this quintessential game offer a reprieve, or might it not compare to its real life kin?
Bingo has been an classic game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game recently had witnessed a recent increase in popularity with younger members of society opting to visit the bingo halls rather than the clubs on a Saturday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the introduction of the cigarette ban around Britain.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes whilst marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public locations will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most favorite places where many people like to smoke.
The outcome of the smoking ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo parlors. Profits have plummeted and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where have the players gone? Certainly they haven’t given up on this established game?
The answer is online. Gamblers know that they can bet on bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a cocktail and smoke and still enjoy huge jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course wagering on online is unlikely to replace the social aspect of heading over to the bingo hall, but for a group of players the governing edicts have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.
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