Will the Cigarette Ban in the UK Drive Bingo Players On to the Internet?
An abundance has been written in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry being hurt because of the anti cigarette law in Britain. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge tax cuts to help keep the industry afloat. But does the web version of this classic game present a escape, or will it not compare to its land based peer?
Bingo is an age old game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game of late had seen a recent increase in popularity with younger members of society deciding to hit the bingo parlours instead of the bars on a Saturday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the legislating of the anti cigarette law throughout England and Wales.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes while marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public area will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most popular places where many people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo halls. Numbers have plummeted and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Of course they haven’t given up on this enduring game?
The answer is on the web. Players know that they can gamble on bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a cocktail and cig and still have a chance at monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent development and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course betting on online could never replace the collective aspect of going over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the rules have left many bingo players with no choice.
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