A lot has been written in the papers just a while ago regarding the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the anti smoking law in England. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for huge aid to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. However does the internet adaptation of this classic game present a reprieve, or will it never compare to its real life equivalent?
Bingo has been an age old game generally played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game of late had experienced a recent resurgence in popularity with younger members of society deciding to visit the bingo parlours in place of the bars on a weekend. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enforcement of the anti smoking law around United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be able to smoke at the same time marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 every public location will not be allowed to permit smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favorite areas where many people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo halls. Numbers have dropped and the industry is literally fighting for its life. But where have the players gone? Obviously they haven’t deserted this ancient game?
The answer is on the net. Gamblers are now realizing that they can wager on bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and fag and still have a chance at monstrous prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course playing on the net will never replace the collective part of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the governing edicts have left many bingo enthusiasts with little choice.