Will the Cigarette Ban in the United Kingdom Drive Bingo Players On to the Web?
An abundance has been reported in the press recently concerning the bingo industry being hit because of the anti cigarette law in Britain. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge aid to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. But will the online variation of this classic game present a lifeline, or might it in no way compare to its real life opposite?
Bingo is an familiar game normally played by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game recently had undergone a recent comeback in popularity with younger members of society deciding to hit the bingo halls in place of the clubs on a weekend. All this is about to be destroyed with the enforcement of the smoking ban across UK.
No more will enthusiasts be allowed to smoke whilst marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public places will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most favorite locations where people like to smoke.
The effects of the cigarette ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo parlours. Players have dropped and the industry is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Certainly they have not deserted this familiar game?
The answer is on the web. Players realize that they can wager on bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a cocktail and fag and still have a chance at huge jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on online can never replace the communal portion of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the governing edicts have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with little choice.
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