Could the Smoking Ban in the UK Force Bingo Players On to the Net?
An abundance has been reported in the press just a while ago concerning the bingo industry struggling because of the anti smoking law in England. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for massive aid to assist in keeping the businesses alive. But can the web version of this quintessential game present a reprieve, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar equivalent?
Bingo has been an age old game historically enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game recently had seen a recent return in appeal with younger members of society opting to hit the bingo parlours instead of the bars on a Friday night. All this is about to be reversed with the introduction of the anti cigarette law around United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be able to smoke whilst marking numbers. From the summer of ‘07 every public place will not be allowed to permit smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most common places where folks like to smoke.
The effects of the cigarette ban can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already forbidden in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plunged and the business is absolutely struggling for its life. But where did the players go? Certainly they haven’t forgotten this enduring game?
The answer is on the internet. People realize that they can wager on bingo from their computer while enjoying a beer and fag and in the end, have a chance at big prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course betting on on the web will never replace the social portion of heading down to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of people the rules have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no option.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
