Might the Cigarette Ban in England Force Bingo Players On to the Internet?
Much has been reported in the press recently regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the smoking ban in the United Kingdom. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge aid to assist in keeping the industry afloat. However does the web version of this quintessential game present a reprieve, or might it in no way compare to its real life equivalent?
Bingo has been an familiar game usually played by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game of late had experienced a recent comeback in appeal with younger people deciding to visit the bingo parlours instead of the clubs on a weekend. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the anti smoking law throughout England and Wales.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke while dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public places will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most popular areas where many people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo parlors. Players have dropped and the business is literally fighting for its life. But where have all the players gone? Of course they have not given up on this age old game?
The answer is online. Gamblers realise that they can gamble on bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and fag and still enjoy huge cash rewards. This is a recent development and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course gambling on on the net can never replace the communal aspect of heading over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of players the rules have left many bingo enthusiasts with no choice.
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