Could the Cigarette Ban in the UK Force Bingo Players Online?
A lot has been written in the press recently concerning the bingo industry being hit as a result of the smoking ban in England. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive tax breaks to assist in keeping the businesses alive. However can the online adaptation of this classic game provide a lifeline, or will it in no way compare to its land based relative?
Bingo has been an classic game generally played by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game of late had experienced a recent comeback in popularity with younger people opting to visit the bingo halls rather than the clubs on a Saturday night. All this is about to be reversed with the legislating of the anti smoking law throughout United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes while marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public location will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most favored places where players enjoy smoking.
The effects of the cigarette ban can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo parlours. Profits have plunged and the business is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Obviously they have not deserted this ancient game?
The answer is online. Gamblers realise that they can gamble on bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beer and cigarette and still enjoy huge jackpots. This is a recent development and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course wagering on on the internet is unlikely to replace the communal aspect of going over to the bingo hall, but for a group of men and women the governing edicts have left a good many bingo players with little alternative.
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