Can the Anti Smoking Law in Britain Drive Bingo Players On to the Internet?
An abundance has been reported in the papers recently regarding the bingo industry singing the blues because of the anti cigarette law in Britain. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge tax breaks to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. But can the net adaptation of this traditional game offer a reprieve, or will it not compare to its real life kin?
Bingo has been an enduring game normally played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game of late had undergone a recent return in appeal with younger members of society opting to visit the bingo parlors instead of the clubs on a Saturday night. All this is about to be reversed with the legislating of the anti smoking law across UK.
No longer will gamblers be permitted to smoke whilst marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public areas will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most popular places where players enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already not allowed in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plummeted and the industry is absolutely struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Obviously they haven’t abandoned this established game?
The answer is on the net. People know that they can bet on bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a cocktail and smoke and in the end, have a chance at massive prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course playing on the net is unlikely to replace the collective aspect of going down to the bingo hall, but for a group of players the rules have left a good many bingo players with little option.
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