Can the Cigarette Ban in England Force Bingo Enthusiasts On to the Internet?
A lot has been stated in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry being hit as a result of the anti smoking law in the United Kingdom. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive aid to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. However does the net variation of this traditional game offer a reprieve, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar peer?
Bingo is an age old game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game recently had undergone a recent increase in acceptance with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo halls rather than the discos on a weekend. All this is about to be destroyed with the enacting of the smoking ban across England and Wales.
No longer will enthusiasts be permitted to smoke whilst dabbing numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public places will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most favorite areas where players enjoy smoking.
The effects of the cigarette ban can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already prohibited in the bingo halls. Numbers have plunged and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for its life. But where did the players go? Surely they have not deserted this ancient game?
The answer is on the web. People realise that they can play bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beer and cigarette and still enjoy big prizes. This is a recent development and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course wagering on on the net could never replace the social part of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a group of men and women the rules have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with no option.
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