A lot has been reported in the papers just a while ago about the bingo industry being hit because of the anti smoking law in England. Things have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive tax breaks to help keep the businesses afloat. But can the web variation of this traditional game provide a escape, or will it not compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo has been an classic game historically played by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game lately had undergone a recent return in popularity with younger men and women opting to go to the bingo parlours rather than the bars on a Friday night. This is all about to be destroyed with the legislating of the cigarette ban all over Britain.
No more will players be permitted to smoke while marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 every public place will not be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most common places where many people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the cigarette ban can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo halls. Players have plunged and the industry is literally fighting for its life. But where did the players go? Certainly they haven’t abandoned this established game?
The answer is online. Players realise that they can wager on bingo using their computer while enjoying a beer and cigarette and still have a chance at big prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course betting on on the internet could never replace the social aspect of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of players the rules have left a number of bingo players with little alternative.
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