A lot has been written in the press not long ago concerning the bingo industry being hurt as a consequence of the smoking ban in Britain. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for huge tax cuts to help keep the businesses alive. But does the web version of this traditional game present a salvation, or will it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar kin?
Bingo is an established game generally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game recently had undergone a recent comeback in acceptance with younger people deciding to hit the bingo parlours rather than the clubs on a Friday night. All this is about to be reversed with the introduction of the smoking ban throughout England and Wales.
No more will enthusiasts be able to puff on cigarettes while marking off their numbers. From the summer of ‘07 every public place will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most common areas where players like to smoke.
The effects of the cigarette ban can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already not allowed in the bingo parlors. Players have dropped and the industry is absolutely fighting for its life. But where have all the players gone? Surely they have not abandoned this familiar game?
The answer is on the web. Gamblers realise that they can gamble on bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and fag and still enjoy monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course betting on on the web can never replace the social aspect of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of people the rules have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.
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