Much has been written in the papers not long ago about the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the cigarette ban in England. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive aid to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. However will the online adaptation of this quintessential game provide a reprieve, or will it not compare to its bricks and mortar equivalent?
Bingo is an age old game generally played by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game recently had seen a recent increase in appeal with younger members of society deciding to go to the bingo parlours rather than the clubs on a Friday night. All this is about to change with the legislating of the smoking ban around UK.
No longer will enthusiasts be able to smoke while dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 every public area will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most common places where players like to smoke.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be felt 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 did all the players go? Surely they haven’t given up on this ancient game?
The answer is online. Players know that they can bet on bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a drink and cigarette and in the end, have a chance at big jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course wagering on on the web is unlikely to replace the collective part of heading over to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of people the rules have left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.
0 Responses
Stay in touch with the conversation, subscribe to the RSS feed for comments on this post.
You must be logged in to post a comment.