Posted by Jace | Posted in Bingo | Posted on 18-11-2015
A lot has been written in the papers just a while ago regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the cigarette ban in the United Kingdom. Things have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge aid to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But does the internet version of this traditional game provide a salvation, or will it never compare to its land based kin?
Bingo has been an familiar game normally played by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game of late had undergone a recent increase in popularity with younger people deciding to hit the bingo parlours in place of the bars on a Friday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the introduction of the cigarette ban throughout England and Wales.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes whilst marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public locations will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most popular locations where many people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already forbidden in the bingo parlors. Players have plunged and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Surely they have not abandoned this age old game?
The answer is online. People realize that they can wager on bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a cocktail and smoke and in the end, have a chance at big jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course playing on the internet can never replace the collective aspect of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of players the governing edicts have left many bingo enthusiasts with no choice.