Posted by Jace | Posted in Bingo | Posted on 14-10-2020
Much has been reported in the press recently concerning the bingo industry being hit because of the anti smoking law in the United Kingdom. Things have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive aid to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However does the internet adaptation of this quintessential game present a reprieve, or will it in no way compare to its land based equivalent?
Bingo is an familiar game historically played by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game of late had undergone a recent return in appeal with younger people deciding to go to the bingo halls rather than the clubs on a Friday night. This is all about to change with the enacting of the smoking ban around Britain.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes whilst marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 every public place will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most favored places where many people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo parlors. Profits have dropped and the industry is literally struggling for its life. But where have all the players gone? Of course they have not abandoned this enduring game?
The answer is on the web. Players realise that they can gamble on bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and smoke and in the end, enjoy monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent development and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course wagering on on the internet could never replace the social portion of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of people the rules have left a lot of bingo players with no option.