Posted by Jace | Posted in Bingo | Posted on 19-08-2021
Much has been written in the press recently regarding the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the anti smoking law in the UK. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big tax breaks to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. But can the internet version of this traditional game provide a reprieve, or will it not compare to its land based peer?
Bingo is an age old game historically enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game lately had witnessed a recent return in popularity with younger men and women deciding to hit the bingo parlors in place of the clubs on a weekend. All this is about to change with the introduction of the anti smoking law across UK.
Players will no longer be able to smoke while marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public places will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most favored areas where players like to smoke.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo parlors. Players have plunged and the industry is literally struggling for its life. But where did all the players go? Obviously they have not given up on this age old game?
The answer is on the internet. Players are now realizing that they can bet on bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and smoke and in the end, enjoy huge prizes. This is a recent development and has timed itself just about perfectly with the anti smoking law.
Of course wagering on on the net is unlikely to replace the communal aspect of heading over to the bingo hall, but for a group of men and women the governing edicts have left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.