Posted by Jace | Posted in Bingo | Posted on 15-06-2026
Much has been reported in the press recently concerning the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the smoking ban in England. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge aid to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However does the net variation of this quintessential game offer a lifeline, or will it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo has been an ancient game historically enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game recently had undergone a recent comeback in popularity with younger men and women deciding to visit the bingo halls in place of the discos on a Saturday night. This is all about to change with the introduction of the cigarette ban throughout England and Wales.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes whilst marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 every public place will not be allowed to permit smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favorite areas where folks like to puff on cigarettes.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already prohibited in the bingo halls. Players have plummeted and the industry is absolutely fighting for its life. But where have the players gone? Certainly they haven’t cast aside this enduring game?
The answer is on the net. People realize that they can gamble on bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a drink and cigarette and still have a chance at huge cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course playing on the internet will never replace the communal part of heading down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of players the governing edicts have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.