23
May
Written by Gordon.
Posted in: Bingo
A lot has been talked in the papers recently regarding the bingo industry being hit as a result of the anti cigarette law in England. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But does the web variation of this quintessential game offer a salvation, or might it never compare to its bricks and mortar kin?
Bingo has been an established game historically played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game lately had experienced a recent increase in acceptance with younger people deciding to visit the bingo halls rather than the bars on a Saturday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the enacting of the anti smoking law all over UK.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes whilst marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public locations will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most common locations where people enjoy smoking.
The results of the smoking ban can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo halls. Numbers have plummeted and the industry is literally struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Surely they haven’t deserted this enduring game?
The answer is online. Players are now realizing that they can wager on bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a drink and fag and still enjoy monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent development and has timed itself just about perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course betting on on the net is unlikely to replace the communal aspect of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of players the governing edicts have left a number of bingo players with little option.
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