Could the Anti Cigarette Law in the United Kingdom Take Bingo Players On to the Net?

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Much has been written in the press recently concerning the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the anti smoking law in the UK. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big aid to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But will the net adaptation of this quintessential game present a lifeline, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar opposite?

Bingo has been an enduring game generally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game recently had seen a recent return in appeal with younger people deciding to go to the bingo parlors in place of the clubs on a Friday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the smoking ban around England and Wales.

No longer will gamblers be allowed to smoke at the same time marking numbers. From the summer of ‘07 every public location will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most common areas where people enjoy smoking.

The outcome of the smoking ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already prohibited in the bingo halls. Profits have dropped and the business is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Certainly they haven’t cast aside this classic game?

The answer is on the internet. Players realise that they can wager on bingo from their computer while enjoying a cocktail and fag and still have a chance at massive prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has happened almost perfectly with the anti smoking law.

Of course playing on the internet can never replace the collective part of going over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the governing edicts have left a number of bingo players with little choice.