Will the Anti Smoking Law in the United Kingdom Drive Bingo Players On to the Net?

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A lot has been stated in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the cigarette ban in England. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded huge tax breaks to assist in keeping the businesses afloat. However does the internet variation of this quintessential game offer a reprieve, or might it not compare to its real life equivalent?

Bingo is an age old game generally played by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game of late had undergone a recent resurgence in acceptance with younger people opting to visit the bingo parlours instead of the bars on a Saturday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the legislating of the smoking ban all over England and Wales.

No more will enthusiasts be able to smoke at the same time marking off their numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public places will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most common locations where people like to smoke.

The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo parlours. Numbers have dropped and the business is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Of course they haven’t forgotten this age old game?

The answer is on the internet. Players realise that they can enjoy bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a beer and cig and still have a chance at massive cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.

Of course wagering on on the internet can never replace the communal portion of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of players the law has left a good many bingo players with no choice.