Might the Cigarette Ban in the United Kingdom Force Bingo Enthusiasts Online?
Posted in Bingo on 11/05/2015 08:21 am by Eileen
A lot has been talked in the press not long ago regarding the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the smoking ban in England. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive aid to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. However can the online version of this classic game offer a salvation, or might it in no way compare to its real life kin?
Bingo has been an age old game generally played by the "blue haired" generation. However the game of late had undergone a recent return in popularity with younger members of society opting to hit the bingo halls in place of the bars on a Saturday night. This is all about to be reversed with the enacting of the cigarette ban throughout England and Wales.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public locations will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most popular locations where players enjoy smoking.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plummeted and the industry is absolutely fighting for its life. But where did the players go? Certainly they haven’t forgotten this established game?
The answer is on the net. Gamblers realise that they can play bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and fag and still enjoy big prizes. This is a recent development and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course betting on online is unlikely to replace the collective aspect of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the law has left many bingo enthusiasts with little choice.