Could the Smoking Ban in the United Kingdom Drive Bingo Enthusiasts On to the Net?
Posted in Bingo on 06/12/2020 11:25 am by Eileen
Much has been stated in the press not long ago about the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the anti smoking law in Britain. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded big tax cuts to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. But will the online adaptation of this quintessential game provide a escape, or might it never compare to its land based relative?
Bingo has been an ancient game normally played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game recently had undergone a recent comeback in appeal with younger men and women deciding to visit the bingo halls rather than the discos on a Friday night. This is all about to be reversed with the enforcement of the smoking ban across Britain.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking off their numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public locations will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favored locations where people like to smoke.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo halls. Profits have dropped and the industry is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Obviously they haven’t deserted this established game?
The answer is online. Players realize that they can play bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and cigarette and still enjoy massive cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.
Of course wagering on on the web can never replace the social aspect of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of players the law has left a good many bingo enthusiasts with little option.