Could the Cigarette Ban in Britain Drive Bingo Enthusiasts On to the Web?
Posted in Bingo on 05/01/2021 01:25 pm by Eileen
Much has been stated in the papers recently concerning the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the anti smoking law in England. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big tax cuts to assist in keeping the industry afloat. But does the internet variation of this traditional game present a reprieve, or might it never compare to its real life peer?
Bingo has been an enduring game usually played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game of late had seen a recent resurgence in popularity with younger men and women deciding to hit the bingo halls rather than the bars on a Friday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the enacting of the anti smoking law all over England and Wales.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes while dabbing numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public places will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favored areas where many people like to smoke.
The outcome of the anti smoking law can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo parlours. Numbers have dropped and the industry is literally struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Of course they haven’t forgotten this age old game?
The answer is on the internet. Players are now realizing that they can participate in bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and smoke and still enjoy massive prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has happened almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course playing on the web is unlikely to replace the communal aspect of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of players the law has left many bingo enthusiasts with little choice.