Could the Smoking Ban in the UK Take Bingo Enthusiasts On to the Web?
Posted in Bingo on 05/14/2022 05:25 pm by Eileen
A lot has been written in the press recently regarding the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the anti cigarette law in England. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big tax cuts to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. However does the web version of this classic game present a reprieve, or might it never compare to its real life equivalent?
Bingo is an enduring game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game recently had seen a recent increase in appeal with younger men and women opting to hit the bingo parlors in place of the bars on a weekend. This is all about to be destroyed with the enacting of the smoking ban across Britain.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 every public area will not be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most popular areas where many people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already not allowed in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plummeted and the industry is literally struggling for its life. But where did all the players go? Surely they haven’t given up on this ancient game?
The answer is online. Players realize that they can wager on bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a drink and fag and still enjoy huge jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course playing online is unlikely to replace the social part of heading down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of people the law has left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no option.