Might the Smoking Ban in the United Kingdom Force Bingo Players On to the Net?
Posted in Bingo on 06/30/2025 11:25 pm by Eileen
Much has been reported in the press recently regarding the bingo industry being hit because of the cigarette ban in the UK. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big tax cuts to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However will the web variation of this classic game provide a escape, or will it in no way compare to its real life peer?
Bingo has been an classic game historically enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game lately had witnessed a recent increase in acceptance with younger people opting to visit the bingo parlours rather than the bars on a Friday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the introduction of the anti cigarette law around UK.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes while marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public areas will not be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most popular places where folks like to smoke.
The results of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo halls. Profits have plunged and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where did all the players go? Certainly they haven’t deserted this ancient game?
The answer is on the web. Gamblers are now realizing that they can bet on bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and fag and still have a chance at big prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.
Of course betting on on the web can never replace the communal part of heading over to the bingo hall, but for a group of players the governing edicts have left a good many bingo players with no alternative.