Will the Anti Cigarette Law in Britain Take Bingo Players On to the Internet?
Posted in Bingo on 07/15/2026 09:25 pm by Eileen
A lot has been stated in the papers recently concerning the bingo industry singing the blues because of the smoking ban in Britain. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive aid to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. But will the internet variation of this classic game offer a reprieve, or will it not compare to its bricks and mortar equivalent?
Bingo is an familiar game normally played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game of late had witnessed a recent resurgence in appeal with younger men and women deciding to visit the bingo halls in place of the bars on a Saturday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the enacting of the cigarette ban across UK.
No longer will enthusiasts be permitted to puff on cigarettes whilst dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public locations will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favorite locations where many people like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo parlours. Players have plummeted and the business is literally fighting for its life. But where did all the players go? Certainly they haven’t forgotten this familiar game?
The answer is on the net. Players know that they can participate in bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a cocktail and fag and still enjoy big jackpots. This is a recent development and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on on the internet is unlikely to replace the communal aspect of heading over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of players the rules have left a number of bingo players with little choice.