Will the Smoking Ban in Britain Take Bingo Enthusiasts Online?


An abundance has been talked in the press not long ago concerning the bingo industry being hit as a result of the cigarette ban in the UK. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big tax breaks to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. However will the internet adaptation of this quintessential game present a lifeline, or will it in no way compare to its land based opposite?

Bingo has been an enduring game generally played by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game recently had undergone a recent comeback in popularity with younger people opting to hit the bingo halls rather than the discos on a Saturday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the enforcement of the anti smoking law throughout England and Wales.

No more will players be able to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public areas will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most favored locations where people enjoy smoking.

The outcome of the smoking ban can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already not permitted in the bingo parlours. Profits have plunged and the industry is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Certainly they haven’t forgotten this ancient game?

The answer is on the web. Gamblers realise that they can gamble on bingo using their computer while enjoying a beer and cig and still have a chance at massive prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.

Of course gambling on on the internet is unlikely to replace the social part of heading down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of men and women the rules have left a lot of bingo players with no choice.

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