Can the Anti Cigarette Law in the United Kingdom Drive Bingo Enthusiasts On to the Web?


An abundance has been talked in the press just a while ago regarding the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the cigarette ban in England. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big aid to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. However can the web adaptation of this classic game offer a lifeline, or will it not compare to its bricks and mortar equivalent?

Bingo is an enduring game generally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game lately had seen a recent return in popularity with younger people deciding to visit the bingo parlours instead of the bars on a Friday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the anti cigarette law around UK.

No more will players be permitted to puff on cigarettes while marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public location will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most common places where people enjoy smoking.

The outcome of the anti smoking law can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo halls. Profits have plunged and the industry is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Certainly they have not abandoned this ancient game?

The answer is on the internet. Players realise that they can enjoy bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and cig and in the end, enjoy big jackpots. This is a recent development and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.

Of course playing on the internet is unlikely to replace the social aspect of going over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of people the law has left a good many bingo players with little choice.

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