Much has been stated in the press recently concerning the bingo industry struggling as a result of the smoking ban in England. Conditions have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive tax breaks to help keep the businesses alive. But does the internet variation of this classic game present a lifeline, or might it never compare to its bricks and mortar equivalent?
Bingo is an age old game generally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game recently had witnessed a recent comeback in popularity with younger men and women deciding to go to the bingo parlors instead of the discos on a weekend. All this is about to be destroyed with the enacting of the smoking ban across UK.
Players will no longer be allowed to smoke whilst marking numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public locations will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most popular locations where folks like to puff on cigarettes.
The results of the cigarette ban can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already prohibited in the bingo halls. Profits have plummeted and the business is absolutely fighting for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Of course they have not forgotten this established game?
The answer is online. People realise that they can bet on bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a beer and cigarette and still enjoy big cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on on the net is unlikely to replace the communal aspect of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of players the governing edicts have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with little option.
This entry was posted on October 29, 2026, 3:25 pm and is filed under Bingo. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.