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Bowl Streaker!

A lot has been reported in the papers not long ago concerning the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the anti smoking law in the UK. Conditions have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for huge tax breaks to assist in keeping the businesses afloat. But does the internet adaptation of this quintessential game offer a reprieve, or might it not compare to its bricks and mortar relative?

Bingo is an ancient game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game recently had experienced a recent return in popularity with younger members of society opting to visit the bingo halls rather than the clubs on a Friday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the smoking ban around UK.

Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes whilst marking off their numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public areas will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most common areas where many people like to puff on cigarettes.

The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo halls. Players have plunged and the industry is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Of course they haven’t forgotten this familiar game?

The answer is online. Gamblers realise that they can play bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a drink and cig and still have a chance at massive cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.

Of course playing on the internet will never replace the communal aspect of heading down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of people the governing edicts have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no choice.

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