30
August
Written by Lily.
Posted in: Bingo
An abundance has been written in the press recently about the bingo industry singing the blues because of the cigarette ban in the UK. Things have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge tax breaks to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. However will the net version of this quintessential game provide a reprieve, or will it not compare to its land based kin?
Bingo has been an classic game generally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. However the game of late had undergone a recent return in acceptance with younger men and women opting to go to the bingo parlours in place of the discos on a weekend. All this is about to be reversed with the enacting of the anti smoking law across UK.
No more will enthusiasts be able to puff on cigarettes whilst marking off their numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public locations will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most common areas where many people like to smoke.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plunged and the industry is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Certainly they haven’t cast aside this established game?
The answer is online. People are now realizing that they can enjoy bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a cocktail and smoke and still have a chance at huge jackpots. This is a recent development and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on on the web is unlikely to replace the collective portion of going down to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of players the law has left a lot of bingo players with no alternative.
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