Could the Smoking Ban in the United Kingdom Drive Bingo Players On to the Net?
Friday, 10. April 2020
Much has been written in the press just a while ago regarding the bingo industry being hit as a result of the anti smoking law in the UK. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded big tax cuts to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. But can the internet adaptation of this quintessential game provide a salvation, or will it in no way compare to its land based equivalent?
Bingo has been an enduring game generally played by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game recently had experienced a recent resurgence in appeal with younger men and women opting to hit the bingo halls in place of the discos on a weekend. This is all about to change with the enforcement of the cigarette ban around UK.
Players will no longer be permitted to smoke at the same time marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public places will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favorite locations where many people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the smoking ban can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo parlours. Numbers have dropped and the business is absolutely fighting for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Of course they haven’t forgotten this ancient game?
The answer is on the net. People realize that they can bet on bingo using their computer while enjoying a beverage and cig and in the end, enjoy monstrous prizes. This is a recent development and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.
Of course wagering on on the internet is unlikely to replace the collective aspect of going over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the rules have left a good many bingo players with little option.
Posted in Bingo by Taryn