Can the Anti Cigarette Law in England Force Bingo Enthusiasts Online?
Friday, 12. February 2021
A lot has been reported in the papers recently concerning the bingo industry struggling because of the cigarette ban in the United Kingdom. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge tax breaks to help keep the businesses alive. But can the web version of this traditional game offer a lifeline, or might it in no way compare to its land based equivalent?
Bingo has been an ancient game normally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game of late had witnessed a recent increase in appeal with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo parlors rather than the discos on a weekend. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the anti smoking law all over Britain.
Players will no longer be able to smoke whilst marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public locations will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most popular places where players like to smoke.
The effects of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already prohibited in the bingo parlors. Players have dropped and the industry is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Surely they haven’t cast aside this established game?
The answer is on the web. People are now realizing that they can bet on bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a drink and cig and still have a chance at monstrous jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on online is unlikely to replace the collective part of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of men and women the law has left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no choice.
Posted in Bingo by Taryn