Can the Anti Smoking Law in the UK Force Bingo Enthusiasts On to the Internet?
Monday, 1. November 2021
Much has been stated in the papers just a while ago regarding the bingo industry struggling as a result of the anti cigarette law in Britain. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry afloat. But does the online variation of this quintessential game provide a reprieve, or will it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar kin?
Bingo is an age old game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game lately had seen a recent increase in acceptance with younger men and women opting to hit the bingo parlours in place of the bars on a weekend. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the introduction of the anti cigarette law around United Kingdom.
No longer will gamblers be able to puff on cigarettes whilst dabbing numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public areas will not be allowed to permit smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most popular areas where people enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo halls. Profits have dropped and the business is absolutely struggling for its life. But where have all the players gone? Certainly they haven’t forgotten this familiar game?
The answer is on the internet. People realize that they can wager on bingo in front of their computer while enjoying a beverage and fag and in the end, enjoy big jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course playing online is unlikely to replace the communal part of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of players the governing edicts have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.
Posted in Bingo by Taryn