Might the Smoking Ban in the UK Drive Bingo Players On to the Internet?
Sunday, 25. February 2024
Much has been stated in the papers just a while ago concerning the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the anti cigarette law in the UK. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive tax cuts to assist in keeping the businesses alive. However can the net adaptation of this quintessential game offer a reprieve, or might it never compare to its land based kin?
Bingo has been an established game generally played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game of late had undergone a recent return in acceptance with younger members of society opting to visit the bingo halls instead of the bars on a weekend. This is all about to be reversed with the legislating of the cigarette ban around UK.
No more will enthusiasts be allowed to smoke while marking off their numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public areas will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most favored places where many people enjoy smoking.
The effects of the cigarette ban can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo parlours. Profits have plummeted and the industry is beyond a doubt struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Of course they haven’t abandoned this enduring game?
The answer is on the web. Players realise that they can wager on bingo using their computer while enjoying a drink and cigarette and in the end, enjoy monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent development and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course wagering on on the net can never replace the collective aspect of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of people the governing edicts have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no option.
Posted in Bingo by Taryn