Might the Anti Smoking Law in Britain Drive Bingo Enthusiasts On to the Internet?
Saturday, 8. March 2025
A lot has been stated in the press not long ago concerning the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the cigarette ban in England. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big aid to assist in keeping the businesses afloat. But will the internet variation of this traditional game present a salvation, or will it not compare to its real life equivalent?
Bingo has been an established game generally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game lately had witnessed a recent resurgence in popularity with younger members of society opting to go to the bingo halls in place of the discos on a weekend. All this is about to be destroyed with the introduction of the anti smoking law all over UK.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes whilst marking off their numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public areas will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favored areas where people like to smoke.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo halls. Players have plunged and the industry is absolutely fighting for its life. But where have the players gone? Obviously they haven’t cast aside this enduring game?
The answer is on the net. Players realise that they can wager on bingo using their computer while enjoying a cocktail and cigarette and in the end, enjoy monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has happened just about perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course playing on the net is unlikely to replace the communal portion of going over to the bingo parlor, but for a group of men and women the law has left many bingo enthusiasts with no choice.
Posted in Bingo by Taryn