Can the Anti Cigarette Law in Britain Force Bingo Enthusiasts On to the Internet?
Tuesday, 1. April 2025
A lot has been talked in the press recently regarding the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the cigarette ban in Britain. Things have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for huge aid to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. However will the internet variation of this quintessential game present a reprieve, or might it in no way compare to its land based relative?
Bingo has been an age old game generally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game of late had witnessed a recent comeback in popularity with younger men and women deciding to visit the bingo halls instead of the discos on a weekend. All this is about to change with the introduction of the cigarette ban throughout Britain.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes while marking numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public areas will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most popular areas where folks like to puff on cigarettes.
The results of the smoking ban can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already prohibited in the bingo parlors. Profits have plummeted and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where did the players go? Certainly they haven’t deserted this age old game?
The answer is on the web. People realise that they can enjoy bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and cig 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 wagering on on the internet is unlikely to replace the collective part of going over to the bingo hall, but for a group of men and women the law has left many bingo enthusiasts with little option.
Posted in Bingo by Taryn