Can the Cigarette Ban in England Take Bingo Enthusiasts Online?
Saturday, 30. August 2025
A lot has been written in the press just a while ago concerning the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the smoking ban in Britain. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for huge tax breaks to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. However can the internet version of this traditional game present a lifeline, or will it not compare to its real life peer?
Bingo is an established game generally played by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game recently had experienced a recent increase in popularity with younger members of society deciding to visit the bingo parlors rather than the bars on a Saturday night. All this is about to change with the enacting of the cigarette ban around UK.
No more will enthusiasts be able to smoke at the same time marking off their numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public locations will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most popular locations where folks like to smoke.
The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo halls. Profits have plummeted and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where did the players go? Certainly they have not abandoned this classic game?
The answer is on the internet. Players realise that they can wager on bingo from their computer while enjoying a beverage and cig and in the end, have a chance at monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course playing on the web will never replace the social part of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of people the governing edicts have left a number of bingo players with no choice.
Posted in Bingo by Taryn