Could the Anti Smoking Law in England Drive Bingo Players On to the Web?
Sunday, 14. December 2025
Much has been stated in the press not long ago about the bingo industry struggling as a result of the anti cigarette law in the United Kingdom. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive tax cuts to help keep the industry alive. But does the net adaptation of this quintessential game provide a salvation, or will it not compare to its bricks and mortar equivalent?
Bingo has been an enduring game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game lately had undergone a recent resurgence in popularity with younger men and women opting to go to the bingo parlours in place of the bars on a Friday night. This is all about to be reversed with the introduction of the anti smoking law across England and Wales.
Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes while marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 every public place will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most common places where folks enjoy smoking.
The results of the cigarette ban can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already forbidden in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plummeted and the business is absolutely fighting for its life. But where have the players gone? Of course they have not abandoned this ancient game?
The answer is on the web. People know that they can bet on bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and cig and still enjoy big cash rewards. This is a recent development and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course wagering on on the net is unlikely to replace the social portion of heading over to the bingo hall, but for a group of men and women the governing edicts have left many bingo enthusiasts with no choice.
Posted in Bingo by Taryn