Can the Cigarette Ban in Britain Take Bingo Players On to the Net?
Thursday, 20. August 2026
Much has been reported in the press recently concerning the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the smoking ban in the UK. Conditions have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive tax breaks to help keep the industry alive. But does the web adaptation of this traditional game present a reprieve, or might it never compare to its real life equivalent?
Bingo is an familiar game historically enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. However the game lately had experienced a recent resurgence in popularity with younger members of society opting to go to the bingo parlors rather than the discos on a weekend. This is all about to be destroyed with the enforcement of the cigarette ban all over United Kingdom.
Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes whilst dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public places will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most favored areas where many people like to puff on cigarettes.
The effects of the anti smoking law can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo halls. Profits have plummeted and the industry is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Obviously they have not cast aside this classic game?
The answer is on the internet. Players know that they can bet on bingo from their computer while enjoying a drink and smoke and in the end, enjoy monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.
Of course wagering on online could never replace the collective portion of going down to the bingo hall, but for a group of players the rules have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with little option.
Posted in Bingo by Taryn