Bingo

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A lot has been written in the press just a while ago about the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the anti cigarette law in England. Things have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive aid to assist in keeping the industry afloat. However does the internet adaptation of this quintessential game provide a reprieve, or will it not compare to its bricks and mortar equivalent?

Bingo is an established game generally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game recently had experienced a recent return in popularity with younger men and women deciding to go to the bingo halls in place of the bars on a Friday night. This is all about to be destroyed with the enforcement of the anti cigarette law across Britain.

No longer will enthusiasts be allowed to puff on cigarettes whilst marking off their numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public places will not be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most common areas where players like to puff on cigarettes.

The outcome of the anti smoking law can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already forbidden in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plunged and the industry is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Certainly they have not deserted this enduring game?

The answer is online. Gamblers realise that they can participate in bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a drink and fag and still have a chance at massive prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on smoking.

Of course wagering on online is unlikely to replace the social portion of going over to the bingo hall, but for a group of people the rules have left a good many bingo players with no alternative.