Will the Cigarette Ban in the UK Take Bingo Players Online?
by Brennen on Monday, May 4th, 2026
Much has been stated in the papers recently concerning the bingo industry singing the blues because of the smoking ban in England. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive tax breaks to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. But does the net adaptation of this quintessential game provide a salvation, or will it not compare to its land based relative?
Bingo has been an familiar game historically played by the "blue haired" generation. However the game lately had witnessed a recent comeback in appeal with younger people deciding to visit the bingo halls in place of the bars on a Saturday night. This is all about to change with the enacting of the anti smoking law around United Kingdom.
No more will gamblers be allowed to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking off their numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public places will not be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most common places where players enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plummeted and the business is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Obviously they haven’t given up on this established game?
The answer is on the web. People realize that they can play bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and cigarette and in the end, enjoy massive jackpots. This is a recent development and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.
Of course gambling on on the web could never replace the social aspect of going over to the bingo hall, but for a group of men and women the governing edicts have left many bingo enthusiasts with little option.
Posted in Bingo | No Comments »