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Much has been stated in the papers recently about the bingo industry struggling as a result of the smoking ban in England. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive tax cuts to help keep the industry alive. However will the internet version of this quintessential game offer a reprieve, or will it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar peer?

Bingo is an familiar game generally played by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game of late had undergone a recent increase in appeal with younger people opting to go to the bingo halls rather than the clubs on a Saturday night. All this is about to change with the introduction of the cigarette ban all over Britain.

Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes whilst dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public locations will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most common locations where people like to puff on cigarettes.

The outcome of the anti cigarette law can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already illegal in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plunged and the industry is literally fighting for its life. But where did the players go? Surely they haven’t cast aside this classic game?

The answer is online. People are now realizing that they can enjoy bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a cocktail and cigarette and still have a chance at massive cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.

Of course playing on the net is unlikely to replace the social aspect of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of men and women the law has left many bingo players with little option.