[ English ]

A lot has been written in the press not long ago about the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the cigarette ban in the United Kingdom. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for huge aid to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. However does the online adaptation of this quintessential game provide a salvation, or will it in no way compare to its real life relative?

Bingo has been an age old game usually played by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game lately had undergone a recent return in popularity with younger people opting to hit the bingo parlours rather than the discos on a weekend. All this is about to be reversed with the introduction of the anti smoking law around UK.

No more will gamblers be able to puff on cigarettes whilst marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public places will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favored places where many people like to smoke.

The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already not permitted in the bingo parlors. Profits have dropped and the industry is absolutely fighting for its life. But where have all the players gone? Certainly they have not given up on this classic game?

The answer is on the web. People are now realizing that they can gamble on bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a drink and cigarette and still have a chance at monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.

Of course wagering on on the web is unlikely to replace the collective portion of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of men and women the rules have left many bingo enthusiasts with little choice.