[ English ]

Much has been reported in the press recently about the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the smoking ban in the UK. Things have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded big tax breaks to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. However will the internet version of this quintessential game offer a reprieve, or will it not compare to its land based equivalent?

Bingo is an established game generally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game recently had witnessed a recent return in popularity with younger people deciding to hit the bingo halls in place of the clubs on a Friday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the legislating of the anti cigarette law around United Kingdom.

Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes whilst marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public locations will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most common places where many people enjoy smoking.

The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already forbidden in the bingo parlours. Profits have dropped and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where did the players go? Certainly they have not forgotten this classic game?

The answer is on the web. Players are now realizing that they can enjoy bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a beverage and fag and in the end, enjoy massive cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.

Of course playing on the internet will never replace the communal part of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of men and women the rules have left a lot of bingo players with little choice.