[ English ]

An abundance has been written in the papers recently about the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the anti smoking law in the United Kingdom. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive aid to assist in keeping the businesses from going bankrupt. But can the online variation of this classic game provide a reprieve, or might it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar opposite?

Bingo is an classic game generally played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game of late had seen a recent return in acceptance with younger men and women deciding to hit the bingo parlors in place of the clubs on a weekend. All this is about to be destroyed with the enforcement of the anti cigarette law around United Kingdom.

No longer will enthusiasts be allowed to smoke at the same time marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public locations will not be allowed to permit smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favorite areas where folks like to puff on cigarettes.

The results of the smoking ban can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already illegal in the bingo parlours. Numbers have dropped and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Obviously they have not forgotten this age old game?

The answer is on the web. Players know that they can bet on bingo in front of their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and fag and in the end, enjoy massive prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.

Of course playing online will never replace the communal portion of heading down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of people the governing edicts have left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.