A lot has been reported in the press recently concerning the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the cigarette ban in Britain. Things have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. However does the online version of this classic game offer a escape, or might it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar opposite?

Bingo has been an familiar game normally played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game lately had seen a recent return in appeal with younger people opting to go to the bingo parlours rather than the clubs on a Saturday night. This is all about to be reversed with the introduction of the anti smoking law throughout England and Wales.

Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes whilst marking numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public places will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most popular areas where many people enjoy smoking.

The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo parlours. Profits have plummeted and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where have all the players gone? Obviously they have not forgotten this familiar game?

The answer is on the web. People realize that they can play bingo using their computer while enjoying a cocktail and fag and in the end, have a chance at massive prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.

Of course betting on on the web is unlikely to replace the social part of heading down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of men and women the governing edicts have left a lot of bingo players with little alternative.