[ English ]

An abundance has been talked in the press just a while ago concerning the bingo industry struggling as a result of the anti smoking law in Britain. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big tax cuts to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. But does the web variation of this classic game provide a escape, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar relative?

Bingo has been an ancient game historically played by the "blue haired" generation. However the game of late had experienced a recent increase in acceptance with younger men and women opting to hit the bingo halls in place of the clubs on a Friday night. All this is about to be reversed with the legislating of the cigarette ban all over England and Wales.

No longer will enthusiasts be permitted to smoke at the same time marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public locations will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most favored locations where players like to smoke.

The results of the anti cigarette law can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo halls. Numbers have dropped and the business is literally fighting for its life. But where did all the players go? Of course they haven’t abandoned this age old game?

The answer is online. Gamblers realise that they can play bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beer and cigarette and still have a chance at huge prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself just about perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.

Of course wagering on on the net can never replace the communal part of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a group of men and women the law has left a number of bingo players with no alternative.