Much has been talked in the press not long ago about the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the anti cigarette law in Britain. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge tax cuts to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. But does the net variation of this traditional game offer a escape, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar equivalent?

Bingo has been an familiar game normally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game of late had seen a recent increase in popularity with younger people deciding to hit the bingo halls rather than the bars on a Saturday night. This is all about to change with the introduction of the smoking ban all over Britain.

Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes whilst dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public areas will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favorite areas where people like to smoke.

The results of the anti smoking law can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already forbidden in the bingo halls. Players have plunged and the business is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Surely they haven’t deserted this familiar game?

The answer is on the internet. Gamblers know that they can enjoy bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a beer and cig and still enjoy huge prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.

Of course wagering on on the web can never replace the collective part of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of men and women the rules have left a lot of bingo players with no choice.