A lot has been reported in the press just a while ago about the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the smoking ban in the United Kingdom. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big tax breaks to help keep the businesses afloat. But will the online version of this traditional game present a salvation, or will it not compare to its bricks and mortar equivalent?

Bingo is an ancient game usually enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. In any case the game lately had seen a recent comeback in popularity with younger people opting to go to the bingo halls rather than the clubs on a Friday night. This is all about to be destroyed with the introduction of the anti smoking law around Britain.

Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes while marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public places will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most common places where people like to smoke.

The results of the anti smoking law can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already not allowed in the bingo halls. Players have plummeted and the business is absolutely fighting for its life. But where have the players gone? Obviously they have not deserted this age old game?

The answer is online. People realize that they can bet on bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and cigarette and still enjoy huge jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.

Of course playing on the internet will never replace the social portion of heading over to the bingo parlor, but for a group of people the law has left a number of bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.