A lot has been reported in the press just a while ago concerning the bingo industry struggling as a result of the smoking ban in England. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big aid to assist in keeping the businesses alive. But will the net adaptation of this quintessential game offer a salvation, or might it never compare to its land based kin?

Bingo is an age old game historically enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game of late had experienced a recent increase in popularity with younger people deciding to visit the bingo halls rather than the clubs on a weekend. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the anti cigarette law throughout Britain.

No longer will enthusiasts be permitted to puff on cigarettes at the same time marking numbers. From the summer of ‘07 every public place will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most common places where people like to smoke.

The effects of the anti smoking law can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo halls. Numbers have dropped and the industry is literally struggling for its life. But where have the players gone? Of course they have not forgotten this established game?

The answer is on the internet. Gamblers are now realizing that they can bet on bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and smoke and still enjoy huge prizes. This is a recent development and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.

Of course playing on the internet is unlikely to replace the social part of going down to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the rules have left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.