Much has been talked in the press recently concerning the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the cigarette ban in the UK. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive tax breaks to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However will the internet adaptation of this traditional game offer a lifeline, or might it not compare to its bricks and mortar kin?

Bingo is an enduring game historically played by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game lately had experienced a recent return in acceptance with younger men and women deciding to visit the bingo parlors in place of the clubs on a Friday night. This is all about to change with the enforcement of the smoking ban across United Kingdom.

Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes while marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public places will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most popular areas where folks like to smoke.

The effects of the anti smoking law can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already forbidden in the bingo parlors. Profits have plunged and the industry is beyond a doubt struggling for its life. But where did all the players go? Surely they haven’t abandoned this age old game?

The answer is on the web. Players realise that they can wager on bingo from their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and cig and still have a chance at monstrous prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.

Of course betting on on the net could never replace the collective part of heading over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of players the governing edicts have left a good many bingo enthusiasts with little choice.