Much has been stated in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the anti cigarette law in Britain. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive tax breaks to assist in keeping the businesses afloat. But can the internet variation of this quintessential game provide a escape, or might it not compare to its real life opposite?

Bingo has been an familiar game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game recently had witnessed a recent increase in popularity with younger members of society opting to hit the bingo halls in place of the discos on a Saturday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the cigarette ban around England and Wales.

Players will no longer be permitted to smoke at the same time marking off their numbers. Starting in the summer of 2007 all public areas will not be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, one of the most common areas where folks like to puff on cigarettes.

The effects of the anti smoking law can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already prohibited in the bingo halls. Numbers have dropped and the industry is beyond a doubt struggling for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Certainly they have not given up on this established game?

The answer is on the internet. Players realise that they can play bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and fag and still have a chance at monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.

Of course playing on the web could never replace the social part of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a group of players the governing edicts have left a number of bingo players with no choice.