Much has been reported in the press just a while ago about the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the anti cigarette law in the UK. Things have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for huge aid to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. However can the net variation of this classic game offer a escape, or might it never compare to its land based equivalent?

Bingo is an age old game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game of late had experienced a recent comeback in appeal with younger people opting to go to the bingo parlors instead of the bars on a Saturday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enforcement of the smoking ban throughout UK.

No more will enthusiasts be able to smoke at the same time dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public locations will not be permitted to allow smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most common areas where people like to puff on cigarettes.

The effects of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where smoking is already barred in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plunged and the industry is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Certainly they have not cast aside this familiar game?

The answer is online. Gamblers know that they can enjoy bingo from their computer while enjoying a beer and cigarette and still enjoy big prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.

Of course betting on on the web is unlikely to replace the collective portion of heading over to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of players the governing edicts have left a lot of bingo players with little alternative.