Much has been stated in the papers just a while ago about the bingo industry being hit because of the cigarette ban in the UK. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big tax cuts to help keep the businesses afloat. However can the online version of this classic game provide a escape, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar kin?

Bingo has been an classic game generally played by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game of late had undergone a recent comeback in popularity with younger members of society opting to hit the bingo halls in place of the discos on a Friday night. This is all about to be reversed with the introduction of the smoking ban all over UK.

Players will no longer be able to smoke whilst marking numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public areas will no longer be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most popular locations where many people enjoy smoking.

The effects of the smoking ban can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already prohibited in the bingo parlours. Profits have plummeted and the industry is literally struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Certainly they haven’t forgotten this enduring game?

The answer is online. Gamblers are now realizing that they can participate in bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beer and fag and in the end, enjoy massive cash rewards. This is a recent development and has happened bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.

Of course playing on the internet will never replace the communal aspect of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of people the rules have left a number of bingo enthusiasts with little alternative.