An abundance has been talked in the press just a while ago regarding the bingo industry being hit as a result of the anti cigarette law in England. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big tax cuts to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. However can the net variation of this traditional game present a salvation, or might it not compare to its bricks and mortar opposite?

Bingo is an age old game normally played by the "blue haired" generation. For all that the game of late had seen a recent return in popularity with younger people deciding to visit the bingo parlors rather than the discos on a weekend. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the legislating of the smoking ban throughout UK.

No longer will gamblers be allowed to smoke whilst dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public areas will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favored areas where folks enjoy smoking.

The results of the anti smoking law can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already forbidden in the bingo halls. Numbers have dropped and the industry is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Surely they have not deserted this established game?

The answer is on the web. People realize that they can wager on bingo from their computer while enjoying a cocktail and fag and still have a chance at huge cash rewards. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself just about perfectly with the anti cigarette law.

Of course playing online is unlikely to replace the social portion of heading over to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of players the rules have left a number of bingo players with no choice.