[ English ]

An abundance has been written in the press recently regarding the bingo industry being hurt because of the anti cigarette law in England. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested huge tax cuts to help keep the industry alive. However will the web version of this classic game present a escape, or might it not compare to its bricks and mortar relative?

Bingo is an established game generally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game of late had witnessed a recent return in appeal with younger men and women deciding to hit the bingo parlours instead of the bars on a Friday night. All this is about to be reversed with the legislating of the anti cigarette law all over England and Wales.

No more will gamblers be able to smoke while marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public areas will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most popular locations where people like to smoke.

The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo parlors. Players have plummeted and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for to stay alive. But where have the players gone? Of course they haven’t given up on this age old game?

The answer is on the net. Players realise that they can bet on bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a beer and fag and in the end, enjoy big jackpots. This is a recent development and has timed itself just about perfectly with the anti smoking law.

Of course playing online will never replace the communal part of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a group of people the governing edicts have left many bingo players with no alternative.