[ English ]

A lot has been stated in the papers just a while ago about the bingo industry struggling because of the smoking ban in Britain. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded massive tax cuts to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But does the internet variation of this traditional game offer a escape, or might it in no way compare to its bricks and mortar relative?

Bingo has been an established game generally played by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game of late had undergone a recent return in popularity with younger people opting to visit the bingo parlors rather than the clubs on a Friday night. This is all about to change with the enacting of the smoking ban throughout England and Wales.

Players will no longer be permitted to puff on cigarettes while marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 every public place will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most favorite places where folks enjoy smoking.

The effects of the smoking ban can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already forbidden in the bingo halls. Profits have dropped and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where have all the players gone? Surely they haven’t given up on this established game?

The answer is on the internet. Players know that they can wager on bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and smoke and still have a chance at big jackpots. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.

Of course gambling on on the internet could never replace the collective portion of going over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the law has left a number of bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.