[ English ]

An abundance has been stated in the press not long ago regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the anti smoking law in Britain. Things have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for huge aid to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But will the internet version of this classic game offer a salvation, or will it never compare to its real life relative?

Bingo has been an classic game usually played by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game recently had seen a recent increase in appeal with younger people opting to visit the bingo parlours instead of the bars on a weekend. All this is about to change with the enacting of the smoking ban throughout England and Wales.

Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes at the same time dabbing numbers. From the summer of ‘07 all public places will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most popular places where people like to puff on cigarettes.

The outcome of the smoking ban can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already prohibited in the bingo parlors. Players have plunged and the business is beyond a doubt fighting for to stay alive. But where did the players go? Surely they have not deserted this ancient game?

The answer is on the net. Players realize that they can participate in bingo from their computer while enjoying a drink and cigarette and still enjoy huge prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.

Of course betting on on the internet is unlikely to replace the communal portion of going over to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of men and women the rules have left a number of bingo players with little choice.