Much has been written in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry struggling because of the cigarette ban in the United Kingdom. Things have become so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded huge aid to assist in keeping the industry afloat. However will the online variation of this quintessential game present a reprieve, or will it never compare to its land based kin?

Bingo is an familiar game generally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game of late had undergone a recent comeback in popularity with younger people deciding to hit the bingo halls instead of the clubs on a Saturday night. This is all about to be destroyed with the enforcement of the anti cigarette law across England and Wales.

Players will no longer be able to smoke while marking numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public locations will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favored locations where people enjoy smoking.

The results of the anti cigarette law can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo parlours. Profits have plunged and the business is literally struggling for its life. But where did all the players go? Obviously they have not forgotten this classic game?

The answer is on the internet. People realize that they can gamble on bingo using their computer while enjoying a beer and fag and still enjoy big prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.

Of course playing online is unlikely to replace the collective portion of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of people the rules have left a lot of bingo players with little alternative.