A lot has been stated in the press just a while ago regarding the bingo industry being hit because of the anti cigarette law in England. Things have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big tax cuts to help keep the businesses afloat. But can the net variation of this quintessential game offer a escape, or will it not compare to its land based equivalent?

Bingo has been an familiar game usually enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. Although the game recently had undergone a recent comeback in acceptance with younger men and women deciding to hit the bingo halls rather than the discos on a Friday night. This is all about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the anti smoking law all over Britain.

Players will no longer be permitted to smoke whilst dabbing numbers. Starting in the summer of ‘07 all public locations will not be permitted to allow smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, one of the most common locations where many people like to smoke.

The results of the anti cigarette law can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already banned in the bingo halls. Numbers have dropped and the industry is literally struggling for its life. But where did all the players go? Of course they haven’t forgotten this familiar game?

The answer is on the internet. Gamblers are now realizing that they can participate in bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and fag and still enjoy big prizes. This is a recent development and has happened bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.

Of course playing on the internet can never replace the social portion of going down to the bingo hall, but for a group of players the rules have left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with no alternative.