A lot has been talked in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry being hit as a consequence of the smoking ban in Britain. Things have become so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive aid to help keep the industry afloat. But does the net adaptation of this traditional game provide a lifeline, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar opposite?

Bingo is an age old game normally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game recently had seen a recent increase in popularity with younger people deciding to hit the bingo parlours instead of the bars on a Saturday night. All this is about to get flipped on its head with the enacting of the anti smoking law across England and Wales.

Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes whilst marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public locations will not be permitted to allow smoking in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favored places where players like to puff on cigarettes.

The effects of the cigarette ban can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already forbidden in the bingo halls. Profits have plummeted and the business is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Surely they haven’t forgotten this ancient game?

The answer is on the internet. Players realise that they can enjoy bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a drink and fag and in the end, have a chance at massive prizes. This is a recent development and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti smoking law.

Of course gambling on online is unlikely to replace the social portion of going over to the bingo parlor, but for a demographic of players the governing edicts have left a number of bingo players with little alternative.