An abundance has been stated in the press recently about the bingo industry struggling as a consequence of the anti smoking law in the UK. Conditions have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has demanded huge tax cuts to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. However will the internet adaptation of this traditional game provide a lifeline, or might it not compare to its land based equivalent?

Bingo is an classic game normally played by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game of late had experienced a recent increase in appeal with younger people opting to hit the bingo halls in place of the bars on a Friday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the legislating of the cigarette ban across England and Wales.

No longer will players be allowed to puff on cigarettes while marking numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public areas will no longer be allowed to permit cigarettes in their locations and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favored places where players like to puff on cigarettes.

The results of the smoking ban can already be looked at in Scotland where cigarettes are already barred in the bingo parlors. Profits have dropped and the industry is absolutely struggling for its life. But where have all the players gone? Obviously they haven’t forgotten this ancient game?

The answer is on the internet. Players realize that they can participate in bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beverage and smoke and in the end, enjoy huge cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has happened almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.

Of course betting on on the net is unlikely to replace the communal portion of going over to the bingo hall, but for a group of people the rules have left a number of bingo players with little option.