An abundance has been stated in the press just a while ago concerning the bingo industry being hurt as a consequence of the anti cigarette law in the UK. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big aid to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. However will the net version of this classic game provide a escape, or will it not compare to its land based kin?

Bingo is an enduring game historically played by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game lately had undergone a recent resurgence in popularity with younger people deciding to go to the bingo parlors instead of the clubs on a Friday night. This is all about to be reversed with the enforcement of the anti smoking law all over England and Wales.

Players will no longer be allowed to puff on cigarettes while dabbing numbers. Starting 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 common locations where players enjoy smoking.

The effects of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already not allowed in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plummeted and the business is absolutely fighting for its life. But where did the players go? Surely they haven’t given up on this classic game?

The answer is on the net. People realize that they can enjoy bingo using their computer whilst enjoying a drink and cig and still have a chance at huge cash rewards. This is a recent development and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on smoking.

Of course playing on the net will never replace the communal portion of going over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of men and women the rules have left a number of bingo players with no choice.