An abundance has been talked in the papers just a while ago regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the smoking ban in the United Kingdom. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for massive aid to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. However can the online version of this quintessential game present a reprieve, or will it never compare to its bricks and mortar peer?

Bingo has been an ancient game usually enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. However the game of late had witnessed a recent increase in appeal with younger men and women deciding to visit the bingo halls in place of the discos on a weekend. This is all about to be reversed with the legislating of the anti cigarette law all over UK.

Players will no longer be allowed to smoke at the same time dabbing numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public location will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favorite places where players enjoy smoking.

The effects of the anti cigarette law can already be observed in Scotland where smoking is already illegal in the bingo halls. Players have dropped and the industry is beyond a doubt fighting for its life. But where did all the players go? Of course they have not deserted this age old game?

The answer is on the internet. People realize that they can play bingo from their computer whilst enjoying a beer and smoke and in the end, have a chance at big prizes. This is a recent phenomenon and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.

Of course betting on online is unlikely to replace the social part of heading down to the bingo hall, but for a group of men and women the law has left a good many bingo players with no alternative.