An abundance has been stated in the press not long ago regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a result of the cigarette ban in Britain. Conditions have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested massive tax breaks to help keep the businesses from going bankrupt. But can the internet version of this quintessential game provide a salvation, or might it in no way compare to its land based equivalent?

Bingo has been an established game normally played by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game lately had seen a recent resurgence in popularity with younger members of society deciding to visit the bingo parlors in place of the discos on a weekend. All this is about to change with the introduction of the anti smoking law throughout England and Wales.

Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes while dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of ‘07 all public areas will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo parlors, one of the most favorite locations where many people enjoy smoking.

The effects of the anti smoking law can already be observed in Scotland where cigarettes are already forbidden in the bingo halls. Players have plummeted and the industry is literally fighting for its life. But where did the players go? Of course they haven’t forgotten this ancient game?

The answer is on the web. Gamblers know that they can wager on bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a drink and cig and in the end, have a chance at huge cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the anti cigarette law.

Of course betting on on the web will never 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 enthusiasts with no option.