[ English ]

An abundance has been reported in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry being hit because of the anti smoking law in Britain. Conditions have grown so bad that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big tax breaks to assist in keeping the industry from going bankrupt. But can the web version of this classic game offer a lifeline, or will it in no way compare to its land based peer?

Bingo is an ancient game generally enjoyed by the "blue haired" generation. However the game recently had undergone a recent comeback in appeal with younger men and women opting to hit the bingo parlors in place of the clubs on a Friday night. This is all about to be destroyed with the legislating of the cigarette ban across UK.

Players will no longer be allowed to smoke at the same time dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 all public areas will not be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favorite places where players enjoy smoking.

The outcome of the cigarette ban can already be looked at in Scotland where smoking is already prohibited in the bingo halls. Players have plunged and the industry is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Surely they haven’t given up on this age old game?

The answer is on the net. Gamblers realize that they can play bingo in front of their computer whilst enjoying a beer and cig and in the end, enjoy monstrous prizes. This is a recent anomaly and has happened just about perfectly with the ban on cigarettes.

Of course playing on the internet is unlikely to replace the collective aspect of heading over to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of players the law has left many bingo players with little alternative.