A lot has been reported in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the cigarette ban in Britain. Things have grown so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for huge aid to help keep the businesses alive. However can the internet adaptation of this quintessential game offer a salvation, or will it in no way compare to its land based kin?

Bingo is an age old game usually enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. In any case the game lately had experienced a recent increase in acceptance with younger people opting to hit the bingo halls instead of the bars on a Saturday night. All this is about to be destroyed with the introduction of the anti smoking law around Britain.

Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes while marking off their numbers. From the summer of 2007 every public place will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their buildings and this includes Bingo parlors, which are possibly the most favored locations where players enjoy smoking.

The effects of the anti smoking law can already be seen in Scotland where smoking is already illegal in the bingo parlors. Numbers have plunged and the industry is absolutely fighting for its life. But where did the players go? Certainly they have not given up on this enduring game?

The answer is on the web. Gamblers realise that they can enjoy bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and smoke and in the end, have a chance at monstrous cash rewards. This is a recent development and has timed itself bordering on perfect with the ban on cigarettes.

Of course betting on on the internet could never replace the social portion of heading over to the bingo parlor, but for a group of men and women the rules have left a number of bingo players with no alternative.