Bingo Tricks

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Much has been stated in the press not long ago concerning the bingo industry being hurt as a result of the smoking ban in Britain. Things have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has called for big tax breaks to help keep the industry from going bankrupt. But can the internet version of this traditional game offer a lifeline, or might it not compare to its bricks and mortar opposite?

Bingo is an ancient game generally enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. For all that the game recently had undergone a recent return in appeal with younger men and women opting to visit the bingo parlours instead of the discos on a weekend. All this is about to be reversed with the introduction of the anti smoking law across Britain.

Players will no longer be able to smoke whilst dabbing numbers. Beginning in the summer of 2007 every public place will no longer be permitted to allow cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most popular areas where players like to puff on cigarettes.

The results of the anti smoking law can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already prohibited in the bingo parlours. Numbers have plunged and the industry is literally fighting for to stay alive. But where have all the players gone? Surely they haven’t given up on this enduring game?

The answer is online. People know that they can enjoy bingo using their computer while enjoying a beer and cig and still have a chance at monstrous jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has timed itself just about perfectly with the anti cigarette law.

Of course wagering on online could never replace the collective aspect of heading down to the bingo parlour, but for a demographic of players the law has left a good many bingo enthusiasts with little choice.