Can the Smoking Ban in the United Kingdom Force Bingo Players On to the Internet?
by Heath on Wednesday, November 4th, 2020
A lot has been reported in the papers not long ago regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the anti cigarette law in Britain. Things have become so awful that in Scotland the Bingo industry has asked for big tax breaks to assist in keeping the businesses afloat. However does the internet adaptation of this quintessential game present a reprieve, or will it not compare to its bricks and mortar relative?
Bingo is an classic game historically played by the "blue rinse" generation. However the game lately had seen a recent return in acceptance with younger people opting to visit the bingo parlors in place of the clubs on a Saturday night. This is all about to change with the introduction of the anti smoking law around England and Wales.
Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes while marking numbers. From the summer of 2007 all public areas will no longer be allowed to permit smoking in their locations and this includes Bingo parlours, which are possibly the most common areas where players enjoy smoking.
The outcome of the smoking ban can already be seen in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo halls. Numbers have dropped and the business is absolutely struggling for to stay alive. But where did all the players go? Of course they haven’t forgotten this classic game?
The answer is online. Players realize that they can enjoy bingo from their computer while enjoying a beverage and cigarette and still have a chance at huge cash rewards. This is a recent anomaly and has happened almost perfectly with the anti cigarette law.
Of course gambling on on the web could never replace the communal part of heading over to the bingo hall, but for a demographic of men and women the governing edicts have left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with little choice.
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