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A lot has been written in the press just a while ago regarding the bingo industry singing the blues as a consequence of the cigarette ban in England. Things have grown so poor that in Scotland the Bingo industry has requested big tax cuts to assist in keeping the businesses afloat. However will the net variation of this quintessential game offer a reprieve, or will it in no way compare to its land based opposite?

Bingo has been an ancient game historically enjoyed by the "blue rinse" generation. Although the game of late had witnessed a recent resurgence in popularity with younger people opting to go to the bingo halls instead of the discos on a Friday night. This is all about to be reversed with the legislating of the anti cigarette law around UK.

Players will no longer be able to puff on cigarettes while marking off their numbers. Beginning in the summer of '07 all public locations will not be allowed to permit cigarettes in their venues and this includes Bingo halls, which are possibly the most favored areas where folks enjoy smoking.

The outcome of the smoking ban can already be felt in Scotland where cigarettes are already banned in the bingo parlors. Numbers have dropped and the industry is absolutely fighting for its life. But where did all the players go? Obviously they have not deserted this age old game?

The answer is on the net. Players know that they can wager on bingo using their computer at the same time enjoying a cocktail and smoke and in the end, enjoy huge jackpots. This is a recent anomaly and has happened almost perfectly with the ban on smoking.

Of course playing on the net is unlikely to replace the social part of going down to the bingo parlor, but for a group of players the law has left a lot of bingo enthusiasts with little option.