June 30, 2007 -- As of today, July 1, a smoking ban will be imposed on all public places in England and Wales, and as the new law will not exempt private members clubs, this will make lighting up in bingo halls illegal.
In Scotland, a smoking ban was put into place in March 2006, and reports suggest that this has created a pretty bad situation for the Scotland's many bingo venues. 10 clubs have already closed down since the ban was enforced last April - and more are set to follow.
Scottish clubs have tried to curb these falling revenues by installing devices outside, such as patio heaters and canopies, but even this is proving quite an inconvenience for the members who do smoke. It has also attributed to a drop in revenue due to players going out for a quick puff in between games, rather than playing on the plentiful fruit machines inside.
As a relatively large percentage of bingo players are smokers, it is believed that those who enjoy smoking cigarettes and other tobacco products whilst playing, will seek out alternatives.
Susan Stowe, head of marketing at Britain's most popular online bingo website, Jackpotty.com suggests, "This will inevitably lead to more people joining online bingo websites as they allow members to play in the comfort of their own home. And the law can't stop you smoking there!"
"Many players also prefer this because there are fewer restrictions - there are no closing times and certainly no dress code!"
The social aspect of a traditional bingo hall is not lost either; players at Jackpotjoy can chat and make friends in the various chat rooms, and there is a strong sense of community whilst playing.
"I like to play early because it means I can chat with my friends in Jackpotty's 'Breakfast Club'. I've met loads of new friends on here", says Natalie Palmer, 38, of Peterhead in Scotland.
With bingo cards starting from as little as 10p and recent game payouts of over £600,000, it's not hard to see why playing bingo on the net has become more and more popular.
Many bingo players in Scotland have now turned to online bingo as an alternative. As this is played at home, the smoking ban has no effect on it at all - in fact, once the smoking ban starts to cover the whole of the UK, it is expected that online bingo will really begin to take off, which is great news for bingo lovers, as the jackpots will only get bigger and bigger! |
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