Online bingo profits on the rise - Smoking ban expected to influence traditional bingo
April 6, 2007
A new smoking legislation has recently been passed in England. Basically it forbids smoking in any public place, including land based bingo halls. The main concern is how that will influence traditional bingo. Already people are predicting that online bingo will become the favorite alternative. It remains to be seen if smoking bingo players will turn to playing online or if they will refrain from smoking in land based bingo halls. Some have even predicted that the new, healthier environment will attract new players.
Bingo is an entertaining and fun game. It is enjoyed by all age groups, and it is a great opportunity to socialize and have fun, while playing bingo and perhaps winning some money. The thing is that the majority of bingo players are elderly women. Playing bingo is their opportunity to meet up, chat, and have fun. The majority of loyal bingo players are smokers. The alternative of course is to play bingo online. Since most online bingo halls have a chat feature, you can still socialize and chat. But we are forgetting that the majority of bingo players are elderly women. Most of them do not have a PC and buying one is not a financially viable option. But even if you do get a PC, you still need an internet connection. This means more money, money that these ladies do not have. Not to mention that most of them have never used a computer and must learn to use it and learn to play online bingo. With all these in mind we can expect some of these bingo players to give up bingo altogether.
Some bingo players that enjoy a smoke welcome the idea. According to them the fact that they have to go outside to smoke has saved them money. Profitable for the player, not so much for the bingo hall…
Online bingo providers more than welcome the new legislation. They see this ban on smoking as a good opportunity to increase their business. Passionate bingo players are expected to turn away from traditional bingo halls and sign up to online bingo casinos. In Scotland for example numerous bingo players have turned to playing bingo online and land based bingo halls have reported decreasing profits and smaller numbers of customers.
The effect of the legislation in England and Wales remains to be seen. For now we can only estimate what will happen. It seems that traditional bingo halls will suffer while online bingo casinos will expand their market.
