Smoking ban expected to affect bingo habits
July 1, this year will see a smoking ban imposed on all public places
in England and Wales, and as the current proposed legislation will
not exempt private members clubs, this will make lighting up in bingo
halls up and down the country illegal.
In Scotland, a smoking ban was put into place in March 2006, and early
reports suggest that this has created a dire situation for the country's
many bingo venues. Income, and as a result prize money, has dropped
by anything from 17% up to 26%, and many bingo clubs have already closed
because of this.
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 many fruit
machines inside bingo halls.
As a relatively large percentage of bingo players are smokers, and
will probably not want to stand outside in the cold, it is believed
that many bingo players, who enjoy smoking cigarettes and other tobacco
products whilst playing, will seek out alternatives.
Gavin Bloeman, 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.
"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 bingo websites such as Jackpotty.com can chat and make friends
in the various chat rooms, and there is a strong sense of community
whilst playing bingo on the internet.
"I like to play early because it means I can chat with my friends
in the Breakfast Club. I've met loads of new friends on here",
says Natalie Palmer, 38, of Peterhead in Scotland. And with cards starting
from as little as 10p and recent bingo payouts of nearly £55k,
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 get
bigger and bigger!
-ends-
Notes to editors
Jackpotty.com is the UK’s leading online bingo and instant win
gaming sites, according to .net magazine, and has a large number of
female players.
Jackpotty.com gives away over £10 million in prize money every
week and has a thriving online community supported by a chat facility
that runs alongside the games. This allows over 1 million players to
communicate with their online friends, compare wins and exchange tips.
For further information, please contact:
Gavin Bloeman
Redmode Ltd
Tel: 01482 24 24 24
http://www.jackpotty.com/
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