Tag Archives: smoking
Beating Bingo Hall Smoking Bans
In the UK and the US draconian smoking bans have decimated land based bingo halls on both sides of the Atlantic. One UK survey showed that almost 63% of all bingo players were smokers and the resulting drop in attendance at bingo clubs confirmed this fact. The internet bingo industry has been the chief beneficiary of smoking bans and many die hard bingo fans have gone online to play their favorite game. During the last two years UK based internet bingo websites have seen an astounding 80% increase in players. The drop in players forced many High Street bingo clubs to close their doors and lay off employees. For smokers shut out of bingo halls in Britain and America there may be a solution the e-cigarette.
Now smokers can satisfy their nicotine addiction and play bingo legally at the same time thanks to this new invention. A 20 year die hard bingo player named Amy told reporters, “Our bingo hall was affected by the recent smoking ban implemented in our town several months ago. It was really becoming sad seeing our little community of friends dwindling. I had heard of the electronic cigarette for some time now but never took action. These devices are wonderful! I started smoking it in our bingo hall and it just went off like wildfire.” E cigarettes have not been without controversy. Last year a UK bingo hall forced a woman smoking an e cigarette to leave even though the new devices are legal under current law.
Most health experts say the e cigarette is a much better choice healthwise than regular cigarettes. Bingo players who smoke tobacco inhale a myriad of carcinogens and chemicals along with nicotine but the e cigarette contains only nicotine, water and propylene glycol. (A harmless food additive) E cigarettes feel, look and smoke just like a regular cigarette but they are perfectly legal in bingo halls and other places where smoking is banned. The ersatz cigarettes have become so popular with bingo players that the company that manufactures e cigarettes is offering bingo players a 10% discount. Bingo players no longer have to venture out in inclement weather to smoke.
For those not satisfied by the e cigarette internet bingo is probably the best solution. Bingo sites are locked in a fierce competition for players and bigger bingo bonuses and other player perks make internet bingo extremely attractive to die hard smokers.
Switching to Internet Bingo?
Thinking of switching to internet bingo? If so, youre not alone. Experts in the online bingo industry are predicting a huge increase in the number of bingo players on the internet. Who plays bingo and why the sudden surge in the number of bingo fanatics who are choosing to play online?
The old stereotype of little old ladies sitting in a church basement chain smoking is no more. In recent years there has been a surge of younger players both on the internet and at land based halls. While male bingo players are still relatively rare (about 15%) studies have shown an increase in the number of men playing bingo on the internet. Bingo, whether online or land based, is still dominated by females. Online, women comprise 85% of players while at land based halls they account for 70% of all players.
Several factors combined are contributing to this increase in online players. Internet Bingo sites can offer much larger jackpots and a wider variety of brand name prizes than their land based counterparts. In Europe and the US smoking bans have literally emptied some land based halls and sent players to the internet. In the UK alone it is estimated that the new smoking ban could account for as much as a 63% increase in new internet bingo players. Convenience is a major factor for the switch to internet bingo. Given the fact that most bingo players are women and a majority have children, many women choose to play online because they can play and watch their children at the same time. It is obviously more convenient for a woman with children to play bingo on the internet. No baby sitter is needed and occasionally a parent will allow the children to participate in the game.
When making the switch to internet bingo what makes players choose one site over another? There are many reasons cited by experts in the industry. Most internet bingo players, like a majority of the general population, are not tech savvy and a site that is user friendly is more likely to attract players than one that is difficult to use and uses technical jargon. The attractiveness of a site, while a minor factor, can often make a player choose one site over another. As with any other business customer service and reputation are major factors attracting players and retaining them. In the past there have been some fly by night operations that gave the whole industry a bad rap. Most of these are now nonexistent.
The jackpots and prizes offered by internet bingo sites are significantly larger than those of their brick and mortar counterparts. Prizes such as expensive plasma televisions and all expense paid vacations are common on the internet but virtually unknown in land based bingo halls. The social aspect of bingo is cited as one of the main reasons players congregate in land based bingo halls. Internet bingo offers the same social interaction through the use of chat rooms. Internet Bingo has a real advantage here because the internet is global in scope and players from different cultures and countries can interact. Over half of online bingo players use the chat rooms and cite it as a major reason they play on the internet.
Internet Bingo is a steadily growing industry around the globe. With all the competition between the many sites consumers have the upper hand. Clearly internet bingo is the wave of the future.