Read here about the Online bingo Site of the Year award.

UK Bingo News

Technology to allow Players to Puff and Play

Date: December 29, 2006 | Category: Free bingo games editorial |

On July 1st 2007 the ban on smoking in public places will come into effect. With many experts predicting a devastating effect on the bingo market, the industry is looking for alternatives to allow their patrons to be able to puff and play the game they love as well as protect the £1.8 billion industry.

According to Mecca’s parent company, Rank Group plc., about half of all bingo contestants smoke, twice the rate of the overall UK population.

In Scotland, where smoking is already prohibited in bingo halls, sales at Mecca bingo halls have declined 15 per cent and at least five Scottish halls have gone out of business, according to the Bingo Association.

Rank chief executive officer Ian Burke says, "Unless other things change, we do expect a similar sort of impact in England and Wales".

Burke said Mecca is using portable devices which they will be able to take outside to purpose built shelters to accommodate smokers outside. However, halls that do will be required to apply for a licence.

Riva Gaming, formerly Mayfair Gaming Ltd, is testing the machines too. Riva is also introducing more breaks during bingo sessions so smokers have time to play slot machines as well as going outside to smoke.

Meanwhile, to preserve its business, Top Ten is installing "several hundred" handheld devices at its Birmingham venue.

Even if portable terminals win over smokers, it is still believed that revenue will drop. This is due to the expected drop in sales from slot machines.

Only time will tell if the impact of the smoking ban will be catastrophic for the industry. What we are sure of is that the smoking ban can only mean good things for bingo’s online counterpart.

More and more people are playing bingo online than ever before and with online bingo games giving smokers the opportunity to play and smoke from their own home, these figures are only expected to grow further.

Read our Front Page Bingo News here (www.whichbingo.co.uk/bingo-news/).

Read our Free bingo games editorial here.

You can receive more bingo news and promotions direct to your inbox, courtesy of the UK Bingo Players Club. Join our UK Bingo Players Club for FREE today!

RSS Bingo News Feed

Use our RSS bingo news feed to keep up to date with the latest UK bingo news. Get all the latest bingo news and feature stories delivered directly to your desktop.

Find out what RSS is and how it can benefit you here.

Virgin table triple giveaway

Schwarzenegger signs bingo bill

Britain has bingo ads on the brain

>> View all our news

UK bingo players club. Join now, click here.

Read here about the exclusive benefits.