Following the introduction of the smoking ban in the UK, NetPlay TV announced this week that it will launch a live, interactive bingo TV game. The game is aimed to smokers who might want to stay at home and play and save themselves a trip to smoke-free bingo halls.

The show, called Big Box Bingo, will air once a week on Tuesday evenings and will consist of six bingo games per night. Bingo cards will cost £1.50 and players will be able to purchase them via mail, newspaper inserts and online. By getting a full house in 35 balls or less, players will win a house jackpot of £100,000.

“Seventy per cent of people who play bingo smoke,” Martin Higginson, NetPLay TV chairman and CEO said. “Big Box Bingo provides the perfect environment for bingo fans - after all, there's nothing easier than switching on your TV. This is truly a world first. Big Box Bingo combines the flexibility of the internet with the trusted medium of television.”