The popularity of online gambling has grown over the past few years and has massively surged in the last couple.
The most popular forms of online gambling, like Poker, Sports betting etc. aren’t the only ones to benefit from this popularity increase, as Bingo sits with them.
Bingo is one of the oldest British traditions, and that’s for a good reason!
Even though this nationally popular game doesn’t originate from Britain, we’ve still adopted it and loved it as our own.
This massively popular game dates back to the 15th century when it was actually imported from Italy and France, to which it was known as Le Lotto.
Bingo is the game that binds and brings the community together to test their chances to win some cash. It’s also a brilliant way to socialise and meet new people/neighbors.
Since the beginning of the 1960s, these Bingo Halls have been the pillar of many communities, and it was rare to not stumble upon one in each town. At one point, the number of open bingo halls in England reached close to 1,000, but this rapidly declined by the year 2005, with several around 600.
This number has seen a further decline since then, but it doesn’t seem to be plummeting.
On the other hand, the Online bingo community has soared in popularity, with a direct correlation to the closing of physical bingo halls. So, it brings up the obvious question for people who’re used to visiting their local bingo halls.
“what’re the best online bingo sites?”.
There are many reputable online bingo websites out there, but Wink Bingo offers some genuinely fantastic gameplay, and a vast number of positive reviews supports them.
If you want to participate in some online bingo on Wink Bingo, now would be a great time to head on over to their website.
Bingo isn’t often referred to as a method of gambling, due to the limited cash pools and it’s considered ‘harmless’. However, due to the utterly random outcome, this is still a form of gambling.
On a different note, this doesn’t mean to say it should be compared to fixed-odds betting terminals, that have labels attached to them like “the crack cocaine of gambling”.
The Participation in Bingo and Gambling
Besides the fact that players are actually switching to the online version of Bingo, and many of the physical stores are closing down, Bingo remains the least considered ‘online’ gambling activity.
Figures from reputable sources like the ‘Gambling Commission Show’ have shown evidence of this also. Back in 2019, statistics for participation show that the total percentages of gamblers remained the same. However, the rate of real online gamblers has grown from 18% to 21%.
Eventually, the bingo scene will have similar figures to that of online sports betting. For this, the proportion is split 81% to 19%, in favor of those placing bets online. This is the complete opposite way around in Bingo, but it’s not to say the online bingo community isn’t growing substantially.
Online Variants of Bingo
The first thing that bingo fans look for is the variety of different games. In recent years, physical bingo halls have brought in a lot of variation to their games, allowing for different play styles and game directions. This has meant that online competition has also had to make this change and attract new audiences.
The critical difference in this instance is between American Bingo and Bingo in Britain, and that’s the fact that the American version features only 75 balls, and the British version has 90.
Bingo sites also aren’t limited to the amount of variety that can be thrown into the mix, making visiting the bingo hall much more exciting. Visiting a bingo hall has a lot of stigmas attached to it regarding the age of the player base.
It’s mostly known as a game for the older generation, but the stigma is slowly becoming more untrue each day, as more young people visit their bingo halls each day.
How are Bingo Halls Trying to Attract More Customers?
Many bingo halls in the UK have started to host mini–events by pairing their bingo nights with cocktails and dancing nights, which attracts the younger audience.
This is a smart tactic because the more youthful people won’t hold back on their drinks, causing them to be more reckless with their betting. It’s not uncommon to see this in busy cities like Bristol, and these halls have seen great success from using methods like this. However, it’s merely becoming more convenient to gamble from the comfort of your own home, resulting in a decline in popularity.
Verdict
Well, it does make you wonder what’ll happen to the bingo halls within the next ten years and makes you wonder if they’ll still be a thing.
However, one thing is for sure, we don’t believe that the surge in online popularity will stop anytime soon.