There’s a commonly-held belief that once an industry becomes more convenient either at home or, subsequently, on the internet, the physical arm will begin to fade. The arcade fad of the 1980s is seen as having faded because of the arrival of home consoles, while cinemas apparently struggle because of online streaming platforms.
Perhaps counterintuitively to this, one classic form of gaming that has made a comeback since its surge online, resulting in an impressive uptick in land-based revenue. That classic form of gaming is the cheeky game of numbered balls, bingo.
In the latest industry report from the gambling regulator, remote bingo made it to £167.1 million, but in-house, land-based bingo climbed by 5.6 percent between periods of measurement to £628.1 million. It marks another year of impressive growth, with a big part of that being the hand-in-hand offering found online.
Bringing Bingo in Line with Other Online Games
Bingo has always leaned into its persona of being welcoming, accessible, and emphasising that fun doesn’t have to be costly. However, for bingo providers, this does limit the wiggle room that they may have to offer boosts, bonuses and promotions.
Anyone who has played gambling games online will know that there’s a bit of an arms race in the promos section, with welcome bonuses often needing to be rather large to catch the eye. Then, sites need to pad an extensive and ever-evolving promotions section for loyal players.
Buoyed by the infusion of casino games like modern slots, online bingo is now in a place to not just match but exceed their online casino counterparts. Now, the range of bingo promotions available online is vast, spanning jackpot prizes for getting a full house, daily progressive jackpots on slots, live bonuses, and rewards.
Plus, through the online platform, users can claim bonus money for playing bingo in a physical hall. In doing so, people come to the platform to enjoy convenient online bingo with plenty of bonuses to fuel the playing time. Then, with some of the promos, there’s an additional reason to try the game in a physical bingo hall thanks to a bonus.
Showcasing the Real Thing Online
One of the most revolutionary infusions of technology into the online gambling space of the last handful of years has been live streaming. Looking to blur the lines between playing at a luxury casino in Monaco with the convenience and ease of playing via a smartphone, tablet, or computer at home, live casino games offer a very immersive gaming experience.
The aim is to be authentic, offering real-time play so that players can see their bets play out right in front of them. Best of all, there’s a built-in and growing market for live content, as shown by these statistics looking into why live streams are watched by so many Brits.
So, it’s only natural that online bingo would eventually tap into the tech. While bingo could have mirrored the live casino approach, the developers instead leant into the most appealing parts of the experience, with those being timed rooms for events and charismatic callers. All of that is present in live online bingo, which works as a great advert for the in-person experience.
Given how online bingo has evolved and adapted, it’s not a surprise that classic land-based bingo has seen a significant boost.
