The Bingo Hall v Online Bingo

The Bingo Hall v Online Bingo

There was a time when virtually every town in the UK had its own bingo club. But, like the local cinema, many have gone by the wayside in recent years with their often ornate buildings being converted into everything from nightclubs to luxury flats.

There are many reasons for their decline. Some blame the smoking ban that came into force in 2007 for discouraging attendance and the growing list of competing leisure options have also taken their toll. But, arguably, the greatest threat over the most recent past has been the inexorable rise of online bingo.

During certain times of the day it’s impossible to avoid exciting-looking TV ads for a countless number of brands all offering very generous joining bonuses as well as a slick and fast moving way to play from the comfort of your own home. In fact, with the growth of mobile gaming technology it doesn’t even have to be from your home. It can be on the bus, waiting for a train and even in a tea or lunch break at work.

But that’s not to say that the bricks and mortar bingo hall is quite dead yet. For example Gala Bingo still operates over 140 halls up and down the country where 5 million members regularly meet up to compete for prizes of that can amount to over £40 million a week. There are even new bingo halls opening round the country.

So how do the two really compare – and are there any aspects of “real” bingo that are going to see it continuing successfully into the 21^st century?

Well the first, and most obvious, difference is that the act of visiting a bingo hall is a very different experience to playing online bingo games. A good comparison would be between going to the cinema to see a big film and streaming it to your home. Bingo halls still foster that feeling of camaraderie as well as being a night out to enjoy with friends. However the online operators have also shown their awareness of this fact and that’s why online bingo sites also have moderated chat rooms incorporated.

Moving on to the play itself, in a bingo hall there’s the ritual of picking up your cards and having your dauber at the ready in anticipation of the caller starting to announce the numbers. Online this is an automated process leaving the player to simply spectate as the action unfolds around them. For many this is no bad thing as some live bingo games can be held at a frenetic pace and if you miss a number or two it can be hard to catch up.

Then there’s the pay out if you’re a lucky winner. Online this tends to be paid automatically into your account while in a bingo hall you’ll have the winnings handed over to you on the spot. For lots of people the satisfaction of going home with more cash in their purse than they went out with has irresistible appeal.

So, as you can see, both the hall and the online game have their own special appeal, often attracting very different types of player. And, just as people still choose to go to the movies when they could be watching at home on their own wide screen TV, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t co-exist alongside each other for many years to come.