As the internet revolution continues to gather pace, different types of business have awoken to its potential for gaining new customers. The gaming industry has been no different, with numerous games taking advantage of the internet. In the past, people who wished to play poker would have to head for a casino, while those that fancied a game of bingo would make the trip to their nearest bingo hall. This is no longer the case, with the internet bringing these already popular games into the houses of millions of people across the world.
In making games more accessible to more people, the internet has rejuvenated and modernised old practices. Nowhere is this more true than in the case of bingo and its association with an older demographic. The rise of internet bingo has helped dispel these old stereotypes, and as a result bingo is now a more popular game, played by people from all walks of life.
Software such as Flash and Java have become increasingly popular. This has made playing bingo significantly easier, and this immediate increase in popularity has been bolstered by large amounts of advertising. The result has been sustained growth in the UK gaming industry, with sites such as 32Red.com offering incentives for people signing up for their version of online bingo.
The increasing number of people playing bingo online has been replicated in the bingo halls themselves. As more young people become aware of how fun bingo can be online, they have begun making the journey down to the bingo halls. Here we see how online gaming has helped bingo develop from being a game played by older women one night a week, or by families at campsites to a pastime that can appeal to all. This upturn in fortunes can be attributed for the most part to the popularity of online gaming.
Obviously, there are negative issues involved here. Lack of regulation online can be a concern, while bingo’s more traditional players may well feel marginalised by the new recruits. But in the eyes of those who have gained from this bingo craze, these downsides are dwarfed by the fact that bingo has shed any connotations it may previously have had and truly become a game of the people. And the more traditional players have the internet to thank for that.