Bingo — a simple game in which all players have to do is observe whether the numbers the bingo caller shouts outmatch the numbers on their cards and form a line.
It’s believed to date back as far as the 16th century and originated in Italy. The game became popular in the US in the 20th century. Primarily thanks to a toy manufacturer who saw people playing at a carnival. He started to play with his friends. While playing, one of them called out “Bingo”, instead of “Beano,” and the name stuck.
Over in Britain, bingo especially gained popularity after the Second World War. Both US and British troops had played while serving in World War 1 and 2. The game became a form of distraction in the interim between the two conflicts and in the years that followed.
This post looks, in particular, at how bingo began to experience a decline and, later, started to enjoy renewed popularity. Partially thanks to the transition online and accessibility of the game such as bingo with PayPal deposit.
As popular as bingo had become, the game had become stale. Other than the fact that some governments had introduced national tournaments, little had changed.
For a while, bingo might not have felt it had to. When it first materialized and started to become popular, there were fewer forms of leisure activity. As time went by, other forms of entertainment started to lure people away from the bingo halls. This includes TV becoming popular and, dance halls as well.
This expansion in available leisure pursuits damaged bingo. Traditionally, players had been able to smoke while playing. The introduction of smoking bans by some governments, however, did even more to kill some of the game’s popularity. The fresh inconvenience of having to step outside to enjoy a quick cigarette drove another nail into already dying bingo halls.
And although bingo is popular because of the opportunities to socialize, there are also the winnings to be had. Suddenly, however, bingo halls found themselves facing stiff competition from inside and outside operators. A major technological development was empowering these operators; the arrival of the internet.
The materialization of the internet is one of the major factors in the decline of traditional bingo halls. Eagle-eyed entrepreneurs were quick to spot an opportunity in the form of online bingo. As online casinos had been doing well, they began offering bingo online.
Soon after, more online bingo sites sprung up. Online bingo operators began to witness lots of success. This once again ate into the popularity of traditional bingo halls. With players steadily choosing the comfort of their own homes to play. Not to mention the convenience of being able to play whenever they wished, overcoming out to the halls for their games.
Bingo may have looked almost down and out for the count but the transition to online bingo has helped to revive the fortunes of the game. Operators have captured the attention of an enthusiastic new, younger generation of players. These players are tech-savvy and like nothing more than to be able to access everything on their mobile devices.
Part of this appeal is due to the way the operators have marketed their offerings and branded themselves. They’ve moved away from the more traditional colors and branded themselves in vibrant colors. Using colors such as pink and yellow, to appeal to certain demographics, like young women.
Accessibility has been a huge factor in the explosion of online bingo’s popularity. An operator who hasn’t made their services accessible on mobile devices, either in the form of their website or of an app, or both, is an operator who could miss out on a considerable share of the market.
Online bingo providers try to keep bingo as social as possible.
Operators are aware of the social aspect of bingo and have tried to replicate it as much as possible. Knowing that this is a generation that spends a lot of time on communication apps such as WhatsApp and Messenger, they’ve created chat facilities so that players can message each other while they play.
Bingo players have a wide variety of payment methods to choose from.
Operators have made it as easy to pay as possible for players. They make it possible to pay not just by traditional methods, such as by card, but also via PayPal or other digital wallets. This is important because not only is it a question of being able to pay conveniently, but also one of doing so comfortably. Rather than provide financial details, which can make them feel a little uneasy, players can merely provide an email, which is linked to their digital wallet, to place deposits in their accounts.
Any player who doesn’t want to play standard bingo doesn’t have to. Online bingo expands the choice so that players can choose the variation of bingo that suits them best. Not only that, but they can play more than one game simultaneously (if they’re skilled and attentive enough to do so).
Bingo has been on a bumpy ride, but better times lie ahead. It may have felt to operators that the internet had sounded the death knell for the game. In a bizarre twist of fate, however, the online sphere turned around the fortunes of a game that was struggling and introduced it to a new audience. Bingo lives on and, having survived harsh tests, it looks as if it always will do.
