Bingo Articles

Will Online Bingo See More Bingo Hall Closures in 2010?

In recent years the emergence of online bingo sites has dominated the online gaming and gambling world with new bingo sites seemingly appearing every week or two and now over 250 online bingo sites available to UK bingo players.

While many land based bingo hall operators such as Gala Bingo and Mecca Bingo have seen a decline in land based bingo revenues due to high government taxation on bingo revenues and the imposition of a smoking ban which have seen membership numbers at bingo halls diminish, the number of online bingo players has seen a dramatic surge, but why?

Many online bingo players cite the ease and availability of online bingo games, with many online bingo rooms now open 24/7/365, you can always find a place and time to play bingo online and are no longer restricted to your local bingo clubs opening hours or games schedule. Another positive factor of online bingo over local bingo halls is that most online bingo software offers an “auto daub and call” facility meaning you never miss a number on any of your purchased bingo tickets or a claim to a cash win. With land based bingo you need your eyes firmly glued to your tickets or you could miss out on a claim should you fail to spot a number that has been called.

Of course with many online bingo games taking place in the comfort of your own home, there’s also the fact that you can smoke, drink and do what you like whilst you play bingo, watch your favorite TV soap, do the ironing, watch a movie, anything..things you can’t do at your local bingo hall.

So is online bingo likely to replace land based bingo halls for good and lead to even more bingo hall closures in 2010 and beyond? We don’t think so. There is still the overwhelming social aspect of the land based game. Going out for bingo is as much about socialising with friends and family as it is about playing the game and that is something that online bingo can never replace.