Mobile phones are more popular than ever, with many people even forgoing landlines in their houses for their smart devices. According to research, 6.648 billion people use a smartphone, meaning approximately 83.37% of the world’s population own one and use it regularly. This figure is projected by researchers to grow by 7.7 billion in 2027. If it wasn’t clear before it is now: smartphones are here for the long-haul.
Alongside the rise in smartphone usage has been the rise in the gaming industry. The internet boom of the 1990s had a huge effect on gaming, and the proliferation of games over the years and their production value has meant that gaming has quickly become much more mainstream. Games and smartphones have had an effect on one another too. This year alone, nearly 3 billion people are playing games on their mobile phones around the world. The quality of mobile phones, and mobile phone games, has grown in tandem.
Some of the most popular games for people to play on their mobile phones are casino and card games, which had an average session time of 22 minutes — the longest average time per session on mobile. One game that is becoming one of the top casino games to play on mobile devices is bingo.
In this article we will explore the history of bingo and how it has changed over the years. And how mobile phones are making an impact on this game and its growth into new demographics.
A brief history of bingo
Bingo is thought to have some of its roots in 16th century Italy, where it soon spread to France and was played by the aristocracy. The game itself, which is very popular in Britain, did not actually move to the region until two centuries later in the 18th century. Once known in the UK as “housey-housey”, the game boomed in popularity as a result of the Betting and Gaming Act 1960, which spurred the creation of bingo halls.
These bingo halls continued to grow from that period until 2005. Since then, there has been a decline in purpose-built bingo halls and the popularity of the game in land-based casinos or halls.
Bingo is famous for its well-known calls in land-based venues with numbers being called alongside a saying such as ‘Kelly’s eye, the number one’ and ‘legs eleven, the number eleven’. This trend moved online with online bingo transforming the social aspect and incorporating chat rooms into their gameplay. Bingo players are now able to use a variety of bingo nicknames in the chat rooms when communicating with other players. For example, players may use ‘1tg’ to let other players know they are waiting for one number. These call outs and nicknames have helped the social aspect of online bingo flourish.
The impact of mobile on bingo
As mentioned earlier, mobile device ownership has had an incredible impact on the casino industry, as well as on bingo and its popularity. Here are a few of the top reasons why.
Convenience
Mobile gaming, and playing at online casino sites, is accessible and convenient. No longer do you have to leave the comforts of home to enjoy bingo – which you can also play while on the go, or at a friend’s house. It can be played at any time, from almost anywhere you happen to be.
The convenience aspect is one of the key reasons why bingo has boomed on smartphones. It’s also modernized the game and drawn in a younger demographic, who may have felt that the bingo halls were outdated and for older generations.
Promotions and offers
Online casino sites and bingo sites frequently offer promotions and bonuses, especially when you first sign up. This is because the industry has become very saturated, and reputable bingo sites are looking to attract loyal customers.
Many websites also offer VIP packages or loyalty memberships which encourages customers to stick around through promotions and rewards them the more they play on the website!
Variety of payment methods
Casino or bingo websites need to offer a range of payment methods to satisfy customers with different banking needs.
This can mean everything from traditional high street banks to challenger or digital banks like Monzo, through to Apple Pay, PayPal and even cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin! These websites want to ensure that there’s a variety of ways that their customers can make payments with ease; there is likely to be much more methods for these transactions online than there would have been in traditional bingo halls.
Range and quality of games
Another big reason why people are choosing to play bingo on devices is the range and quality of games available for players. As mentioned earlier, the saturation of the marketplace means that the best websites will continue to introduce new versions of games to keep their customers entertained. With online bingo, this can mean a range of different and new exciting themes as well as some fun bonus games to play.
What to look for in a bingo site?
If you’re new to playing bingo on your smart device, there are a few things to look out for when it comes to choosing a site. Ensure in the first instance that the site is secure and they have a privacy policy in place. The most reputable sites will offer an app you can download which ensures you’re getting the best experience of playing.
You can always check out comparison sites and reviews and remember that the most popular and well-known sites are a great choice as they have a reputation to uphold and high standards as a result!