Has Online Bingo reached a Plateau or is it Continuing to Get Better

Perform an online search of online bingo and you'll come across pages upon pages of related sites. Tens of thousands of online bingo sites around the world are a testament to the overwhelming popularity of the game. Regardless of where in the world you may be, you'll always be able to play bingo online. The past decade has seen unprecedented growth in the industry and experts project that online bingo will be a billion dollar industry by the end of 2010. The stability of online bingo as an entertainment activity is certainly secure. It is hard to imagine such a massive industry not surviving for decades to come. On the other hand, the question of whether online bingo continues to grow or whether it has reached a plateau still remains. This article will outline the history of online bingo and will attempt to foresee its future.

The History of Online Bingo

Because of the massive number of online bingo sites in operation today, detailing the history of the game is somewhat difficult. However, it seems that one of the earliest forms of online bingo started in the early to mid-nineties. A free bingo game, known as "Bingo Zone," required players to become members. In doing so they shared certain demographic information including age, sex, and location which was used to target advertisements to specific groups. These early forms of online bingo were quite crude. Games were simpler and you had limited opportunity to play. In addition, the variety of online bingo games that exist today are a far cry from what you could have expected back in the 1990s. Indeed, early sites were dedicated to bingo and it wasn't until the late nineties that sites began developing alternatives to these simple online bingo games. With the growth of the industry came rapid evolution of the gaming sites themselves. Online bingo became synonymous with big jackpots and the games became more involved as well. Whereas 15 years ago you might expect to only find bingo, today most premier online bingo sites will offer a number of games from keno, pull tabs, and slots to table games like roulette, black jack, and even poker.

As the online bingo sites improved, the popularity of the game followed. Today, online bingo in the UK is the most popular entertainment option for women between the ages of 20 and 25. In fact, the growing popularity of online bingo has seen the game infiltrate other aspects of our daily lives. Some companies that are not associated with gaming have introduced online bingo to their established websites in order to provide customers with entertainment and the opportunity to win prizes.

In addition, as technology has changed so has the face of online bingo. Faster internet speeds and more widely available internet connection speeds have made online bingo highly accessible. Websites offering online bingo continue to see an increase in the number of players. Also, as bingo is becoming more technology based, the demographic of players has changed. While we associate the bingo hall with grandparents and retirees, around 90% of the population of online bingo players is under the age of 50. Moreover, Japan is one of the most popular countries for online bingo showing that the game has international reach.

The Future of Online Bingo

The fact of the matter is that online bingo is a relatively new game. With less than 20 years to its history it's difficult to say that online bingo has already reached a plateau. Recent research shows that less than 2% of land based bingo players have tried online bingo. This means there is still a massive untapped market and this market is already keenly interested in the product to be sold. There are a few reasons why these players have yet to discover online bingo. First of all, online bingo isn't really advertised. Making players aware of the availability and convenience of online bingo would go a long way to promoting the game. In addition, many bingo hall loyalists may think that playing bingo online would sacrifice the games or social experience they've come to love. Again, this is a case of misinformation and in years to come bingo players will likely transition to online bingo because of convenience as well as entertainment value. Online bingo offers bigger prizes and a larger social network which will appeal to all bingo players. Finally, some older generations of bingo players are probably either unaware of online bingo or lack the confidence to try. Again, these obstacles will likely fade away as future generations of bingo players become more tech savvy. Ultimately, the case must be made that online bingo is a trend that will continue to grow as more players turn away from the bingo hall to the future of the game.

Bobby McNeil is an online bingo enthusiast. As a freelance writer Bobby spends his time writing about online gaming including US bingo, keno and other casino games at Bingo Vega.