We all know how the internet changed entertainment, in some areas online slightly, in other pretty dramatically. Many forms of entertainment became a lot more accessible for a lot of people and certain new and completely original and unique forms of entertainment came about with the internet and its rapid expansion.
Let’s have a look at some of the more obvious examples. Music is one the industries and entertainment genres that have been changed dramatically by the internet. First of all, if you’re looking for a certain album you won’t have to drive around looking for a record store that sells. Those who prefer music that’s a bit less mainstream know how difficult and tiring that can be. Not to mention that now, you have practically limitless access to pretty much all of music. That’s right, pretty every song and every album can be found online.
Another area where the changes have been grave is gaming, yes there were conventional video games, including games that achieved great popularity. Then we have travel and tourism in general, but here the change is more of a technical nature in the sense that it enables you to have access to more offers and options.
How did it all begin
Let’s now move to our primary topic – bingo. Bingo has been around for few centuries. To be more precise, bingo appeared in 16th century Italy, under the name Lotto, Italian Lottery or to be exact Lo Giuoco del Lotto D'Italia.
It took bingo few centuries before the game was spread all over Europe. It didn’t reach the UK, well at least it didn’t gain popularity before the 19th century, but it wasn’t until after the end of WWII before the popularity of bingo really started peaking.
Since the 1950s the number of bingo halls throughout the UK was constantly on the rise, and by the mid-2000s the number of open bingo halls reached 600, but it went downhill from there. All of that is due to the introduction of online bingo.
Namely the period when bingo halls started closing down really coincides with the establishment of the first online bingo sites. In fact, it is beyond coinciding, the establishment of the online bingo sites was the reason why bingo halls started closing down. Players started switching to the online versions of the game and the reasons for that were several.
Advantages of online bingo
Firstly, let’s have a look at the first and probably the only reason why many were sceptical that online bingo will kick off. Bingo is a social game and it is very popular with the older generations, especially with senior citizens. Back in the day when the first bingo sites went live, older folks weren’t exactly eager to be spend time online, as they are now. Plus, many suspected that online bingo can’t capture the social element of the game. Online bingo really exceeded all expectations when it comes to popularity and attracting players. In fact, many who weren’t previously fans of bingo decided to give it a go.
In a way, it can be said that online bingo changed the perception that bingo is an old folks’ game. It breached the age gap for younger people, without alienating older players. Another thing that can be said about online bingo sites is that there are no limits regarding the specific bingo variants that can be offered. Most UK players before the age of the internet could only play 90-ball bingo, the version that was offered throughout the bingo halls all over the countries, whereas Americans only had the chance to play 75-ball bingo.
Not only did Americans get the opportunity to play British bingo and vice versa, online sites started offering a number of other bingo variants including instant bingo, also known as 30-ball bingo, 52-ball bingo and 80-ball bingo, but also branded bingo variants, based on popular TV and game shows like Britain’s Got Talent bingo, Deal or No Deal Bingo and many more.
