Online bingo is the game of bingo (US|UK) played on the Internet. Global Betting and Gaming Consultants estimates the global gross gaming yield of bingo (excluding the United States) was $0.5 billion USD in 2006; they forecast it will grow to $1.0 billion USD by 2010.[1]

Unlike balls used in regular bingo halls, online bingo sites use a random number generator. The online bingo play works almost exactly like playing online poker or online casino games with everything being virtual. Most bingo halls also offer links to online poker and casino offerings. One notable feature of online bingo is the chat functionality. Successful online bingo sites foster a sense of community and interaction between players.

Getting started

Some operators require players to download free software to play their games. Other operators use JavaScript or Adobe Flash based games that allow you to play immediately online after registering a player account.

To win the largest prizes, users must fund an account, but free bingo games are also available offering players a way to win smaller amounts of money with no risk of gambling. Some online bingo sites offer no deposit bingo with sandbox play. This will allow the player to get the hang of the system without a cash investment, but no monetary value can be gained.

Most sites accept a standard range of e-wallet funding options, such as Neteller, Firepay, Citadel, Toggle Card, and PrePaidATM. Sites often provide a number of incentives to deposit, including matching bonuses where the site will reward depositing players by matching a percentage of their deposit.

Recently, the USA government has passed laws that limit banks ability to process credit cards for US citizens. The laws prevent US based payment providers from taking payments for online gaming.

Bingo players

According to Bingo Hideout, the current age demographic of online bingo players is as follows:

18-25 = 11.5%, 26-35 = 23.5%, 36-45 = 28.8%, 46-55 = 24.1%, 56-65 = 9.8%, 66+ = 2.3%. It is worth noting that over a third (36.2%) of the survey population that play at online bingo sites in the Bingo Hideout survey are over 46 years old, in contrast to the under 35 age group which accounts for 35% of the survey population. Certainly the ‘silver surfer’ is proving to be a significant market and bingo sites may be missing significant opportunities if they do not recognise the prospects that this age group presents.. [8]

History

One of the earliest known online bingo games, launched in 1996, was a free bingo game called "Bingo Zone".[9] To play, members had to provide demographic information; in turn, members would receive targeted ads based on the demographics provided.[10] Another early pioneer for free online bingo was Uproar, which launched Bingo Blitz in 1998.[11]

Software providers

Notable bingo software providers for the international (non US) market include:

  • Boss Media
  • Chartwell Technology
  • Gamesys
  • Microgaming
  • Parlay Entertainment
  • PartyGaming
  • Playtech
  • 888 Holdings

References

  1. ^ "Online Bingo Numbers Soar". Parlay Entertainment. August 17, 2007
  2. ^ Online Bingo Survey
  3. ^ "Cyber Bingo". H.B. Koplowitz. 1997.
  4. ^ "Gamesville.com: Wasting People’s Time Since 1996". Virtual Advisor, Inc..
  5. ^ "UPROAR Unveils FREE Multi-site Online Bingo Game: Bingo Blitz". CNET Networks, Inc

Links

 

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