The Bingo Hall vs Online Bingo Rooms

Bingo is unquestionably a very social game. Some argue that the new bingo websites take away a lot of the buzz in between the bingo games and, hence, turn the game into a mundane repetition of waiting for the numbers and, hopefully, a Full House. But what really happens in land-based halls is that the minute the caller starts announcing the numbers, dead silence settles in the room and if you dare make some noise you’ll be shushed (at least). Heaven forbid you should yell bingo and then it turns out you have made a mistake and you don’t have the winning numbers – that’s when you are in real trouble, I’m guessing in most bingo halls that would be a felony. So all the talking and socialising happens in between bingo games when you can play some slots or eat at the diner.

On the other hand, online bingo gives you the chance to chat while you are playing the game. The integrated chat function in the online bingo rooms is probably the biggest innovation in bingo together with the auto-daub. The numbers that are called out are automatically daubed on your bingo card so you don’t have to focus on that. You are also able to play some mini games while the bingo sessions proceed or play chat games organised by the hosts. You now see that it would be very hard for anyone to claim that playing bingo online makes the game less friendly – quite the opposite actually. Find why in the following paragraph.

Let’s Focus on the Social Aspects of Online Bingo

Easy CommunicationTo begin with, all bingo sites have now developed social features that encourage interaction. These include: integrated chat where people use a special chat slang ( e.g. GL means Good luck!); various community prize draws and competitions like ‘Roomie of the week’, ‘Pet of the month’etc.; Refer a Friend programme that gives you a bonus when you invite buddies to the site; or team bingo that puts you in a random team and you work together win a prize. Sometimes you can even treat your friends with a virtual ‘drink’ using your Loyalty points or buy them bingo gift vouchers for their birthdays or any other special occasion.

Regular Blog PostsVirtually any online bingo website has a blog nowadays. There you can read about pretty much anything, not just bingo – gossip, cooking recipes, housekeeping, gardening , even parenting tips and tricks (that’s a shocker, right). The blogs will not offer only good reads, you will also be able to take part in many quizzes that can reward you with various prizes, trips and free tickets. Sometimes you will find temporary promotions with bonus codes that can be valid for a single event only or a period of time.

Twitter/Facebook PagesThe Twitter and Facebook pages of the operators have similar ways to reward loyal customers. But besides the quizzes and the funny posts, you will often be able to take advantage of additional bonuses. Some operators will give out a generous number of LPs for liking them on Facebook or hash-tagging them on Twitter. Suppose you get 1500-2000 LPs for liking the page or hash-tagging the name of the operator, with a redemption rate of roughly 1000LPs per pound, that’s a decent bonus worthy of your attention. You can also benefit from various promotions available only for the fans of the Facebook/Twitter pages.

Community EventsMore and more operators now organise exclusive community events aimed at drawing the bingo players closer to each other and giving them the opportunity to meet in person. This initiative further enhances the feeling of togetherness and belonging to an elite group. And no wonder, since the players are often invited to Formula 1 Races, Royal Ascot Events, Girls Nights Out and many more specially organised gatherings. You simply can’t deny that going to a VIP event like the ones mentioned above is way more exciting than going to your local bingo hall wearing a cotton tee and a pair of old jeans.

So, Who Wins This Rivalry?

Now that we’ve gathered enough evidence, it’s time for us to come up with a final verdict. We would really hate to stigmatise land-based bingo as an remnant of those far-off days when callers used a tombola to draw the bingo balls (although this time certainly has some nostalgic charm to it). We do realise that land-based bingo has gone through significant development . For example Mecca allow players to either buy bingo cards, use an electronic device or even bring their own tablets and install a special app to play real-time land-based bingo. However, when it comes to friendliness, a tight-knit community and togetherness, online bingo comes second to none. We even dare say online bingo in general has more advantages than its predecessor. To prove this we’ve summarised the pros and cons below.

• • Advantages:
  • The first obvious advantage is that you can play from your home.
  • No matter where your home is.
  • You get a welcome bonus and there are more regular promotions.
  • There are more bingo variations and more rooms.
  • You don’t have to worry about missing a number because of the auto-daub.
  • Tickets tend to be cheaper – jackpots are usually bigger.
• • Disadvantages:
  • You can’t manage your finances right away. Although, if you use a e-wallet like PayPal or Ukash, you will significantly cut the time needed for a transaction.
  • You’re more likely to play quite often. Wait…is this a disadvantage?