Many industries have changed over the years, such as construction, hospitality, fashion, medical, and the automobile industry. One only needs to think of how cars looked 50 years ago and their capabilities, compared to the vehicles of today to see a big difference. Another industry that has undergone big changes is the mobile phone industry, and not even over the same length of time as the automobile industry.
However, one industry that has arguably gone through the most changes is the casino industry since moving online, and a few games have changed with it. Most games like blackjack, poker, and roulette have stayed the same, but a relatively new inclusion, bingo, has changed quite a bit to adapt to the new environment it finds itself in.
Here a few ways that bingo has changed over the last 50 years.
Closing of many bingo halls
One of the first indicators that things were changing for bingo was when the bingo halls began closing.
Bingo began becoming incredibly popular shortly after World War 2 and was at the height of its popularity heading into and during the 1960s.
There are a few reasons for this; television had just started becoming commercially available between 1951 to 1955, and it took a few years after that before almost everyone had one.
Casino’s weren’t legalized at that time, and there really wasn’t much else for people to do.
Bingo reached its peak in the early to late 1970s, but that is when things started going downhill. Heading into the 1980s, major bingo halls and companies began providing the game with bigger rewards, and smaller bingo venues began closing down and television was basically mainstream.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, casinos were legalized and offered many more games, and in addition to this, television had become mainstream which meant entertainment for the evening.
An online experience
In the late 1990’s, when casinos and other operators began seeing the decline in numbers of bingo halls, many made the brave decision to either host the game on their sites, or create dedicated sites specifically to bingo.
Many critics said that it wouldn’t work as the majority of people enjoyed bingo for the social aspect, but it turns out they were wrong. Moving bingo online resurrected a game that was nearly dying, but it wasn’t brought back the same as before.
The process of playing bingo is entirely automated now and players no longer need to scratch or dub any numbers off as the game does it for them.
People are also not limited to one ticket per game now and can buy up to 100, as well as there not being a limit on the number of people that can attend a game.
In addition to this, if a player is not able to attend, they will still be able to collect their winnings the next time they log into the site. Aside from all of this, there are welcome bonuses available to new or returning players which is encouraging more and more people to give the game a chance.
The newest feature that separates physical bingo from its online counterpart is the visual effects and music that a person experiences when playing.
A younger audience
Since moving online bingo has had the opportunity to reinvent itself, and in doing so, has become more relatable to a wider audience; a younger generation.
This is partly due to the fact that it can be played using a laptop, computer or mobile device; something that almost everyone from younger generations has and know how to use.
This kind of accessibility has increased the audience that bingo reaches. In addition to this, there are now themed games that appeal to almost anyone’s preference. A person can find themes such as celebrities, comic books, superheroes, music, video games, and sport, to name just a few.
Using this kind of theme has made the game relatable to even more people, and it makes it a lot more fun, at least fun than just using numbers.
Physical bingo has also had to make a few changes; it is now being incorporated into cocktail parties, dances and as an activity to be played during birthdays, in order to stay relevant and catch the attention of a younger audience, and it is working.
