Bingo is far more than just a game.. In the UK virtually every town and city has a bingo hall and until recent times most of the bingo halls were thriving businesses. Times though are a changing. With the introduction of the smoking ban, the rapid growth of online bingo and the financial slump perhaps for the first time live bingo seems to be struggling a little. Don't be fooled thinking that bingo halls are just for playing bingo. In many small towns these act as a meeting place where most of the members have built solid friendships over many years. Simply many visit bingo halls to catch up with their friends and find out what is going on in their local community. Online bingo sites realised that they had to create strong online communities to make their online ventures succeed. Every online bingo site has at least a couple of chat rooms which to many are just as important as the actual bingo games. The social networking aspect of online bingo though is still evolving and it is fair to say that the online bingo sites that develop strong social networks will be the ones that thrive for many years to come. During a recent visit to a local bingo hall I was amazed at the amount of social networking taking place. Yes of course playing the actual game was the main priority of those at the hall but secondary features such as catching up with local community news, business matters and even dating were very much in evidence. It also became very clear to me that bingo is not just a game for those over 50 as perhaps 50% of those attending were less than 30. Looking around at some of the major UK online bingo sites it is clear that the leading bingo hall chains have managed to also get a large proportion on their community playing online. The benefits to players include that to contact their friends all they need to do is log on and enter the chat rooms. Also to play the game and chat with their friends costs are vastly reduced as there is no need to travel. The big bingo hall chains may blame the new smoking act and the recession for their demise but there is no doubt that with the creation of online bingo they have played a big part in their own decline. In my opinion though the established online bingo sites still have a long way to go if they want to make their sites true social networks. I have though seen the future of online bingo. Game Village although still way behind the market leaders in terms of actual players, seem to have built a very strong social network. Their whole ethos is based on the community and a virtual online village. Players not only interact online but also meet in real life with regular meetings arranged by the site for its players in locations around the UK.
Please Rate this Article 5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5
Not yet Rated
