Online bingo keeps increasing in popularity despite being invented more than a century ago. As other games of that era die down, it picks up pace, more so with the younger generations. So, what about this game has made it alluring to all generations? Why will players happily read about bingo sites, like this Mecca Bingo review, and opt to try their luck online? We cover some of the main motivations:
Why Online Bingo?
Bingo maintains the same aspects whether you play it online or offline. For example, bingo is simple and fun, and the rules are easy to master, even for children. Whether you play it in a traditional hall or online forum, you will enjoy this perk. So, which perks are only available to players online?
a. Affordability
Even when you are not gunning for a win, you will likely want to spend as little cash as possible on a bingo game. The only time people don’t care much about the ROI is when they are playing for charity. But in most other cases, the ROI leads most bingo decisions. So, how is playing bingo online cheaper than playing it in a hall?
- No Commute Costs: Bingo is now available online, and you can access it via your phone, desktop, tablet, or other optimized digital devices. You do not need to leave your home and commute to a bingo hall. Once you factor in fuel and parking costs, you realize that you spend much less on accessing bingo halls.
- Low Ticket Costs: Physical bingo halls incur many costs – venue, staff, parking, utilities, etc. To make a profit and keep running while offering bingo games, they must include these operational costs in their tickets. So, you find that most halls will allow you to play if you have £5.00, giving you access to one game. However, online sites do not have as many overheads. They only need good servers, a team that can handle queries, and reliable software. So, they incur fewer operational costs and charge less for their tickets. You can even start playing with as low as £1.00. Most sites offer a discount on bulk purchases such that you can play with even less than £1.00 and still have the chance to play the jackpot.
- Bonuses & Promotions: Besides low buy-in rates, most online sites are out to attract new customers and retain their existing players. And the way to do this is by reducing buy-ins by offering bonuses. For example, a site may offer 100% matched deposits to a limit of £100.00. So, if you deposit £50.00, you get an additional £50.00, which you can use in the games.
Moreover, many sites also offer free games which you can use to practice playing bingo until you are ready to play for money. You can also play these games if you do not have enough cash to play a money game.
b. Variety
Unlike physical halls, which emphasize the classic bingo games, online games are much more extensive. You can play the usual classic games and take a walk down memory lane, or you can play the much faster games that allow you to try your luck numerous times. Most online games have progressive jackpots that allow you to walk away with millions if you are the lucky winner.
c. Accessibility
While physical bingo has always been fun, it has had one caveat that has kept many people from enjoying it – inaccessibility. Online games have solved this issue in two ways:
- Time: If you were to play a physical game, you would need to show up when the hall opened and leave when it closed. Most halls would open from 10 in the morning and close by midnight. So, anyone who wanted to play outside these hours would have had to try their luck in specific halls that were open at the time. Online halls don’t have such times; you can play anytime. Better yet, there is no cap on the number of people who can play a game, and you can always get a seat regardless of how few or many people are in the space.
- Location: What physical hall is closest to you? For most people, playing in a bingo hall required them to commute a long distance because they lived far from the halls. Most of the halls were in urban centers, and even those in the remote areas were located close to the main amenities in the neighborhood. But online games are accessible to everyone because they are available on phones, desktops, and other smart devices. You only need a stable internet connection, and you can start trying your luck.
Most bingo sites now boast apps that offer bingo players even more convenience when accessing their favorite games.
Online bingo has also allowed players to interact with players from all over the world. You could be in the UK and chat with someone who lives in South Africa. So, for players who love this game for its social aspects, online bingo still wins as it has eased communication greatly.