Bingo has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 16th-century Italy. The game spread through the rest of Europe over the centuries and really took off in the 1960s in the UK and US. Bingo halls popped up across communities as a family-friendly game of chance and thrived until the early 2000s, when interest in bingo waned significantly.
Thanks to the emergence of the internet, however, online bingo games brought bingo back into favor, and there was a major resurgence in popularity. Online bingo ushered the game into the 21st century and appealed to a much more diverse community of players.
The evolution of bingo
In recent times, bingo’s image of a languid game played by aging retirees in huge halls has evolved into a fast-paced online casino game played by young and old alike.
The advent of mobile devices and social media has accelerated the adoption of bingo by younger people and made it possible to play bingo online with friends.
Beyond the internet and mobile devices, however, there are a number of other innovations that have contributed to the rise in the popularity of bingo and made it so much more user-friendly.
1. Accounting
The old convoluted accounting processes in bingo halls, where the operator’s side logs and ledgers on transactions were all manually tracked, can all be streamlined with accounting software built into online bingo sites. This all but eliminates fraudulent transactions.
2. Payment systems
The advent of multiple new online payment systems, from cryptocurrencies to PayPal, mobile money transfers, online bank transfers and online card transactions, has made playing bingo much more affordable and more convenient.
3. Chat Rooms
Chat Rooms have added a completely new dimension to bingo gameplay. Over time, what were fairly one-directional bingo chat rooms with limited features have transformed into instant messaging wonders where additional games can be played that don’t even need a bingo card for prizes to be won.
4. Convenience
In the old days, traveling to a bingo hall limited access to gameplay for many people. Now, with the thousands of online casinos, mobile apps and websites, anyone can play bingo at home online or on the move at any time of day.
5. Globalization through connectivity
The internet and global connectivity have made it possible for players around the world to access online bingo in the USA and other markets. This has increased the size of prize pots and expanded the global bingo community across continents, creating virtual bingo halls filled with a vast cosmopolitan mix of players.
6. Upgrading experiences
While there is a certain charm to arriving at physical bingo halls, aging infrastructure and old venues are far more difficult and expensive to upgrade to keep gameplay fun and engaging. Online bingo can be upgraded at the click of a button and new games can be easily introduced to keep the experience fresh.
7. New bingo variants
Technology has created space for multiple gaming innovations in bingo. Today, you need to rely on more than just luck to win online bingo.
Skill and knowledge of how online bingo works are required to navigate the numerous new variants that have emerged, but it helps if you already know how to play bingo. A few interesting variants include:
- Slingo – a hybrid blend of slots and bingo
- Free Bingo – a 75-ball game that does not require a deposit
- No Lose Bingo – a 75-ball game where deposits will be refunded if you do not win
- Penny Bingo – play for just a penny
- 90-ball bingo – the most popular version of the online game with 90-ball bingo cards
- Bingo Bucks – wager on bingo or Slingo to earn a bingo bonus
8. Virtual reality bingo
Virtual reality or VR is an immersive technology that allows players to “enter” the bingo hall with the use of VR wearable technology. As this technology becomes more accessible, players will be able to simulate bingo hall experiences and join their online bingo friends in virtual venues.
9. Blockchain bingo
The introduction of blockchain technology has the potential to reduce the risk of fraud and create a more fair and transparent gaming experience.
10. Mobile bingo
When you consider that the average smartphone user is on their screen for about four hours a day, it is no surprise that bingo has made its way onto mobile devices. Playing bingo on mobile devices has had a massive impact on both the playability of online bingo games and the broadening of the player community.
Now with mobile bingo apps, players can take their online bingo with them wherever they go and access multiple mobile-only features and games that many bingo providers build into their apps.
Bingo games on Borgata Online
Register at Borgata Online to access all these exciting new bingo games and specials. Try out the Free Bingo and then progress to No Lose Bingo before exploding onto the big-time payouts.