When you typically think of men and online gambling, you can be forgiven for assuming that they’ll be having a punt on the football or horseracing. While that stereotype may have been true once upon a time, it now seems to be fading thanks, in no small part, to the increasing popularity of online bingo.
Between 2005 and 2014, the number of operating UK bingo clubs dropped by 42%, while Treasury revenues fell to £75M a year over the same period. But thanks to the resurrection of the online market, the UK is now the biggest bingo industry in the world. Last year, the annual gross gaming yield for the online bingo industry from UK customers alone was £128.64 million.
Of course, bingo was traditionally associated with our grandmas’ generation, but now, it seems, bingo is quickly attracting a higher proportion of the younger generation. 8% of females aged 18-24 are playing the game, while a growing 5% of males within the same age bracket admitted to playing bingo, too.
But why are the younger generation, and specifically men, playing bingo?
One of the obvious reasons is for extra cash! Compared to other forms of online gambling, you can save on costs via a number of registration promotions, bonus codes, loyalty schemes, and generous jackpot payouts.
Another incentive is the social element of the game. As opposed to sports betting, bingo allows you to interact with other users online. Once you enter a bingo chatroom, there are usually a number of friendly individuals who are willing to chat and play with you. You can even partner up with other logged-in players to increase your chances of winning.
Of course, there are many operators, affiliates, and top bingo review sites on the web. Casinos are now also taking advantage of this trend by offering a number of bingo-related titles alongside their more traditional table and slot games. This has proved popular amongst the already established male clientele and offers the convenience of moving between games on a single site.
The changing image of bingo is largely due to media coverage in recent years, including the use of social media. In addition, several mainstream outlets have introduced their own bingo sites, which affords online bingo a bigger market share. Of course, this opens more doors for the industry, as proven by the growing number of men taking part in the game.
