Picture the average bingo club and what do you see? Old ladies with blue-rinse hair? Perhaps the residents of the local care home having a game on a Wednesday afternoon in the day room? Or maybe a group of 50-something women having a night out after work.
Chances are one or more of these is close to the mark, and you were probably not picturing those in the under-30 age category. Yet this is exactly the market that is flocking to both the traditional bingo clubs and the online sites.
The online influence?
It’s easy to blame any change in social habits on the internet, and for sure, sites like https://www.bingomobileapps.com/caesars-bingo/ have provided an easy way for the curious, who wonder just what goes on behind the doors of their local bingo hall, to find out. Playing online also give the opportunity to understand the basics – not that they are particularly complicated – and to boost the opportunities of a win by taking advantage of the frequent new player bonuses and promotions.
The great leveller
It is a similar phenomenon to what has already been seen in the casino sector. Players have a go online and decide they want to indulge their new-found habit in the real world. The thing about a night at the bingo, even more than a trip to a casino, is that it is a truly social experience.
For sure it’s a great way for little old ladies to get out of the house and socialise, but the thing about bingo is it is the ultimate leveller. Walk into a bingo hall and you are liable to see young couples in their early 20s having a date with a difference, brushing alongside other players 60 or more years their seniors.
The common factor? They are all having the time of their life and they are playing on absolutely equal terms with one another. It’s a little like the excitement of sitting in front of the TV on a Saturday night waiting for the lottery draw – anyone could be a winner.
Playing to the new audience
There are some who place responsibility for the newfound popularity of bingo among younger players on the shoulders of clever marketers. After all, just look at some of the high profile ad campaigns. One major site has Heather Graham in a fox suit, which is certainly not aimed at octogenarians, and another has young upstart Paddy McGuinness pensioning Barbara Windsor off to become the new “Bingo King.” The message is clear and is delivered to viewers with all the subtlety of a brick through their living room window.
However, this is the age of pull marketing, and these sites would not be launching campaigns like these without an existing demand. The people have spoken, and bingo is a more popular pastime among a wider age range than ever before. If you’ve not joined the revolution, why not give it a try this Christmas, with your friend, your significant other or even your old granny. You might just find you catch the bug.