Eyes Down … For the Future Technology of Online Bingo
Bingo’s already moved on a pace from the dusty halls and pier amusement arcades of the 20th century. Seriously, 21st century bingo has had to move with the technological times as more homes have gained regular access to computers and the internet, a whopping 21 million households in the UK (83%) in 2013, according to the Office of National Statistics, and has become an online gaming phenomena. Alongside the ease of playing in your own time and your own home, prime-time TV marketing has really helped to promote online bingo as in-house entertainment, but what does the future hold for online bingo?
On-line bingo platforms have already developed significantly from the early days of clunky download to responsive browser play. Hugely popular with those break-time gamers, Flash games in browsers offer fast-paced, real-time bingo games which keep up momentum and interest.
But part of the attraction of this real-time element isn’t just the games, it’s the rapidly rising role of online bingo as a form of social media. Chat games are prevalent, with savvy sites offering free games initially (but with limited chat) whilst depositing players gain access to the full chat and social community experience of the sites. This is enhanced as many bingo sites offer player incentives and bonuses for getting friends signed up to play and chat at the same time.
It stands to reason then that there’s significant investment in continuing development of the high level technology required to re-create the real-time community element of those old bingo halls, but with the modern international, rather than local, twist offered by the internet. It certainly pays bingo operators to invest in technology which not only allows them to tap into the bingo market itself, but also the largely female demographic (80% of online bingo players in the UK) to whom the whole package of colourful games, big jackpot possibilities and real-time chatting hold the great appeal.
And of course now that the majority of us have our mobile devices, to be a real competitor in the social media market place too, 21st century online bingo has to be mobile-friendly, because here-in lies the real future of both the technology and the industry. This has already been acknowledged by the Isle of Wight’s Microgaming Software Systems, creators of the first online casino back in 1994. Microgaming now provide online gaming software to over 100 casinos and bingo operators and continue their trailblazing with ongoing development of mobile and tablet-compatible software in a range of computing languages such as C++, .NET, Java, C# and, the stalwarts for those gamers with Windows, Mac, iOS and Android interfaces too - Adobe Flash and HTML5.
As such, in its short twenty years, Microsoft gaming has become a multi-million pound enterprise, with innovations in (and savvy anticipations about) technology to ensure that “players receive the richest possible gaming experience at all times, irrespective of hardware or location.” Clearly this “location” element is one of the latest and on-going areas of future technology. The quest to ensure the playability of their sites on mobile devices is a must for bingo operators who want to stay, literally, in the game.
Tucked away alongside this though, isn’t just device compatibility and development and variation of those bingo games and the lucrative side-games which all bingo brands now carry; innovation and investment is also needed in the technology for online bingo’s financial facilities. Encrypted software for financial transactions and data has long been a must for players’ peace of mind, so much so that many bingo sites which hastily offered games on mobile platforms seemed to forget about the financials and as a result still require their players to sign in via desktops and PCs to make their deposits, inconvenient to say the least for gamers on the go.
So, future technological advances must include development of convenient, but secure deposit methods on those mobile interfaces. It’s probably no coincidence that online financial giants PayPal have also invested heavily in creating their own app for mobile payments and many bingo sites (particularly those aimed at UK players) are now also accepting Paypal.
In all, the technology has made online bingo possible but as every advance or trend in technology comes along, online bingo operators and software developers have to stay eyes down to stay game on!
How bingo has developed
Millions of people from all over the world play the fun, simple game of bingo. Plenty of people go out to bingo halls to get together for a game, while plenty more are huge fans of online bingo, which has become extremely popular in recent years. But was it always like this? Let’s take a look at the history of bingo to see how it has developed into the game that we all know and love today.
The story started a long time ago, in Italy. Specifically, it started way back in the 1500s where a game started to take shape that was similar in some ways to the Italian National Lottery of the time. This was what led to the creation of bingo, although it wasn’t called bingo back then.
The Italians had the game to themselves for a while, but gradually it started to become elsewhere in Europe, notably in France and Great Britain. There the game started to become more popular and eventually, the game found its way across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States of America – but it still wasn’t called bingo!
For quite a while, the game was popularly referred to as ‘beano’. This was a reference to the beans that were normally used by players to mark the numbers on their cards during games. In fact, it wasn’t until 1929 that the word ‘bingo’ was first used, when someone called out the wrong word in their excitement at winning a card. The name stuck and started to be used much more widely.
Since then, the game has stayed largely the same although there are regional variations as to how it is played. For example, while the US version of the game includes 75 numbers, if you play a game of bingo in Europe, it will usually have 90 numbers. However, you can play both versions in most places these days, which helps to add variety to the game.
Something else that helped to add variety to the game was the development of online bingo in the twenty-first century. As the internet has become more popular, online bingo sites have also won themselves many fans. It is possible to play pretty much every version of bingo that you can think of online, and some sites such as Fabulous Bingo also offer additional features, such as other games and communities to help people feel more involved.
You might think that the rise of online bingo has led to a decline in people playing the game in the ‘real world’, but so far this doesn’t seem to be the case. It is still hugely popular and is played in a wide range of venues, from formal bingo halls to church halls and other casual events. It seems that people still like the social aspect of the game that helped to make it popular all those years ago, and so online and offline bingo are able to sit alongside each other very comfortably.
Let’s hope that the next 500 years are as good as the first.
What NOT To Do Playing Online Roulette
Instead of looking at how to play online roulette, as lots of your will probably already be old hands at it, what are the things that should be avoided when playing online roulette? It is as important to know the things that we should avoid as players as with knowing the things we should do.
First, let’s figure out the roulette variations that we can choose from. The two most popular variations are the European Roulette and the American Roulette. These two has relatively similar game play but differs in the numbers used. The American Roulette variation has one zero and a double-zero on the wheel (0 & 00), while the European Roulette variation only has one zero on the wheel. The house odds for the American and European Roulette are approximately 5.26% and 2.70%, respectively. So what do we choose?
Do Not Play American Roulette.
With the house odds higher than in the European Roulette, the American Roulette proves to play in the favour of the casino. So why play a game that is against your odds of winning? Some people do prefer this as it brings in more excitement. But if winning weighs more for you, then DO NOT play American Roulette.
Do Not Bet On Single Numbers.
Why would anyone prefer betting on something that has a 1/37 chance of winning over a 50/50 chance? Inside betting would yield a lower chance of winning as with outside betting. Although the rewards are not as high, most of us would rather win a multitude of small amounts than to loss one big amount.
Do Not Play For Money.
This game is all about a fun-filled experience, and NOT about winning big money. Like in every casino game, the odds are always in the favour of the house. Don’t set a goal to beat the house every single time, as you will surely fail. Playing for fun is the best approach in playing online roulette no matter where you are in the world.
Smoking and Bingo: Incompatible Addictions
If history is any indicator, bingo and smoking bans do not mix well. In Great Britain, a smoking ban was imposed in 2007, and a study made at the time showed that about 63% of all bingo players smoked. A BBC article written just after the smoking ban was implemented asked the question; will the smoking ban Kill Bingo Halls? The article pointed out that the bingo industry in the UK employed about 20,000 people and generated billions in revenues annually.
After the ban was imposed, bad news piled up, and reports of bingo hall closures came in from every part of the UK. In Scotland 10, bingo halls closed shortly after the ban was enforced. Mike Lowe, manager of Premier Bingo in Kirkcaldy, said that between games about 40% of his customers leave the hall to smoke – which causes a significant drop in profits. Lowe told the BBC, “When you look at a loss of around 40% of your bottom line, that's devastating, and I'm not sure as operators where we move from here.”
British bingo halls are not the only ones pressured by smoking bans. On the other side of the Atlantic, a Veteran’s of Foreign Wars post reported a significant drop in players after the implementation of a smoking ban after post members voted to go smoke free – affecting online bingo in serious ways. Since Kentucky is a tobacco producing state the state has resisted the national trend to impost statewide smoking bans. Two veterans’ organizations in Bowling Green Kentucky resisted a city wide smoking ban but after several citations by local police voted to ban smoking on the premises.
In Ohio a Catholic Parochial school may be forced to raise tuition and cut back on some programs after a statewide smoking ban was imposed. In states with smoking bans in place charities and veteran’s groups using bingo as a fundraising tool have reported diminished attendance at games and in many cases the organizations have been forced to end their bingo games.
There is one industry that has actually benefitted from smoking bans. Online bingo operators in the UK reported an 80% increase in player numbers shortly after the national ban was enforced. Increased broadband access in the country and faster computer speeds offered instant access to exciting online bingo games for former land based players. Bingo players who are smokers can happily puff away in the privacy of their own homes while playing their favorite game.
Relax and enjoy – that’s the best way to win
One of the great things about online scratch cards is the fun aspect, that’s what marks them out as different to other types of online gaming. More than anything else, scratch is about sitting back and enjoying yourself, and when you do that you might actually surprise yourself and see your balance build up in front of your very eyes.
Tension and nervousness are most definitely bad for an online player. There’s no way that you will make good decisions or keep good control of your balance and settings if you are worried and unable to concentrate properly. You have to be cool, calm and collected if you want to get the most out of your online scratch experience, because only then will you be able to take it all in and take advantage of everything on offer.
Luckily, scratch card sites are built for this purpose and with this in mind. They really are fun. We all thought we were having a great time back in the 1990s when physical scratch cards were at their peak. But now, with the online version, it’s taken the whole concept to another level. There are literally hundreds of games to try out, from the classic scratches like Triple Wow, through to sports scratch, casino style scratch, mystical scratch and many more.
The graphics bring the games to life, adding to the enjoyment factor, so if you are playing a sports scratch game like 100m Race you can watch the runners as they storm through the race. This all adds to the excitement, ramping the fun factor up a level. And then there are the bonus rounds, with cool graphics and more fun than ever before.
With all this in mind, the enjoyment becomes the main part of playing online scratch. Hopefully you will see how it works, relax and have fun. Because once that happens, the sky is your limit. Scratch cards give you hundreds of opportunities to win. Each in its own unique way. If you are in a calm state of mind you will have fun. And when you are having fun, winning is often just around the corner.
Take Sampo, for example. This is a new game created by scratch masters NeoGames, which centers around an ancient mythical artifact known to give the holder luck and good fortune. If you immerse yourself in the lucky and mystical aspects of the game you may feel yourself drawn in. You’ll enjoy the game, the atmosphere and the music and when you check your balance you may well enjoy the money you’ve won. So the lesson is, sit back and relax, and you can win big with online scratch.