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Roulette May Pose Serious a Threat to Internet Bingo
It is a well established fact that in the UK internet bingo is the most popular form of online gaming among women. Despite the stereotype of little old ladies sitting in smoky bingo clubs internet bingo has attracted many female players in the 18-40 age group. Internet bingo websites are going to great lengths to attract new players and retain current players and the competition is keen. The intense competition has given internet bingo players a clear advantage in the form of bigger jackpots, original promotions and a larger selection of games. Since internet bingo is licensed and regulated in the UK players are assured a safe hassle free internet bingo experience.
Internet bingo faces an unexpected threat-the increasing popularity of roulette. According to a recently released report roulette has long been a favorite among ladies in the USA and is rapidly gaining in popularity among females in the UK .Roulette has not even been a close second in popularity for British internet bingo players but that seems to be changing. According to the study done by Gaming Supermarket roulette poses a real threat to internet bingo. Roulette has long been a favorite casino game with an image of glamour and excitement. In the James Bond movie series Bond is often seen at roulette tables in luxurious casinos in Cannes and Monte Carlo.
Although at present internet bingo is still the most popular form of online gambling among the ladies some industry experts say roulette is starting to make inroads among internet bingo players. David Merry of LiveRoulette stated, “We all knew the bingo boom would not last forever, and although I think it is far from over I think the cracks are starting to show. Roulette provides women with the chance to win serious cash, very quickly, so it is easy to see why they would be attracted.” Merry said that a recent survey showed that 38% of new roulette players are female.
Many internet bingo websites are offering players very generous bingo bonuses to retain existing players and attract new players. The intense competition between bingo sites is advantageous for players. Bingo sites are creating new original promotions and offering ever larger bingo bonuses.
For the time being internet bingo holds the top spot among the ladies but roulette poses a serious threat. Most industry experts say that internet bingo is likely to hold the top spot among female players for some time to come.
How Will the 2010 UK Elections Affect Internet Bingo?
The 2010 elections in the UK brought about a partial victory for the Conservative Party and Prime Minister Gordon Brown tendered his resignation ending 13 years of Labour rule and paving the way for David Cameron to become Prime Minister. The Conservatives are still twenty seats short of the 326 seats needed for a majority. The gaming industry including the internet bingo industry is waiting for the mini manifesto promised to the gaming industry. Will the new Conservative government be better for online bingo? No one seems to know for sure.
Traditionally Conservatives have viewed gaming as an industry that needs to be controlled by limiting supply and marketing efforts and tight regulation and taxation. The Labour government has not been good for the bingo industry as a whole. The smoking ban and high levels of taxation crippled the land based bingo industry resulting in thousands of job losses. Earlier in 2010 the Labour government lowered the bingo tax a paltry 2% but the industry remains the most highly taxed in the gambling sector. Conservatives have remained silent about their intentions towards the bingo industry. At a Bingo Association meeting a shadow minister from the Tories said that the bingo tax is unfair and that the issue will be addressed when the time is right.
Some in the internet bingo industry fear that the new government could see the lucrative internet bingo market as a further source of tax revenue and could possibly raise taxes on internet bingo companies operating in the UK. Further taxation could easily drive internet bingo providers offshore resulting in a drop in tax revenue from the industry. Some commentators believe that the Labour party views the bingo sector as “a target for taxation” while the Liberal Democrats recognize the importance of bingo as a social activity.
Writing for the bingo oriented website Bingo Supermarket, author Jayne Wilson called for the online and land based bingo industries to join forces and stated, “[We] would urge online bingo operators to form an alliance in the form of an online Bingo Association in order to tackle and raise awareness of potential issues that will come around once the Government find its feet and start looking for a way to bring in revenues to service the country’s debts.” Experience has shown that by and large the government views the bingo and gaming industry as a handy source for tax revenue. While a hung Parliament may be bad for the country as a whole it could turn out well for the internet bingo industry.