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Internet Bingo Keeps on Growing Despite Recession
The past few years have not been good ones for the brick and mortar bingo industry in the UK. `The passage of the unpopular national smoking ban and a drastic rise in taxation combined to cause economic turmoil throughout the UK bingo industry. Bingo is now the most highly taxed form of gambling in the UK and despite the recent lowering of the tax rate by 2% the land based bingo industry remains economically strapped. The global recession has also adversely affected the bingo industry as people look for inexpensive entertainment.
The internet bingo industry has benefited from the troubles of land based bingo and a recent report by the UK Gambling commission stated that internet bingo sales have increased 4.6% during the past year. The recent boom in the internet bingo industry shows no signs of slowing down and internet bingo sites are engaged in fierce competition for players. Bonuses and jackpots that would have been unheard of just a few years ago are now the norm. Jackpots of £20,000 ($32,341 USD) and more are increasingly common on internet bingo websites.
The fact that UK internet bingo websites are regulated and licensed has contributed to the popularity of internet bingo. Internet bingo players in the UK are guaranteed a safe playing experience and can be confident their funds are secure. Many internet bingo websites now offer free bingo for cash and prizes in an attempt to attract new players. All of these perks and inducements by internet bingo sites seem to be working judging by recent sales figures.
In addition to government actions which have made internet bingo much safer for UK players. Bingo websites are engaged in some serious competition. Many sites are offering more promotions and original games. Many of these games offer players significant bingo bonuses and sites will send players an email with a bingo bonus code for special games. Many sites have increased the size of their bingo sign bonus and bingo sign up bonuses of 300% are common. Players can now comparison shop for the best bingo bonus and take advantage of the very generous bingo bonuses offered by many bingo websites. As the competition gets more intense bingo sites are responding with larger jackpots and better than ever bingo bonuses.
Should the US make internet bingo legal the internet bingo industry is set to explode. The addition of millions of relatively affluent American players will make internet bingo one of the most profitable sectors of the internet gaming industry.
Internet Bingo-A Short History
Bingo has always been a popular game and has achieved exceptional popularity in the UK. Almost every town and hamlet has its own high street bingo club and many pensioners depend on the local bingo club for entertainment and social interaction. Bingo is wildly popular on the other side of the Atlantic and in the US bingo has been a great fundraising tool for churches and charitable organizations for several decades. People play bingo for the same reasons that made it popular almost a century ago-the social aspect and the chance for some quick cash. Unlike competitive games like poker bingo offers friendly competition unlike other gambling games. Since bingo is a game of pure chance players know they have the same chances of winning as other players. In the UK bingo giants like Gala and Mecca have turned this popular game into a moneymaking machine. Until the recent smoking ban and double taxation bingo halls were filled night after night with enthusiastic players.
Bingo stereotypes abound but the most common is that of little old blue haired ladies sitting in a smoky bingo club with colorful daubers and good luck charms and talismans. Bingo clubs attracted many younger players looking for an entertaining night out. During the past two years land based bingo has seen a decline in players. One study showed that approximately 63% of all bingo players are smokers and the smoking ban hit bingo clubs hard. Many of these players who played traditional bingo went online to play their favorite game. Internet bingo was introduced about a decade ago and after a slow start the internet bingo industry has seen a boom of sorts and there are now about 250 bingo websites serving the UK market.
Clever marketing campaigns and highly entertaining television ads have attracted thousands of new online players. In the beginning internet bingo websites were pretty basic but since the great rush online bingo websites are using state of the art software, stunning graphics, and original variations on the game. Better yet internet bingo sites started to offer players significant bingo bonuses and other player perks. The introduction of chat rooms made online bingo even more attractive. Recent studies in the UK show that more people are playing internet bingo than are playing at traditional bingo clubs. In addition UK bingo sites offer 90 ball bingo which has proved to be a popular variation on the traditional 75 ball game. Internet bingo has continued to thrive in spite of the global recession and according to industry experts the future looks very bright indeed.