Can Bingo Become a Luxury Experience?
For many years, bingo has had something of an image problem. It has been most closely associated with elderly ladies, fold-out tables and a painfully slow pace for the longest time. Since the turn of the millennium, however, bingo has seen something of a renaissance and has been dragged into the modern era in all manner of new forms.
It’s one thing to shake off the image of being grandma’s weekly outing, but another thing entirely to be raised to the level of a luxury pastime. The question is then, can bingo ever reach that level?
The Current State of Bingo
At least in the UK, bingo has rapidly become the go-to game for a large portion of the population and is now unrecognizable from historical halls. The modern bingo hall is now more of an event than just a game, with both food and even live music in the larger versions.
Overall, the scale of bingo is much larger with halls now accommodating hundreds of players at the same time, and the technology is there to match. The game is now played on digital screens linked to a digital ball drawing machine; with all the numbers drawn displayed on huge screens around the hall. Game hosts have also evolved from simple number calling to being entertainers in their own right.
It isn’t just the brick-and-mortar bingo halls that have been pushing the game forwards, however. Part of the ongoing revolution has arrived with the advent of the smartphone era; with much of the UK’s national playing happening there instead. This is thanks to the development of simple but engaging software developed by British casinos; which you can download as a reliable Bingo app on your phone.
Can It Be a Luxury Game?
It is a quirk of history and marketing that bingo is regarded as the ‘everyman’s game’. As far as the mechanics of the game go, and as blasphemous as it sounds to long-time casino players; bingo isn’t so far removed from games like roulette or craps, both of which enjoy much more high-profile reputations. So what exactly has caused this divide in opinion?
The short answer is time and environment. Games like roulette and blackjack have the prestige of being played for hundreds of years at casinos like those in Monte Carlo, hailing from a time when these games were reserved for nobility. Bingo is a game that has had a comparably short lifespan and has always sold itself as the game of the common man; with warmer, less exclusive environments and lower stakes.
It is feasible that, with the right environment, larger prizes available and a unique approach; bingo could transform into something much more luxurious. We’ve already seen steps towards this in the innovative Hijingo of London; which is a neon-lit experience with extremely high production values.
The long and short of it is, there is certainly potential within bingo to be something for the high rollers and luxury lovers; however, it will need a major makeover in the marketing department to reach that stage.
