Gone are the days when bingo was exclusively your “grandma’s” game. Interestingly, the demographic of bingo players has shifted dramatically, and the online bingo player demographic is now reflective of a younger, primarily female group. The bingo market is now a young and thriving one.
Bingo is the most popular group leisure activity in the UK and the second most popular individual leisure activity; while the game’s appeal transcends generations, it is now the most popular with women between 20 and 25 years old. 1 Women are not the only ones enjoying the game, however – the number of men getting in on the online bingo action is on the rise, and affiliate sites such as Bingoformen are taking advantage of the growing interest amongst the male demographic.
As with land-based bingo, players enjoy the game largely for its relaxation and social aspects. Online bingo rooms, however, do not parallel traditional land-based bingo halls in that players are able and encouraged to chat and engage with one another throughout the game. Online chat functionality not only fosters a sense of community, but is an extremely important factor in player loyalty and retention – players are going to return to play where their friends are. Bingo chat communities speak their own language of ‘abbreviations’, and are generally congratulatory of their peers. It is this aspect of relationship building that operators must tap into when developing their marketing efforts.
Several external factors have seen a rise in popularity of the online game. A smoking ban in bingo halls and a tax on profits in the UK have resulted in a dramatic decrease in land-based players. Playing in the comfort of your own home, and without restrictions, has surely contributed to the appeal for players to move online. Still in recovery from the GFC, players are embracing the cost-effectiveness of online gaming, whist still maintaining the social engagement they desire.
Unlike many other forms of iGaming, such as poker, bingo caters to those not interested in a high stakes game. However, because of the emphasis on online communities, players generally return to the same online bingo site and thus have a long lifetime value to that operator. This is extremely attractive to affiliates who want to take advantage of a revenue share commission structure with bingo operators. Also key to remember from an affiliate perspective is the fact that content is king – new and fresh content, updated regularly, will help drive traffic to your website, and in turn improve the probability of converting impressions to clicks. So, when plunged into a sea of online bingo room options, how does a player choose?! For most players, bingo chat rooms and the quality of the online community is most important. There are some top bingo sites such as Bingo.com whose sense of community is extremely strong, and is encouraged by excellent Chat Moderators who are eager to congratulate winners and welcome new players. The community extends far beyond just chat, enabling players to view each others’ profiles, blog, share photos and even recipes! Similarly, Bucky Bingo has a reputation built around its extremely friendly chatroom environment, and quality Chat Moderators. If it’s prizes that players are after, then Bucky Bingo will also not disappoint – they regularly give away fabulous items such as TVs, laptops, iPods, cash prizes and even holidays every month.
Affiliates can also sign up to the Bingo.com affiliate program and the Bucky Bingo affiliate program to promote these two strong brands who are really working on targeting the changing demographic of bingo players.
If you are interested in brushing up on your bingo chatroom lingo, visit bingostreet.com/bingo-lingo. Happy playing, promoting, and GL!
