Bingo hasn’t changed much in 2020 but the year has proved to be one of the worst years for the human race in recent times. Our lives have changed and many people have had their routines turned upside down by a virus that first appeared in China at the back end of 2019. COVID 19 has wrecked the economy, destroyed people’s livelihoods and most tragically, killed more than 40,000 people in the UK alone.
COVID and Gambling
Strangely, the gambling industry has weathered the COVID storm. In fact, during the 3-month lockdown online gambling rapidly increased and online casinos were busier than ever, with more people playing slots and online bingo than before the lockdown began. The reasons for this increase include boredom and the need for escapism when times are hard. Some parts of the gambling industry saw a downturn, as sport betting was affected by the lack of live sporting events. Horseracing suffered greatly too, as all meetings were abandoned including the biggest betting race in the world, the Grand National.
Online Bingo The Only Alternative
With the pandemic closing all bingo halls punters have turned to online bingo in the thousands. This in turn has forced some bingo changes onto popular bingo sites. There are far more free bingo sessions to be had across many bingo brands now and these cater to loyal and new customers. The downside is that with so many new customers the competition for prizes has increased within the free games.
Post COVID
If a vaccine, or other measures cease the pandemic then life may return to normal. The new normal at the moment is sporting events behind closed doors and entertainment venues that have been lucky enough to reopen, are having to drastically reduce the numbers of people allowed in due to safety measures brought in by the government. Once bingo halls are allowed to reopen to their full capacity, then they will have to change to make up for lost time. This will mean more free bingo and other customer friendly incentives. Luckily, bingo customers tend to keep to certain brands and this, along with the continued success of online brands will prevent bingo halls from closing down. More cashless transactions will be needed and less contact with bingo cards would also be preferable. Before the virus hit, bingo was undergoing large changes as bingo halls were targeting a new younger punter. Bingo Bars and Rave Bingo were finding their stride and bringing in the next generation of bingo players who expect bingo games to be served up with more entertainment on the side. These will be in demand more when life returns to normal because punters will be desperate to return to the good old days of pre COVID 19.
Final Thoughts
The main recent changes in bingo, has been stopped in their tracks by the COVID 19 pandemic. These mostly consisted of adding other forms of entertainment such as dance offs to bingo games. These elements have been added to appeal to those who enjoy bars and clubbing.
