Reading about a woman who celebrated her 103rd birthday at a Mecca Bingo hall made me really think about the traditions that have built up around bingo. This lady, Sally Melia, has been a member of the Liverpool Mecca Bingo club for forty-three years! That’s a long time to be devoted to a game but bingo seems to be that type of game for many people.
I’ve heard people worry that this kind of tradition won’t carry over to the online environment but I disagree. I think that most who say this are not playing online themselves so they don’t realize that many of the same elements are still there online. The live chat enables players to talk to each other, about the games or their lives. It’s easy to still have all your offline friends meet you in a certain bingo room, just as you would have the local bingo hall.
Not only does online bingo have the same features as the bingo halls, they also have other features unavailable in a regular landbased bingo hall. Many of the patterns that are made possible by software are not possible on paper tickets. Also many other games are available to someone who needs a quick break from bingo so you see video slots, slots and scratchcards alongside the bingo in most online bingo sites.
There is just something addictive about bingo that isn’t a part of many games. I think it’s partly because it’s such a low cost form of gambling. There are many sites that offer cards for only a penny and of course, many are offering free bingo games. Budget is not much of a factor with prices so low. I think the social interaction is a large part of the draw to bingo. Most bingo players are highly social people so this provides a social outlet for many.
