Differences Between Land-Based And Online Bingo
For decades in Britain and the United States, Bingo was a gaming pastime that also served as a social occasion for the working and middles classes. Whether they gathered in Bingo halls or church halls, they got a shot at some modest wins while interacting with neighbours, and a good deal was raised for worthy causes along the way.
Smoking bans in Britain dealt a major blow to land-based Bingo halls, just as online versions became an alternative. Nowadays, punters can play at mobile Bingo sites on smartphones or tablets, so land-based Bingo operations are in decline globally. As more punters turn to betting in cyberspace rather than real life, let’s examine the major differences between the two types of Bingo.
Convenience And Variety
Land-based Bingo halls made you choose between American and British Bingo: two different versions existed on either side of the Atlantic. You also had to physically get to a Bingo hall to play; easier in a big city. If you lived somewhere rural, you might have been restricted to Bingo on a Saturday night in the church hall.
Online and mobile , on the other hand, is available anytime you want, anywhere you can connect to the internet. You can play whichever version you prefer, or swap between different formats at will. Punters certainly have more options now.
Speed Of Play
Old-school Bingo has a certain charm, as the caller pops each ball out of the machine and calls it out. The jokey codes devised to make numbers absolutely clear are part of the fun, and if players mark cards with stones or coins, they can even reuse them for new games whenever a Bingo is won.
However, all this does take more time; plus, there is the risk of a player not paying attention, missing a call and thus missing a Bingo. Not only does online Bingo speed up the process of drawing and calling balls, but many sites also have an auto-daub feature. Your card will be marked automatically every time a matching balls is drawn, and you never miss a Bingo.
Prize Pools
Land-based Bingo halls can only offer prizes proportional to the funds they take in, which is in turn proportional to the size of the venue and the number of people who attend. As a result, even the biggest prizes at land-based Bingo operations, while sometimes impressive, are not exactly life-changing.
Mobile or online Bingo, playing to a much bigger market buying cards all over the world, pulls in a lot more revenue and can offer much better prizes as a result. Some lucky punters have taken home millions of dollars from online Bingo wins.
Atmosphere And Interaction
This is one area in which land-based Bingo halls have always come out on top to date. Camaraderie and banter are part of a genuine Bingo-hall atmosphere. Although live streaming using video and audio tools can make online Bingo more interactive, it has a way to go before the social atmosphere online measures up to the live alternative. Virtual Reality might be a game changer here.