I have a great aunt who loves to play bingo. She goes every week and lives for the hustle-and-bustle atmosphere of the bingo hall, the clever slang used to call out the numbers, the fancy white visor with green cap and, of course, the thrill of being able to shout out the much sought-after word “BINGO!!”.
But with the ever more online-centred and technology-addicted world that we live in, my question is: can playing bingo sites on your iPhone really be as fun as the real thing? Well, I’ll start with the most obvious advantage – there’s less chance of getting bored. As with anything in the technology sphere, being online opens you up to a whole raft of different opportunities and puts the power to chose back in your hands (no pun intended). If your local bingo hall only provides the traditional British/Australian 90-ball game and you fancy jazzing it up a bit with a quick 30-ball round or perhaps dipping your toes into the hotly debated US version then the choice is yours, free from the judgement of your local bingo clan.
Obviously part of the attraction with a regular meet up of bingo aficionados is the social aspect. Whether it be gentle banter about the weather or a shameless victory dance as you trounce your neighbour who still lets their dog ‘do it’s business on your lawn’ (even after repeated confrontations on the subject), there’s just something nice about the human-to-human contact you get to experience in person. Now, I think that I might be in that boat myself, however, as there’s a growing number of social interaction games on a wide variety of different forums out there, it can provide a fantastic new way of bringing people from all different cultures and walks of life together in a fun and friendly setting.
Security is another issue to take into consideration when weighing up the cost/benefit of online to real world bingo. There can be a lot of traps out there, but that’s no reason to be put off – you just have to be careful and make sure that you find trustworthy regulated bingo sites and look though the terms, conditions and wagering requirements before you put in any of your details.
Although I’m not sure if Aunt Gertrude will be making the switch anytime soon, but after weighing up all the pro’s and con’s, I think that online bingo can be a great alternative for people who want more freedom and the ease of being able to join in from the comfort of their own living room. Ultimately, the best choice for you, as always, will come down to preference.
