Before online bingo came into being bingo players in the UK could only enjoy their favourite pastime by going to their local land based bingo club. Many of the bingo clubs on land occupied a special place in the local communities as a place to meet and socialise. However, since the 2007 smoking ban many bingo clubs have begun to close their doors as lower admissions and heavier government regulation cause their profits to fall. Some critics of the online bingo industry have said that the closure of land based bingo clubs means that players are losing their access to the safe gaming and are therefore playing online in a less regulated and safe environment. But is online bingo really less regulated and less safe than land based bingo?
In the first instance there is a case for believing that online bingo is an inherently less “safe” of an activity than playing bingo in a social club. For example, in a bingo club the spending a player undertakes is often in public view and club staff are trained to spot players which they think might be exhibiting signs of problem gambling. In online bingo no such physical check currently exists, but in online bingo players can self limit the amount of money they spend, a limit they are unable to break without 7 days notice. Therefore in some ways online bingo can be considered more safe than land based bingo as there are no checks on spending in clubs. Critics also point to playing online bingo as being a solus activity and therefore anti-social. But equally bingo in clubs can be a solitary activity, just because a player is located in a social situation does not mean that they are reaping the benefits as such and they can be as equally as isolated as they would be at home in front of a computer.
Perhaps one of the biggest objections to online bingo is that of trustworthiness. How do players know who they are dealing with and how do they know the games are fair? All of the bingo sites that advertise in the UK are regulated and licensed in acceptable jurisdictions such as Alderney or Malta. Therefore, by sticking to bingo sites licensed in these territories bingo players can be sure that high standards are being adhered to. Simply take a look at the brands that are now involved in online bingo for evidence of its legitimacy. The Sun newspaper has an incredibly successful Sun Bingo site and is one of the most trusted brands in the UK. Online bingo has therefore been able to improve its reputation by getting bingo brands involved.
Another strategy to make online bingo trusted has been to build good brands from the bottom up and make sure that they offer great value to bingo players. Cashcade is bingo company which is an expert at creating brands which consumers trust and like. They have used TV to great advantage and have made sure that they worked hard to stay at the forefront of changes in the bingo world. In particular they are good example of the extra value and competition that online bingo has brought to players. Cheeky Bingo, which is owned by Cashcade, was the first online bingo sites to offer free bingo all day every day. It is unlikely that without online bingo players would ever have been able to get to play free bingo so often. Indeed it is precisely because it is online, that online bingo has become one of the most competitive verticals on the internet and is delivering great value for bingo customers.
By Sam Cook
Sam Cook is a freelance author writes articles on various game related topics. For more information on Free Bingo Games and Internet Bingo he suggests you to visit http://www.freebingohunter.com