Bingo has been a popular past time in the UK ever since the first purpose built bingo hall was erected in Cardiff in 1856. The game itself has changed little, but there is a growing trend of people leaving the traditional land based bingo halls and moving to online bingo sites.

Land based bingo halls have been suffering over the past ten years, with high taxation from the government and the introduction of the smoking ban in July 2007. In a recent survey, it publicized that over 60% of people that played bingo in the UK were smokers and this is thought to be why land based bingo halls have seen a recent loss in profits.

On the other hand online bingo has flourished over the past few years, and there are now hundreds of online bingo sites on the internet. The advantages of online bingo are that player can play whenever they want from the convenience of their own homes.

The online bingo sites also attract people who would not normally play by offering welcome bonuses to new members, big prizes and alternative games like slot machines and other integrated games. The social aspect of online bingo has also changed, with many site offering online chat rooms for their members to talk and get to know each other.

The online bingo boom is set to become even bigger, as many more people obtain the internet and is set to grow for years to come.

Aug 28 2008