When many people think of bingo, the mind can easily jump to packed out, smoke-filled bingo halls that were prominent throughout the US and the UK between the 1950s and the 1980s. It’s a market that, just as many other gambling markets, has been able to adapt to the rise of the internet.

While bingo might not have been able to adjust as quickly as other areas of casino gaming, which didn’t even break a stride as they moved online, playing bingo went through a slightly slower process.

Some put this down to the older audience, others put it down to a younger generation not being as open to the idea of playing bingo online. Whatever the reasons, in hindsight, it was simply a process that was just a bit slower at taking hold. Online bingo has become a huge pull for Gen Z gamblers, with many looking to reinvigorate land-based games as well as injecting new life by fusing it with new tech innovations, including mobile apps, and even the Metaverse.

So, now that online bingo is part of a greater trend, revitalizing an older-style game for a new audience, could it prove to be transformative enough to reshape the wider industry? Let’s take a look.

Dissecting The Appeal

Bingo falls into a bracket alongside slots and roulette as games that have been able to move online due to the simplicity of their game; they’re considered some of the easiest casino games for beginners to learn about.

That’s not meant as a negative, quite the opposite in fact. Although poker has risen to the top of the casino gaming world, it involves a complex set of strategies, and it can take a long time to learn the rules.

Bingo, on the other hand, is one of the simplest gambling games to learn. Its immense success amongst the older generation has meant that this knowledge has been passed down; however, the old connotations that would cause people to associate it with old, decrepit bingo halls were part of the reason why it struggled to find a large audience online initially.

Social media trends and positive news items have also worked in the favor of online bingo, bringing in Gen Z audiences and causing marketers to reshape their approach. Since the beginning of this decade, marketing strategies, primarily centered on TikTok and hyper-trends emerging on social media, have brought bingo into the spotlight.

Finding A New Audience

Traditionally, bingo was a game primarily targeted at a female audience. Although this remains the case, and there is still a market for male players, over the last two decades, casino gaming marketing has shifted its focus to betting markets that are more traditionally associated with men, such as professional sports betting, blackjack, and slot machine gaming.

That’s not to say that women don’t enjoy these games; of course, some do. However, generally speaking, the marketing is tailored for a male audience. Bingo, on the other hand, is a gambling game that is focused on a female audience. Therefore, savvy marketers only had to switch some of the traditional marketing for a new, digital audience.

By targeting their marketing strategies at websites frequented by women and those with a penchant for a bet or two, bingo has become much more visible in the broader casino gaming landscape. Despite the vast popularity among boomers, their tech illiteracy has meant that there is a ceiling in place for developing this market.

While it is true that there are elements of the tech world where Gen Z find themselves lacking, overall, they are far more adept at navigating the online world, and with gambling companies now shifting their marketing focus to social media, this has been the main driving force in developing the older game for a modern audience.

The Future Of Bingo Games

As we move toward a world where social media and technology continue to shape the landscape of casino gaming, bingo has demonstrated its ability to adapt to this dynamic. In the modern market, it’s unfair to paint any casino game with an online audience as old-fashioned.

Sure, bingo might have taken a lot longer to adapt to the digital market, but the last few years have showcased that there’s a market for this classic game that branches across generations. Ultimately, this is the foundation of any successful gaming idea.

If bingo platforms generated mountains of cash for developing ideas and millions for marketing, but nobody played the game, this would be a far more worrying trend. While it might have taken a little longer to catch on, the last few years have shown that the unlikely growth among Gen Z has helped bingo find its feet in a changing new world. Over the next few years, we can expect its popularity to continue growing among this demographic.