Online Bingo Player Growth Stalls as Economy Hits Tough Times

[BingoT]

Online Bingo Player Growth Stalls as Economy Hits Tough Times
Online Bingo Player Growth Stalls as Economy Hits Tough Times

UK Online Bingo authority website, BingoPort, is reporting that online bingo growth in the UK has stalled for the first time ever, pointing to possible market saturation and the current economic crisis. It also suggests that online bingo operators are being forced to be more creative with the launch of new free bingo sites, such as Cheeky Bingo.
London, UK (PRWEB) February 9, 2009 -- UK Online bingo authority website BingoPort.co.uk reported today that the number of people playing real money online bingo in the United Kingdom remained flat in the final quarter of 2008, with just a 1% increase in player numbers across the board. This follows a large increase of over 10% in the September quarter.
"This is the first sign that the UK online bingo market is feeling the effects of both the recession and market saturation. It signals the beginning of what we see as a period of mergers and acquisitions across the industry," said Scott Logan, Managing Director of BingoPort.
At the same time, BingoPort reported that overall prize values in online bingo rooms decreased slightly for the first time ever, pointing to the fact that not only are the number of new players decreasing, but existing players are spending less.
"This report will not come as a surprise to many industry experts who have been predicting this downturn for some time. We still expect to see strong spending in advertising by the bigger operators as they work to extract the maximum value out of their existing customer base."
With the annual value of the industry estimated to be over 600 million, the main industry players have been vigorously fighting over market share for well over the past twelve months.
"We're seeing more innovative marketing campaigns from the likes of Foxy Bingo, Gala Bingo, Ladbrokes Bingo and Mecca Bingo. These operators, among others, have introduced a range of different concepts to their real money sites. One of the biggest and most successful of these is free bingo games in between their pay to play games on new sites such as Cheeky Bingo and Minxy Bingo said Logan.
Logan went on to point out that he believed new operators would have trouble finding market share without a well known brand name or a big budget - in many cases, both would be needed.
"In addition, the well established operators are pulling out all of the stops to keep their players from going to competitors. We expect to see a cutthroat 2009."

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[dynamitewoman]

BingoT:

In addition, the well established operators are pulling out all of the stops to keep their players from going to competitors. We expect to see a cutthroat 2009."
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Heres to hoping some of those stops will be the ridiculous playthrus, complex rules, inexperienced or uninformed support staff, payout stalling devices and tricks, tremendous bonuses that preclude cashing out, and last but not least, to deep six the beneath poverty level wage paid to chat hosts.
A general uncorking of the devices used to choose selected winners would be ever so excellent. We all know that is happening in some secret, technical corner of online bingo which has created it's very own "brand" of luck that does not exist anywhere else in the world of probability and real world gaming. Only in online bingo can you have a hat trick with 50 people playing the game, followed by several more daily wins as a matter of routine..IF you are the right person. When distribution of wins on an overall sampling take on a realistic overture in all of the sites...The fat lady has sung and the selective wins will cease as common practice. Then I will deposit money as a gaming adventure and NOT as a contribution.

 

[BingoT]

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Is Online Bingo Bucking the Trend and Showing Growth During the Recession?
With the recession hitting both consumers and businesses hard, are more people turning to cheaper leisure activity's such as online bingo? Bingo Alerts is one of the leading online comparison portals for internet bingo and seems to be performing well during the economic downturn. the UK online comparison site for internet bingo, today reported record growth in traffic figures, suggesting that this might be one sector that is less affected by the current financial climate.
Gaming Alerts Ltd today reported that it had seen a significant uplift in traffic to its bingo portal, onlinebingoalerts - in the region of a 20% increase over the last 2 months. It also reported a 55% increase in depositing players in Q4 2008, compared to Q3 2008, despite the doom and gloom economic reports in Q4.The other Gaming Alerts sites, casino, poker and sports betting portals have not seen such significant growth and it appears that bingo is a bit of an anomaly.
From what we are seeing and from what operators are telling us, players are still playing and numbers of depositing players is rising, but people are just spending less each session, so in real terms there is little change in overall revenue [image] So what explains this sudden interest or uplift in online bingo? And are the stats really to be believed? There are a few theories that might offer an explanation of why the online bingo market is seemingly bucking the trend and not suffering as much as other industries. Here's a look at a few of them.
In previous recessions people have tended to spend more time on cheaper leisure activities, such as cinema and other forms of home entertainment - Sky, take-aways, films and online gambling. It's perfectly clear that an evening of playing online bingo at home can be much cheaper than a night out, especially when many sites such as Cheeky Bingo have free to play games and also tickets from just 10p, in addition to other special offers, bonuses and free bingo nights. With companies like Dominos pizzas recording impressive profits, it's clear that consumers are looking for ways of entertaining themselves at home, and having a fun night in rather than a costly night out.
Some argue that in a recession people look to online gambling as a viable option for making money. With unemployment high and incomes falling, playing bingo or casino games with large jackpots seem to becoming more popular, as many try to fix their financial situation. Online gaming is relatively cheap and easily accessible to millions. The returns are potentially huge and it could well become a popular alternative, as the recession deepens.
Operators and Industry bodies would argue against this as a factor, pointing out that the industry is heavily regulated to protect the poor, young and vulnerable and that all reputable operators are heavily involved in helping to eliminate problem gambling.
Another belief is that the growth during a recession might just be a result of the old 'no smoking ban' which affected traditional bingo halls. Some would say this has led to a shift in consumer behaviour with players choosing to play at growing sites like Gala Bingo, at home rather than visiting the local bingo halls where they cannot smoke.
Additionally, huge improvements in online bingo software have meant that playing online can be as fun, social and interactive as going to the halls. It also offers anonymity and in many cases might be a more affordable and hence preferable option. Added to that online bingo can be played any time of the day or night -which makes it an activity that is more widely available.
Other industry experts claim it's because players are becoming more savvy and financially aware, using the internet to help them find the best offers and bonuses and the sites with the best promotions and free games?
This would explain why in the last two months UK Bingo comparison sites such as bingo alerts have seen an uplift in traffic. Other sites such as financial and insurance comparison portals are reportedly doing well, as are popular voucher code sites, which are booming, as people look for vouchers and offers in a hope to cut down on expenditure. It is well known that there are many online bingo sites out there all competing for players, with new sites launching weekly. Consumers seem to be one step ahead of the game, opening a number of accounts so that they can make the most of the different promotions.
Marketing Executive for Bingo Alerts, Jamie Warnes said in a statement, "Bingo Alerts has seen a dramatic increase in visitors over the last few months, proving that people are still interested in online bingo, even in the current economic turmoil.
He went onto add, "From what we are seeing and from what operators are telling us, players are still playing and numbers of depositing players is rising, but people are just spending less each session, so in real terms there is little change in overall revenue"
No business is recession proof, as the recent collapse of Woolworths and Zavvi proved that even the biggest brands can fall victim to the cut back in consumer spending. In spite of this, online bingo seems to be putting up a good fight, as consumers favour cheaper activities that they can enjoy at home

London, UK

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February 25, 2009 -- Onlinebingoalerts