Forms of online bingo have been available since the internet was launched. The options for players were fairly basic, using the type of elementary graphics that were available at the time.
The biggest change to digital bingo gaming came when licensed operators got involved. Whether as part of an online casino or a dedicated bingo site, the game was now firmly in the public domain.
Decades have passed and online bingo is hugely popular. Millions play around the world, but how did we get to this point?
Online Bingo Genesis
It is claimed that the first digital bingo site was launched in 1996 in the USA. Known as Bingo Zone, it still exists today, although the platform is unrecognisable from that which launched nearly thirty years ago.
The original Bingo Zone had an emphasis on fun, with very basic graphics that were in keeping with the time. The list of available versions was limited, with 90-ball bingo the most prevalent.
While we look at online bingo sites now, and compare them with Bingo Zone, this is considered to be primitive by today’s standards. It was a start: The industry was up and running and from this point, it could only build and enhance the playing experience.
Plugging the Gaps
Prior to bingo coming online in the mid-90s, there were two main versions of the game. 90-ball and 75-ball bingo were globally available, but each variant was popular in certain parts of the world.
Moving forward, more real-money platforms appeared. Players could now stake their own funds on the game, and there were cash prizes available for the winners. As the interest developed, the first crop of online operators suddenly faced a significant set of competition.
They realised that customers needed more options if they were going to stick around. While 90-ball and 75-ball titles had been in place from day one, they were joined by others such as 80-ball and 30-ball.
Conventional gameplay also received a shake-up. As well as completing lines and hitting a full house, players could also win prizes in other ways. Completing the four corners of a bingo card was one example of a new twist in the rules.
The choice of bingo versions has continued to build, but the expansion began very early in the digital age.
The Importance of Social Play
While online bingo provided an alternative to playing in the physical world, the digital operators soon realised that they would be unable to match the atmosphere of a night in a gaming hall. Bingo in the physical world offers a great social occasion and it remains that way.
It’s an area where online bingo cannot fully compare with the experience, but it became clear that a social element was necessary. This led to the creation of chat rooms which are now available at most online gaming sites.
Players could now talk about the rules of the game or any aspect of their daily lives, such as pets, relationships or the weather. A moderator is available at all times to keep things fun and lighthearted.
This marked an important new era for online bingo. Up to this point, any social interaction was missing. It was a solitary game, but the introduction of a chat facility has helped players to make new friends and stay in the social loop.
Continually Evolving
When we consider today’s online bingo sites, there has been a considerable shift in recent years. While those new versions have been steadily introduced since the 1990s, a greater proportion of more innovative releases are starting to emerge.
Slingo is a perfect example of this phenomenon. Invented in 1994 by American businessman Sal Falciglia, it’s a mix between slots and bingo and it combines the best elements of each.
The new game was largely ignored by online operators until Falciglia’s firm was acquired by a London-based gaming company in 2015. From that point, Slingo was actively sold to online platforms and virtually every operator now has a choice of titles.
Highly creative versions of classic bingo have also started to appear. There are fast-paced titles such as 30-ball, and there’s even a variant where the first person to match a ball wins a prize.
While there is a big difference between 90’s online bingo and the offering that we see in the present day, we’ve seen how the evolution of the game has been a steady one.
Early operators were the pioneers, taking tentative steps to get bingo online and to deliver one of the world’s most popular games to the fledgling digital community. From this point, the list of games began to increase and all popular variants were covered.
As players wanted more, the developers obliged by releasing exciting new versions of a classic. It’s been a long journey, but online bingo will continue to evolve, and it will be fascinating to see what the industry delivers next.