Online Versus Land Based Bingo Halls

Which bingo style to choose?

Bingo is one of the biggest worldwide games in existence. From New Zealand to Nebraska people enjoy playing bingo every day of the week and with the advent of online bingo sites the game is more popular now that ever before. Over the past decade, hundreds, maybe even thousands of online bingo sites have sprung up, whilst at the same time we have witnessed a rapid decline in the number of community bingo halls operating in our towns and cities. There is no doubt that the comfort and simplicity of playing online bingo has drawn many of the crowds away from real bingo halls, but is the experience as good? Is there still a place in our lives for real live bingo?

When land based bingo halls first came about, the Internet was in its infancy. Going to bingo was seen as a good, social way to spend an evening and a way to pass the time and have a few drinks with friends. Although bingo has been going for many decades, its real hey day was in the 1980`s when large bingo chains such as Gala and Mecca started springing up. These bigger companies took bingo out of the back rooms of our pubs and social clubs and into gigantic, purpose built bingo halls, which, despite their size would often be packed to the rafters on a Friday and Saturday night.

The experience of going to a bingo hall was a big night out for a lot of people. Ladies would get dressed up to the nines and go for a meal or a few drinks beforehand. `Dabbing`, which is the art of marking off the numbers on your cards and still managing to keep up with the caller, was a highly sought after skill and one which many of the ladies and gents had perfected to a tee. The bingo callers themselves were also highly respected, with many of the large bingo halls paying top dollar for smooth, well spoken callers with a raft of rhymes and jokes to put with each call.

In some ways, real bingo halls made it easier to manage your money. Usually bingo players would buy their cards before the games started and that would be their lot for the night. With online bingo it can be much easier to run away with yourself, often not realising you’ve spent all your credit until you try to buy a ticket or `just one more game` and find out you don`t have enough. Having said that, online bingo games tend to be far cheaper than live bingo games and it can be easier to spend several hours playing bingo with only a small budget than it would be in a bingo hall.

Despite the popularity of online bingo, it does seem that it has taken away some of the best bits of the bingo experience. Whilst many of he sites claim to have active online communities, it just isn`t the same as feeling the atmosphere and hearing the talented bingo caller. However, there is a time and a place for online bingo in our busy lifestyles, because whether you`re in Los Angeles or London bingo games are always starting day and night in the comfort of your own lounge.