With online bingo quickly becoming the chosen medium, it’s hardly surprising that the local bingo hall may soon start feeling the pinch as it slowly become a redundant feature within many communities.
But should the influx and technological advancements of online gambling come at the cost of what has for many generations been an anchor of community life?
There are certainly many valid arguments to put forward in defense of both mediums. With online bingo you have convenience where you can play 24 hours a day and sign up to games that fit into your schedule.
Larger number of players lends itself to larger Jackpots and automated money transfers means everything is done at the click of a button.
On the flip side however, the local Bingo hall does in my opinion house so much more. A smaller number of players allow a more intimate game.
A cozy table of friends lends itself to a more social experience than an internet site ever could, and if your club is licensed then a few drinks and perhaps a bottle of celebratory wine will top off your evening superbly.
Then there’s the Bingo Caller. The undisputed star of the show whose dulcet tones and rhyming number slang is an intrinsic part of the whole Bingo experience which cannot be replicated efficiently enough on screen to do the position justice.
Perhaps with a joke or two thrown in and a stage presence on par with a Broadway impresario, the bingo caller has long since ceased being just a nameless, faceless number shouter and is today more or less looked on as an essential cabaret act.
When it comes to service, surely a team of highly trained and sympathetic staff you can address face to face will be able to address your concerns, queries and complaints quicker and more effectively than help buttons and automated troubleshooting options and endless emails ever could?
After all a smile and few kind words can make the world of difference.
However, one aspect of the Bingo Hall that must be taken into account before we confine them all to the scrapheap of history is the social aspect it brings to many people’s lives.
For people who have a limited social circle they provide a lifeline to the outside world and a chance to meet new people in a fun and friendly environment.
Widows and widowers look upon such establishments as a great starting point in rebuilding their lives and finding a new circle of friends.
The internet is all geared towards communication, It’s ironic therefore that online bingo’s main form of competition still lies in the Bingo Halls of old, where the business of real communication and proper interaction still thrives and long may it remain so.
After all progress doesn’t always mean that things get better.