Virtual Reality technology has advanced so rapidly in the last few years that it has become applicable in almost every industry, although some, such as gaming, appear to be at the forefront.
If we’re being honest, VR is most often mentioned in the context of gaming and the majority of articles on this topic often come from gaming-related websites. This is mainly because a good amount of innovation in VR is coming from the gaming industry and such products are being produced particularly with the gaming community in mind.
Traditional Bingo
Bingo is probably one of the most popular classic game of chance based on numbers. It is a probability game in which players mark off, or daub, numbers on tickets as they are drawn by a caller. There are several winning options with the ‘Full House’ being the most lucrative.
There are many theories about the origin of bingo, with the most prevalent one pointing to the 16th century as the starting point, albeit under different name. It is said that it originated from the Italian lottery and it later spread to France, being played under the name of Le Lotto. From there, it continued its journey to Great Britain and various parts of Europe over the course of the 18th century. In 19thcentury Germany there was a similar game called Tombola which was used as a tool to help children learn multiplication tables and spelling.
In the 1960s, bingo became a legalized form of gambling in the UK with the first bingo clubs being opened soon after. In 1963, bingo club membership had reached 14 million and most dance halls and cinema were turned into bingo halls. However, at the beginning of the 1990s, the launch of the National Lottery combined with the increased use of the Internet led to the number of bingo clubs falling by almost 21%. This trend continued into the 2000s with only several hundred bingo halls still operating throughout the UK today.
The Online Life of Bingo
Despite many thinking that internet’s soaring popularity would bring with it the end of traditional bingo and bingo in general, the opposite happened. Many online bingo sites were launched and this meant players could enjoy their favourite pastime without leaving their homes.
These bingo sites offered many variations of the game in one place, making it easy for players to find their favourite game in a matter of clicks. The social element of the game was also kept, to an extent, with almost every bingo room offering a chat box where players can interact with each other.
Aside from the bingo games, there are also chat games, which are a great way to ensure that players are never bored when playing bingo and they also offer opportunities for winning additional prizes. The number of chat games is quite big and players can enjoy the likes of trivia quizzes, sing-along games and more.
Is VR the future for bingo?
Online bingo is what has kept this game so exciting over the recent years making it available to a larger audience both on desktop and mobile devices. We can say without any doubt that we’re currently in the era of online bingo with players preferring to play on the go instead of going to brick and mortar bingo halls.
With the popularisation of the VR technology it is very likely that bingo will follow the path of slots which have already seen some VR releases. The VR bingo technology will keep the game attractive and exciting to a new generation who will enjoy the social aspect of the game, keeping the game alive and exciting for many years to come.
