Online bingo is on the rise, it has been for quite some time now. Many people who have been regular visitors of land-based bingo halls decided to switch to online bingo and play at one of the many sites that offer it.

Popularity of online bingo

There are quite a few reasons why online bingo is one the rise and will very likely continue to be on the rise. Statistics also show that the popularity of online bingo is growing. On the contrary, the number of bingo halls in the UK and elsewhere is in decline. The online sector is growing, and is likely to continue to grow.

In the old days, when online bingo wasn’t an option and bingo fans could only play at the nearest land-based bingo hall, there weren’t a lot of options. Pretty much everybody had to travel to the nearest bingo hall at the time of the day when it is open which was usually the case in the evenings.

Major bingo variants

One bingo hall typically offered just one variant of bingo and that usually depended on its location, i.e. the country. Namely, most bingo halls in the UK offered just 90-ball bingo, whereas American bingo halls only offered 75-ball bingo.

The first variant features a bingo ticket with three columns and nine rows where 15 positions on the ticket are filled and 12 are empty. There are just three possible winning combinations, which means three potential prizes in a standard game of 90-ball bingo, including a single line, a double line and a full house. Tickets are sold in groups of six called strips.

75-ball bingo features a greater variety when it comes to winning patterns and bingo halls as well as online providers offer a multiple variants. In this game, the ticket features a five by five grid, but in some sub-variants the midmost position remains empty.

Game variety

With the popularisation of online bingo, UK bingo fans got a chance to familiarise themselves with the 75-ball variant, whereas Americans got the opportunity to try out 90-ball bingo. In addition, if you register with a online bingo site like Blighty Bingo you will also get a chance to try out other variants like 80-ball bingo which can be classified as something between 90-ball bingo and 75-ball bingo, as well as 52-ball bingo which is a new and dynamic bingo variant.

That brings us to the first advantage of online bingo and the first thing that you should be looking for when choosing a site – game variety.

But it’s not just about the variety in terms of which variants are offered, but also in terms of ticket prizes. In most cases you can pay as little as a single penny but also a lot more for a bingo ticket, so you’ll get a chance to pick a room that fits your budget. Online bingo sites even offer free bingo rooms where you don’t have to pay anything, yet you get to play for real prizes.

Bonuses and Rewards

Playing bingo for free brings us to the next thing that we wanted to discuss – special offers and bonuses. Most bingo sites offer special packages to entice new players to sign up. Free bingo tickets, as well as other perks are offered and most sites have loyalty programmes which allow them to reward those players who play the most.

Payment Options

Payment methods, i.e. how many and which payment methods are accepted is another thing that you should be taking into consideration. You may have a specific preferred payment method and in that case you should check whether that method is supported by your site of choice, but if you haven’t previously decided which method you’d like to use you can just go through the range of available methods and see which one suits you most.

License and Safety

Bingo sites are regulated by organisations like the UK Gambling Commission. Always make sure that a site has a proper license and is permitted to offer its services in your country of residence. When a site is licensed that is also an indication of safety, not to mention that the regulatory body will also protect your rights as a player.