Online bingo fans 'different to land-based players'

A number of differences between the online bingo player demographic and those who play the games in the traditional manner have been identified.

Online bingo players are more likely to be younger, like using social networking websites and have a greater understanding of technology than people who enjoy the numbers game at land-based halls.

That is the opinion of Scott Logan, managing director of BingoPort.co.uk, who also believes there are some links between online bingo players and those who play in the traditional way.

Mr Logan claims that "many" of the people who now play bingo on the internet grew up learning about the game from their parents who played it at the local numbers game hall.

And the social element of bingo is apparently not lost when played on the web.

"There is still a very strong social aspect to online bingo - in fact, any operator will tell you that the core of their site is their customer facing chat hosts, who run the bingo chat and serve to build customer loyalty through the online community," Mr Logan states.

According to the Bingo Association, there were over 8.5 million people who played bingo in 2007. The industry body's research also claims that there was an increase of 15 per cent in younger players last year.