The current size of the global online gambling market is approximately $46 billion. According to industry experts, this market will more than double in size by 2024, reaching $94 billion. Online gambling includes multiple segments such as sports betting, poker, casino, lotteries, and online bingo.

Markets are further divided up by region, including Africa, Central and South America, Australia, Asia Pacific, Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. The global online bingo games market is dominated by a handful of operators including GVC Holdings plc, Kindred Group, Sky Betting & Gaming, 888 Holdings plc, Amaya Inc, Ladbrokes Coral Group plc, Betsson AB, Paddy Power Betfair plc, Bet365 Group Limited, and William Hill plc.

Source: UKGC

The UK bingo market is particularly interesting. The United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) report on the game indicated that the land-based bingo sector is substantially larger than the online bingo market in terms of gross gambling yield (GGY). The popularity of online bingo is limited to a degree by the lack of a social environment a.k.a. a club-like scene which is available at land-based bingo halls.

The UKGC found that bingo makes up an increasing component of overall GGY. Between 2008 and 2017, online bingo increased from 8% of all bingo activity to 31% of all bingo activity. This is a remarkable jump, and is reflective of the growing interest in online bingo games.

An even more interesting stat is the growth in GGY by product over time. Based on intensive studies by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC), online bingo has an 8-year growth forecast of 278%, while land-based bingo has an 8-year growth forecast of -25%. The 3-year growth forecasts and the 1-year growth forecasts are less bullish at 28% and 8% respectively.

Similar trends are evident with online casino and sports betting online. The long-term projections are substantially bullish, indicating the paradigm shift from land-based gaming to remote gaming. The top UK online gaming operators include William Hill, Bet365, Betfair, 888, PaddyPower, and Ladbrokes.

The UK remains a hotbed of activity for online bingo gaming and often dominates with strong player numbers and vibrant marketing initiatives.  Studies suggest that the bingo sector GGY in the UK is increasingly dominated by online bingo sites. The remote market share of overall gambling by GB customers largely comes from online casino gaming, sports betting, betting exchanges, and bingo, in that order.

While the number of land-based bingo halls has fallen over the years, 2018 marks the first time that land-based bingo halls actually increased in number. While the remote component of online bingo still pales in comparison to overall GGY, it is substantial. When combined with online casino, and online sports betting, the total online gambling component in the UK is valued at 34% of the total UK gambling take.

By the end of 2017, 54 remote gambling licenses were active in the UK. The number of active bingo sites at the end of 2017 was 421, and an additional 26 were slated for 2018. The industry has been beset with many challenges in recent times too. For example, the free bets tax is now being imposed on online UK gambling activity at bingo rooms. UK regulatory issues impacted many bingo rooms in 2017 and resulted in the closure of 55 sites in that year.

Just How Big is the Online Bingo Games Market In 2019?

Online bingo sites continue to see increasing numbers of players flocking to their virtual bingo rooms.  While exact numbers are hard to come by, some 3 million bingo players are in the UK alone, with millions more playing all over the world. It is true that online bingo revenues are far less than other remote games such as online casino and sports betting.

Part of the reason for this is that online bingo players are less inclined to spend large amounts of money gambling. The online gaming community has taken to online bingo for all the right reasons. It is first and foremost a social game with interactive elements and opportunities to chat with other players while games are in session.

The advent of cryptocurrency bingo rooms is an equally interesting phenomenon. Bingo players are now getting lots of benefit out of their online bingo bonuses with Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple and other forms of crypto. Mobile bingo’s popularity is rapidly rising, and this is driving interest in the game.

Online bingo has successfully overcome the stigma of being a ‘fuddy-duddy’ game and is now enjoyed by people across the spectrum. While the regulatory challenges remain a concern, player interest appears to be steadily increasing. Global trends for online bingo tend to support the notion that growth will continue from 2019 through 2025.

Analysts have poured over the data, investigating all aspects of the online bingo market in all parts of the world. The online bingo market is not homogeneous by any means. In fact, it is segmented according to different applications, different products, different services, and available technologies.

The global bingo market and each of the factors affecting it needs to be carefully evaluated to draw conclusions. Each bingo market is subject to specific legal frameworks. The global online bingo market is dominated by several countries, each with their own online gambling legislation.

Source: Statista Bingo Stakes in the UK 2010/2017

In terms of gambling companies, one of the world’s premier providers of online bingo 888 Holdings plc recently acquired Costa Bingo from the JPJ Group for a staggering sum of money. The actions of major industry players are worth noting, given that these investments are indicative of a growing sector. 888 Holdings launched its online bingo operations in 2008 with 888ladies, and soon followed up with multiple acquisitions and bingo rooms including Wink Bingo which is now a UK favourite.

Bingo’s saving graces are interactivity, fun and big rewards. Today, 888 Holdings is the umbrella company which owns multiple popular bingo brands including Posh Bingo, Tasty Bingo, Red Bus Bingo, 888bingo, and more. While online bingo revenues have fluctuated since stringent UK regulations came into place, operators are working hard to drive up profitability through responsible gaming practices.

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