If you’re thinking about playing online bingo for the first time, you may be wondering whether the online bingo community is supportive and welcoming of new players. The answer is a resounding yes! More than some other forms of gambling, bingo is a fun social activity where players can connect with others while enjoying the game. Bingo is easy to play, making it accessible for newcomers. Just remember that the outcomes are based on chance
While traditionally played in physical locations like bingo halls and church halls, it’s now also possible to play bingo online and on your mobile. However, that same warmth and camaraderie found in physical bingo halls has definitely transferred to the online version. Most online bingo games have chat rooms where you can interact with your fellow players, share jokes and play in-chat games. Many players enjoy connecting with others in the online bingo community, which adds to the enjoyment of the game
In this article we’ll explain how and why the bingo community is so welcoming of new players. We’ll even provide some tips on how to make the most of your online bingo experience, and how to make friends with your fellow players. Keep reading for everything you need to know…
The Bingo Community Spirit
Bingo has always been a fun social activity, designed to bring people together. The game has its origins in Italy in the 1530s, and it was somewhat similar to today’s National Lottery in the UK. The first modern bingo card was invented in the USA in 1929, and the game was even played by soldiers and those at home in World War II, including those taking refuge in air raid shelters. It has always been a great way to interact with others, boost each other’s spirits and add a little fun and excitement to your day. People still play bingo today for these same reasons, and online bingo has made it even more convenient to find sociable bingo games to join.
One of the easiest ways to see bingo’s community spirit in action is the relationships between newer and more experienced players. In our online chat rooms, we’ve seen first hand how those with more experience have taken the newbies under their wing, welcoming them into the community and making sure they have a great gaming experience too. Those who are long-time bingo players are often eager to share their hobby with new players - after all, they remember when it was all new to them too!
How Experienced Players Support Newcomers
There are lots of ways that more experienced players can support newcomers to online bingo. If a player enters the chat, introducing themself and letting the others know that they are new to the game, they will be warmly welcomed. Experienced players may offer to explain the rules of the game, or answer any questions the new player might have. All online bingo chat rooms have bingo hosts too, who organise and moderate the chat, but it’s common for other players to be the ones to offer gaming advice.
Although online bingo isn’t complicated, there are lots of different types of bingo games to choose from, from 30-ball bingo to traditional 90-ball bingo and more. There’s also a whole world of bingo slang and abbreviations to discover – for example, in the chat players might say that they have ‘1TG’, which means they have one number remaining to mark off before a possible win!
Some players might share their strategies, or suggest ‘lucky numbers’ or games that they believe are more likely to pay out than others. While it’s fun to speculate about these kinds of things, it’s important to remember that the outcomes of all online bingo games (and all online games, for that matter) are down to chance, and it’s not possible for anyone to have ‘insider info’ or any guarantees to win.
The supportive nature of bingo chat rooms helps new players to feel immediately included as part of the community. As a new player, everything will seem new to you now, but perhaps in the future you’ll be the one welcoming newbies and showing them the ropes!
The Role of Chat Rooms and Social Features
Bingo chat rooms are an integral part of the online bingo community. Although there’s no pressure to engage with them, we always find that they are a fantastic way to really make the most out of your gaming experience.
Most of our bingo rooms have a chat room, where players can interact in real-time with each other. The chat rooms are usually open before the game begins, and this is usually the best time for a chat! Players usually greet each other, welcome any newcomers, chat about their day, and sometimes play mini games within the chat – these are organised by the chat host, and sometimes offer an extra opportunity to win a prize (such as a free ticket for a future game, for example).
A word on chat hosts, in case you haven’t encountered them before: in a nutshell, they’re the life and soul of the party. They’re real bingo lovers, and there are no robots in sight. It’s their job to create that special vibe for each room and game, and to make sure you have a positive gaming experience. All of our hosts are bingo experts, and what they don’t know about the game isn’t worth knowing.
They’ll answer any questions you might have about how the game works, ensure that the bingo chat rules are being followed by everyone, and run chat games efficiently and fairly.
Read our blog to learn more about bingo etiquette in chat rooms.
Getting Started: Tips for New Bingo Players
Next we thought we’d share a few practical tips for bingo newbies. Here are a few pointers to help you get started:
Choose more straightforward games
All bingo games are easy to play, but complete beginners may find some a little easier to get to grips with than others. We’d recommend starting with a traditional 90-ball bingo game, which is pretty similar to any bingo games you might have played in the ‘real world’.
It can also be a good idea to look out for demo versions of bingo games. Although these aren’t always available, they can provide an opportunity to practise playing online bingo, without the need to bet any money (of course, you won’t be able to win any either in a demo game).
Keep your bets low
That brings us to our next point; whether it’s online bingo or any other kind of online game, we always advise new players to keep their bets low – at least to begin with. Some bingo games, like Penny Power, have bingo tickets that cost just £0.01 (as the name suggests). Although the maximum payout in these games is likely to be lower, they still provide an opportunity to experience the excitement of a real bingo game, and a chance to win a prize.
Participate in bingo chat rooms
Although there’s no pressure to join bingo chat rooms, we think it’s a great way for new players to make the most of their gaming experience. Many players take part in online bingo for its social aspect, and new players will be able to gain useful tips and advice from more experienced players in the chat room.
Building Friendships and Community
The online bingo community has fostered many friendships over the years, and some incredible stories have come out of it. In one story from a few years ago, two women who had bonded by playing online bingo found out that they were actually long-lost sisters! Although that’s a pretty unique situation, it’s quite likely that you’ll make new friends in bingo chat rooms.
Lots of players find a certain community, become part of it and stay loyal to particular sites (and even games) because of the people they meet there. Some players play the same game at the same time each day, and for many players the community aspect of the game is just as important (if not more so) than the chance to win a cash prize.
Try Online Bingo at Slingo
The heart and soul of bingo is its supportive community. Playing online bingo is all about having fun, making friends and feeling supported within a community – it’s certainly not about marking off numbers in silence! The best way to experience online bingo is to try it for yourself – sign up at Slingo to join a fun, friendly bingo community at a safe and secure online casino.
You can even make the most of an exclusive bingo bonus for new players on your first deposit, with 50 bingo tickets (plus 50 free spins on Starburst) up for grabs (T&Cs apply). Always play responsibly, and never spend more than you can afford to lose.
