UK men flock to online bingo sites- report

With the online bingo industry estimated to be worth around £600m per year, men are now estimated to account for around 17% - with players attracted not just for the potential to win money, but also the increasingly popular social side of the online bingo community.

Ben Thorns, director of Bingo Hideout, said: “Bingo is an incredibly social game online.  Chat rooms are constantly buzzing with news, game updates and gossip, and many people make friends – or even relationships - through the sites.  The fact that we are now seeing a growing number of men playing bingo is good for the game.  It’s opening it up to a wider audience and shows that games such as this still have just as much appeal as a Wii or Playstation.”

The survey found that the majority of male players are aged 26 – 45, but the 46 – 65 and 18 – 25 age groups were also well represented.  Regionally male online bingo players are predominant in the North East, North West, South East and Midlands.

Ben adds: “Bingo has traditionally been seen as a female game, and often for older people.  The truth is that online players are generally between 25 and 54, and while more women than men do play, it is now becoming more integrated, which makes for more chat and debate online.  Online bingo has developed massively over the last few years, and it is now a real community, offering much more than a quick game or two.”

Bingo Hideout is one of the leading bingo portals, offering a forum for bingo fans to chat and discuss the latest games and offers from over 50 top bingo sites.  For more information visit www.bingohideout.co.uk