"Bingo!" (CC BY-SA 2.0) by elizaIO
The same big names have dominated the online gambling industry for more than twenty years, but now there are newer businesses emerging and attempting to challenge the likes of NetEnt, Microgaming, and Playtech for supremacy. Along with producing high quality software, one way for developers to do this is to innovate in the right areas. With online bingo ballooning into a thriving industry, this could be a key area of focus in the years ahead. Indeed, companies that get into the market at this crucial time could be giants within five years.
Slots Have Boosted the Bingo Industry
The reach of the online bingo industry has spiked in the last few years, with operators and developers diversifying their games in an effort to broaden the playing demographic. Initially, it looked as though bingo sites were aiming to mirror the model of online casinos in the range of titles on offer. Now, it appears that the two offshoots of the iGaming industry are actually merging. Online casinos are offering bingo games, and bingo sites are now providing slots and table games.
The introduction of slots at bingo sites has been a massive boost to the sector. Bingo and slots are similar games in that everything comes down to chance, and they provide a thrill which is unmatched by other gambling games. For this reason, bingo sites are now looking to copy the variety on offer at online casinos in terms of themes. There are games based on award-winning TV series like Britain’s Got Talent, and others that borrow from popular genres like Wild West Gold.
Slot game developers will now have one eye on bingo markets when it comes to creating new games. This could mean that more bingo themes emerge in slots. One major innovation has been the creation of slingo, which is a hybrid game made up of bingo and slots.
Pragmatic Play Offering Bingo Products
Of the many developers looking to cut it against the industry heavyweights, Pragmatic Play appears to be making the right moves when it comes to innovation. The company, which has numerous successful online casino titles like Wolf Gold at Betfair, claims to be on a mission to become the top iGaming developer. It has already won numerous awards for its slot games.
It was recently announced that Pragmatic Play was working on a bingo product for mobile which has five different variants of the game. It also features a fast-paced version of the traditional game. This is likely to be an effective offering for mobile audiences, as these players are known to seek out games which can be picked up and put down at a moment’s notice. Pragmatic Play’s bingo product has been praised for being highly innovative, and the company will now be looking to form partnerships with a number of top bingo sites who already offer their slots.
