Enjoying a game of bingo used to revolve around going to a local hall with friends on an evening, but a concept which was once a strictly offline affair is beginning to really make waves in the online space.
Exclusive – Hope&Glory hired by UK's largest operator to make people 'fall in love with bingo': https://t.co/XU5GF0V0OQ #pr @HopeandGloryPR pic.twitter.com/iUJ6qugQfD
— PRWeek UK (@prweekuknews) 21 May 2019
The world is changing, and one of the largest bingo operators in the UK is the latest major organization to seemingly take steps to ensure it is well-positioned for everything which lies ahead.
Creating a buzz
PR Week recently broke the news that Buzz Bingo has appointed the PR agency Hope&Glory to provide the bingo operators with support on campaigns to promote not only its land-based sites but also its newer online platform. The bingo operator has undergone a rebrand in recent months and it is expected that work will now continue with Hope&Glory, which will also be responsible for both press office duties and issues management.
Chris Matthews, CEO of Buzz Bingo, told PR Week that the company was “very excited” to bring in the agency, while Hope&Glory’s PR director Laura Silbey hinted that its target was to “make the brand – and the game of bingo – more famous among a wider audience”.
Buzz Bingo joins an impressive roster of brands which have opted for support from Hope&Glory, from mobile phone operator O2 and sportswear giant Adidas to flat-pack furniture company Ikea and broadcaster Sky.
A major global industry
The move is a significant one for Buzz Bingo as it continues to develop its rebrand, but it will be particularly fascinating to see how it impacts on the organization’s online offering. Web-based services are a huge part of the gambling industry these days, with statistics from Statista suggesting that the online market will be worth more than $94 billion by 2024.
Source: Pixabay
In terms of the UK, figures from its Gambling Commission reveal that the gross gambling yield in Britain stood at £14.5/$18.40 billion between October 2017 and September 2018. The online sector – referred to in the findings as "remote" – accounted for £5.6/$7.11 billion of that, with the figure marking a 2.9% increase on the previous period analysed.
But why are people seemingly heading online for their gaming fix? A range of factors may well be behind the shift, but one particularly notable one is simply the ease of access to online services these days. They can be played on a range of devices anywhere at any given time, meaning people no longer need to travel or arrange an evening out to take part.
A changing world
Considering the huge potential of the online gaming sector, it is fair to say that Buzz Bingo’s decision to not only develop its presence in the area but also call in specialist support makes a huge amount of sense.
The online real-money gaming world is changing, and while it is hard to say at this point that bingo and other games will at some point only be available online, the shift in that direction is something that operators in the industry simply cannot ignore.
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