Well, with the final embers of the Noughties glowing in the fire of history, it's that time of year when it's traditional to take time to look back over what the recent past has done for us, so let's indulge ourselves.....
How 2009 went down
Of course we at the Hideout are mainly concerned with events in the world of bingo and since online bingo didn't exist until the late part of the decade, let's take a look at what has happened to bingo during this time. When online bingo started out, it was quite a brash affair with players enjoying the benefits of live chat from the outset. Since those early days bingo online has evolved into many forms most recently this year it has produced the new format of the freebie site.
Freebie sites have shaken up what might have otherwise become quite a staid formula in terms of how sites were set up. The introduction of sites which operate by offering free games with cash pots has since turned the world of UK online bingo upside down and changed the approach of even the most established names in the business. With the popularity of freebie sites forcing the hand of the rest, it's now quite the norm to for most sites to offer free games at some point in their schedule whereas this time next year penny bingo and BOGOF deals were the staple that would tide over the budgeting player.
Available on all monitors in your home
In addition to this, bingo has also become best friends with the telly and it's no surprise to see a wealth of ads for different bingo sites in between prime time programming. From inventive advertising campaigns to sponsorship deals, online bingo site names such as Wink Bingo have become recognised across the country even by those who have never played. Tombola Bingo took this new found love of outside advertising to a new level during the Summer by putting vouchers in magazines and papers across the country to catch the eye of potential players through a different media.
What to look forward to in 2010
Speaking of different approaches it's worth noting that while bingo play hasn't quite made the conversion from online bingo site to the telly as ITV Bingo proved, sites such as Shootjack Bingo now provide the perfect middle ground with live bingo streamed onto your monitor. With so much having happened over the last twelve months, we can't wait to see what 2010 brings! Happy New Year!