Few industries have maintained as significant a player base as bingo has. Although no national bingo chains operate in Australia, the versatility of the game sees it enjoyed by players of all ages.
A rather simple game involving little more than marking cards off as numbers are called out, the Government of South Australia even recommends using bingo as a good fundraising option for charities. Many different types of bingo have been developed through the years, but the integration of elements of pokies may have resulted in its best transformation yet.
Like bingo, pokies require no real introduction. Easy to play and quite exhilarating to win, it’s no surprise that pokie machines in New South Wales made about $6.5 billion in profit in 2019. Often found in pubs, hotels, and clubs, playing at pokies is a common way to pass the time for many of the population. And now, we’re seeing bingo and pokies come together in a game called Slingo.
Slingo has been around for a good few decades now, having been invented in 1994. Combining elements of both bingo and pokies (or slots, hence the name), players are given 20 turns to “spin” the numbers below their bingo cards – like you would do on a pokie machine. Five numbers will appear, and the player must then mark the numbers off of their cards if they can. The slots can reveal things other than numbers – game-specific elements, bonus tiles, coins, and even things that can cut your score in half. It certainly adds a new layer of excitement to bingo and slots – without having to learn too many new rules.
Where Slingo truly shines, however, is in its adaptability. Just as bingo and pokies can come in many different themes, Slingo has been adapted to incorporate various popular franchises. The collection of games on Gala Spins showcases how versatile Slingo truly is, with games following themes such as television show Deal or No Deal. With prize pools on the most popular variations going up to $24,000, Slingo is among the most played format on the platform. The success of the format is widely attributed to its “pick-up-and-play” nature and all these different variations, which appeal to both bingo and pokie players alike.
It’s a genre that’s continually growing. In fact, it is slowly branching off from simply being a combination of bingo and pokies to being a whole new game altogether. The latest developments show that Slingo will soon be incorporated into lottery games through some new partnerships. These collaborations have reportedly resulted in hundreds of millions of lottery tickets being sold – to the tune of about $2.2 billion. With these new partnerships, Slingo-branded digital lottery games could soon be offered in Australia. This means we’ll have games that are a combination of bingo, pokies, and lotteries. If the success of Slingo is anything to go by, as long as they’re easy to understand and fun to play, Aussies will have no trouble enjoying them.
What are your thoughts on these new developments? Are you excited?
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