It’s been a few years since online bingo landed at PlayOJO, and to the untrained eye, the game hasn’t changed much at all. But little did you know, bingo has undergone one of the most dramatic changes since the good old days of bingo halls, and there’s no one better to tell us that story than Malcolm, one of the team that made PlayOJO Bingo happen.
For anyone who’s ever enjoyed a game of bingo at PlayOJO, and anyone who’s considered working in the industry, this Q&A is a must-read.
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Hey Malcolm, how did you get into the gaming industry?
I’ve been in and around gambling all my working life. I started out as a fruit machine attendant in my seaside hometown, and my first experience with bingo balls came around in 2007 when I got a job as a trainee assistant manager in a bingo club.
I learned everything about how to run a bingo club, including calling the numbers, my favourite part of the job! The smoking ban came into force soon after and that had a big impact, with so many players moving to play online.
After eight years in the game, I decided to call full house on bingo clubs and swap my dabbers and books for a laptop and mouse.
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There has been a lot more innovation in slots and live casino than bingo. Why is that?
Over the years I’ve seen people trying to be very innovative with bingo and try to reinvent the wheel. There’s a fine 1Line between being creative and changing things for the sake of it, and there’s a risk you mess with what made bingo so popular in the first place.
If the end game of bingo becomes confusing and too far from what players know, they just won’t feel the fun.
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What have been the biggest developments in online bingo?
Online bingo has given us new variants like 30-ball and 50-ball, and new game features such as 1 To Go and 2 To Go. I really like Roll-on, where players get extra chances to win.
There’s been a lot of focus on end-of-game features which come into play when the full house has been won. We’ve got some good examples at PlayOJO. In the Diamond Dazzle room, winners can trade their winnings for a chance of a bigger prize. In the new Animingo picture bingo room, all players get to ‘Pick a Pic’ with a chance to win extra cash prizes. That kind of feature just wasn’t really possible in a local bingo club.
What game are you loving right now?
I love all bingo and you can’t beat the traditional 90-ball game. But by adding a jackpot that is guaranteed to pay out, you add a real buzz to the game. In our Drop Pots room, there are three different progressive jackpots to win at different times of the day.
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Where would you like to see bingo taken in the future?
Live dealer and live game shows have been huge recently, so I’d love to explore a live bingo game with numbers called by a presenter, connecting with the audience through the chat room and bringing that local club feel to the world of online bingo. It’d be the absolute best of both worlds.
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Before you go, give us one piece of advice for players who might be new to online bingo or to PlayOJO…
Bingo is all about the fun, but playing safe is an important thing, especially online. Some people think responsible gambling tools are only for those who really need them, but actually loads of players use things like deposit limits and time checks to manage their sessions and keep things fun.
