Greg

Before I get started here let me say that for most sites the majority of players are still women aged 35 and up. I would say this demographic has declined in comparison (not in volume) over the past 3 years and will continue to do as the games popularity grows.



I was looking over some of the larger bingo rooms this week and I am starting to see a shift in the way some of the sites have been redesigned to appeal to a more broad audience. Three years ago every bingo site was designed with a pink background, an middle aged women holding some cash and a bright white or yellow button promoting ‘free cards’ or spins. While some sites have been successful with this strategy and are hesitant to change; others like SunBingo and Ladbrokes have adapted a new marketing strategy. They are incorporating more of an unbiased gender approach and even have a few men on the homepage. They are emphasising their slot games, jackpots and other money makers that affiliates should be excited about as well.

Certainly there still needs to be a focus on the traditional bingo market in any good bingo portal. However, many men and younger females are starting to enjoy the games and can make you quite a bit of extra money. When a 28 year old woman hits a page that looks like it was designed for her grandmother (or 2 year old daughter) she is going to have a hard time being interested in the offers. Likewise when a man comes to the site he will also be turned away from the one-sided marketing angle. This isn’t going to be where you make the majority of your money; however designing a site that is appealing to a mass audience can help you boost your earnings by 30%

Like I discussed in the previous post traditional bingo hall demographics can give you a start on who you’re going after. If you visit a local bingo hall you might be surprised to see the number of men that are playing! I would imagine from what I’ve experienced there will be about 25% men watching the balls drop. Best of all men are notoriously more compulsive to play bigger games and more video poker than the women who will let their deposit last all month. The number of men who come to your site may be smaller, but their profit margin could be much bigger. In markets like Spain and Portugal men actually play bingo online more than women. This is another one of many interesting facts you’ll discover when you start translating your site into different languages and utilizing country specific promotions and landing pages.

The goal of this post is to point out how narrow focused the majority of bingo portals are. As programs start to develop new markets and attract new players (men and young women) you will reap the rewards of having a portal that isn’t splashed with pink dots and cute images; but rather clean design and a compelling call to action!