Blurring the lines with touchscreens

Computerised bingo is by no means the sole reserve of online operators. In fact, many bingo clubs are now blurring the lines between online and offline by using iPad style touchscreens to allow players a more high tech bingo playing experience.

One in particular, Coventry’s Rialto club  – a landmark building in the city – recently reopened and revived it’s old role as a bingo hall. Instead of the traditional paper bingo cards though, Rialto is going to use tablet computers, in hopes of attracting younger players to the steadily increasing trend of bingo in the UK.

Technological Wizardry

The first hall in the country to give players only touchscreens to play games with, the tablets will allow players to indulge in bingo and slot machines, and order drinks. So well thought out is the plan, that players can even order a meal from a nearby Chinese restaurant without having to leave their seats. Technology really is a wonderful thing, and it’s so refreshing to see fantastic possibilities like these being embraced by establishments.

The Rialto may seem at first to be an unlikely place for such technological wizardry. Originally opened in the 1930s, it has had a long and varied life as a bingo hall, a dance hall, a casino, and a cinema. The latest incarnation of the Rialto is being realised by a married couple, Paul and Karen Hocking, who moved to Coventry 25 years ago. They worked at the Rialto for 20 years before it closed down 5 years ago. Paul, who refers to the scheme as “like coming home”, and his wife have been working together with a silent partner, and have invested £100,000 in the club to refurbish it fully with a Las Vegas theme. They’ve also bought 110 tablet computers for their clientele to use to play games. In an interview with the Coventry Telegraph, Paul said, “It was a bit of unfinished business and we’ve come back to bring bingo back to the Rialto. It’s like we’ve never been away.”

With each of its tables named after a famous Las Vegas hotel, it’s hoped that the newly refurbished club with its enterprising use of technology will attract a lot of new players. Indeed, they’re very proud of the fact that they’re the first electronic only club in the UK, piloting the use of some of the latest technology available. With a steadily increasing number of gadget lovers in the UK, it’s very likely that the Rialto may achieve its aim of attracting younger audiences to its premises.

The rise of electronic bingo

With a growing trend towards electronic bingo rather than the traditional style of game, it’s refreshing to see that bingo halls are willing to evolve. For true bingo enthusiasts, electronic devices give the potential to keep track of more bingo cards than could be easily accomplished with traditional paper cards. Some players find that they can play as many as three times the number of cards they could normally, which is good for everyone involved – the bingo operator makes more income from the greater number of cards sold, and the player has a higher chance of winning. These devices may have ways of tracking numbers so that no one misses a win. Beginners can keep up with the practiced veteran players, and disabled players may have an easier time of playing too. In this way, electronic bingo can serve to make the game more accessible for everyone.

In his interview, Paul continued, “We’re the first electronic-only bingo club in the country. The technology is fantastic and it’s the first time it’s been piloted like this anywhere in the UK. We’re looking to introduce bingo to a younger market. The decor and the whole experience will lend itself to groups and all ages, not just elderly women.” Many of us are used to hearing of some new innovation in London, and rolling our eyes as reporters talk about the ‘latest trend’, this seems to be rather different. The work that Paul and Karen Hocking have been putting into the Rialto serves to reassure us that this isn’t just some fancy new thing which will come and go. Instead, Rialto and its electronic bingo is very real and down to Earth. Instead of simply waving electronic gadgets at us, it’s telling us that both bingo and electronics are here to stay, so we might as well make the most of them!