Lillian Grey from , says bingo offers operators the chance to drive growth and acquire new players at a much lower CPA than other verticals

The UK market is becoming increasingly tough for online gambling operators looking to drive growth while also retaining the players they have onboarded over the years.  

Tighter regulations, greater competition and rising costs have come at a time when the world is battling a pandemic the likes of which have never been experienced before.  

It is in times like these that businesses, whether in the online gambling sector or elsewhere, are often forced to scale back marketing spend when it really needs to be increased.  

This is certainly the case in the current climate; online gambling has seen a spike in interest due to other forms of entertainment being postponed or scrapped altogether.  

At  we saw a rise in traffic in the early part of the pandemic as players looked for other gambling options outside of sports betting and slots.  

Operators that continued to market to consumers during this time will have benefitted from the rise in interest around online bingo – the most savvy will have retained and cross-sold these players.  

For those forced to turn down the dial on marketing activity in recent months, all is not lost– bingo remains a powerful and cost–effective acquisition tool now and moving forwards.  

If they don’t already, operators should consider adding bingo games to their lobbies or launching a dedicated bingo offering in order to engage a wider player demographic.  

Most operators will find that a decent percentage of their players are already interested in bingo but the vertical will also help them appeal to a broader player base – especially females aged 35-55.  

The cost of acquiring bingo players is much lower than other verticals like sports betting and casino, and there is tremendous cross-sell potential between bingo and slots.  

If you take a typical bingo site that also offers slot games, you will find the most valuable players generate the majority of revenue for the site from slots play and not bingo.  

All the operator has to do is onboard the bingo player and then effectively cross sell them to slots – easier said than done but something an experienced brand should be adept at.  

There is another benefit to launching bingo games and that is the vertical aligns with safe gaming and responsible gambling changes being made in markets such as the UK.  

Just a few days ago the Gambling Commission announced changes to VIP schemes with the government pushing for additional measures to be applied across the sector.  

This includes stake limits which will massively impact slot play. Bingo, on the other hand, is a small stakes game that will not be impacted by any bet limits that may be imposed.  

The potential bingo has to offer is clear and has seen some big-name operators enter the space this year, most notably online casino giant PlayOJO.  

The operator says that it sees tremendous potential to offer existing players games they go elsewhere to play while also attracting a whole new audience to the PlayOJO brand and experience.  

OJO clearly has the bingo buzz and I doubt it will be long before other operators see the huge upsides, and low CPAs, the vertical has to offer.