Published
OnlineBingoIndustry

Live Play Mobile CEO: "Bingo is the fastest-growing vertical within social casino"

Thanks to Covid-19, online gambling has seen an unprecedented surge in growth, with one of the biggest areas being the online bingo industry.

LivePlayCEO

Bingo rarely receives the same respect as other games and in the past few decades many have written it off as outdated.

However, the game’s recent resurgence has shown that bingo is not only surviving but is poised to thrive in the years to come.

According to a June 2021 report by leanbackplayer.com, from April 2019 to May 2020, both online and traditional brick-and-mortar bingo establishments brought in a gross gambling yield (GGY) of £910m ($1.2bn) in the UK.

This was largely driven by live bingo, but the trends favour the remote version of the game, with live bingo down by 5.7% while online bingo has experienced a 0.9% growth over the same time period.

While the Covid-19 pandemic has clearly factored into the recent rise of online bingo, there's more at play than just the pandemic.

It's an exciting space to be in! The social casino as a category has grown 28% in the last 12 months, outpacing the 22% market growth in mobile gaming as a whole over the same period

Online bingo offers several key advantages over its traditional counterpart, particularly for players who prefer to gamble at home.

What’s more, the typical bingo player is female and given that most gambling is a male-dominated endeavour, it’s no surprise why women would rather use online casinos.

Facebook and the glut of free games like bingo offered on social media sites have also introduced it to a whole new generation of players.

Live Play Mobile, a social gaming platform developer, claimed to launch the first-ever 24-hour live-hosted bingo app on Friday 10 September.

We followed up with Live Play Mobile CEO, Stuart Lewis-Smith, to find out a bit more about the state of online bingo and how consumers have responded to the app.

What is the state of online bingo like right now?

It's an exciting space to be in! The social casino as a category has grown 28% in the last 12 months, outpacing the 22% market growth in mobile gaming as a whole over the same period.

Bingo is also the fastest-growing vertical within social casino, so our timing couldn't be better with the launch of Live Play Bingo. Social bingo has been dominated by a handful of incumbent apps, which all share similar features and have been in the market for several years.

This creates a compelling opportunity for Live Play Mobile as we disrupt the category with a hugely differentiated product that allows us to stand out.

We strongly believe in this entertainment format — bringing game-show experiences to mobile gaming audiences

How have you found the response to your 24-hour bingo app since launch?

Live Play Bingo has been gaining traction and growing a highly engaged audience with gameplay time of 43 minutes per player per day.

The entire experience we have created is built around real recognition, and we are receiving some amazing heart-warming feedback from players about how important our games, hosts and human interactions have become in their daily lives.

Players hear their name called out by real human hosts when they win, when they join the games, or when they share exciting moments with other players. Such interactions and emotions are not something found in other games.

The reaction to our 24-hour-a-day live studio broadcast schedule has been incredible, although it is logistically the most complex part of the operation.

Is there any exciting news that you can give us a hint of coming further down the pipeline?

We strongly believe in this entertainment format — bringing game-show experiences to mobile gaming audiences.

We are leveraging the power of the platform we have developed — which includes the technology, studio capabilities and talent — to expand our content beyond bingo and even outside of social casino. Very shortly we'll be introducing some of these new game formats, content types and prizes to continuously build ephemeral moments that can't be reproduced anywhere else.

Premium+ Connections
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
 
Premium
 
Premium Connections
Consultancy
Executive Profiles
Chicken Ranch Casino
The Responsible Gambling Affiliate Association (RGAA)
Catena Media
Gambling Commission
Follow Us
The most prestigious Awards in the industry are heading to the Philippines! The Global Gaming Awards Asia-Pacific will recognise and reward (as the name suggests) the strongest performers from the Asia-Pacific gaming industry across the previous 12 months.
This year's winners will be announced at a luncheon ceremony on Day 2 of SiGMA Asia, 4th June, in Manila.
The eleventh annual Global Gaming Awards Americas will recognize and reward the gaming industry's strongest performers across the previous 12 months. These are the most prestigious and trusted Awards in the industry and have gained respect amongst industry heavyweights, due to the strict rules and procedures put in place.

Facing Facts: Operator Q3s from across the globe

Gambling Insider compares Q3 2023 results from major gamblin...

Taking Stock: Operators and suppliers across the world

Sticking with our theme of gambling across the globe, Gambli...

CEO Special: Jade Entertainment and Gaming CEO Joe Pisano - down to earth

Jade Entertainment and Gaming CEO Joe Pisano speaks to Gambl...

CEO Special: Betfred CEO Joanne Whittaker - saying it as it is

Betfred CEO Joanne Whittaker joins Gambling Insider Editor T...