THE BINO REBOOT

the bingo reboot

By Phil Gibbs

There has never been any doubt that Bingo is still one of the UK’s favourite pastimes but in more recent times has suffered in terms of appealing to a wider and younger audience. Having worked within or close to the industry for over 35 years I remember like most those glory days of the 1980’s and 90’s when admissions were much more easily obtained for club teams than they are at present. Sadly, gone are the days when a new door gift or new pricing structure would guarantee a substantial uplift in footfall. It’s seems that present strategies are more aligned to maximum extraction and less about attendances.

So as this much-loved institution begins its own recovery post Covidhow can we change the perception of what a visit to the bingo actually holds?Traditional Bingo now needs a vital reboot if it is to survive in the current climate, very much in the same way as the team behind the JamesBond franchise has been brave and stripped away the gadgets and over the top storylines for a more realistic and current hero. Bingo now needs to become more Daniel Craig rather than Roger Moore.

Certainly, the growing presence of more and more online Bingo sites have not helped the smaller clubs deal with the challenges they face. Online Operators offer multiple games combinations, varying stakes & prizes and promotional offers which are cleverly supported via traditional and media marketing tactics. Who would have thought that back in the 1980’s Bingo platforms would sponsor prime time TV slots or programmes and most daily papers would use full house tactics to improve its circulation?

Despite the difficulties faced from both online and other leisure activities the bricks and mortar businesses continue to fight on. The High Street will look very different as we emerge from another lockdown and unfortunately not all clubs will survive.

There is however a huge opportunity to bring Bingo back to the masses and the great British public will want the meet up with family and friends and traditional clubs need to be at the front of the destination queue.

Operators now have the chance to re-visit the player experience and introduce sessions, game formats and structures that are more suited to today’s players. Clubs should not be governed by rigid sessions that run to prescribed times but offer a more flexible 24/7 structure. Bingo should much more than just winning a prize. Why can’t clubs offer more than just Bingo such as live TV, sports events or the opportunity to hold that special party or just meet up with friends? The success of one-off Bingo events aimed at a younger demographic have shown that it’s more about the experience rather than prize money and that 2–3-hour sessions of just Bingo is not the option.

It mustnow then be the time to promote the social side of visiting a Bingo Club rather than aimingthe messaging towards prize money. So, let’s keep the game simple, easy for new players to understand with a simple pricing matrix that puts the visit experience first.

Over the last 35 years Phil Gibbs has worked in numerous Marketing and Operational roles for Bass Leisure, Gala Bingo, RAL Ltd, Talarius and Praesepe. At various times each of these companies has been the largest AGC & Bingo Operator in the UK gaming sector.

In his most recent role he was Operational Manager for Beacon Bingo which includes Cricklewood the UK largest Bingo Club.

Contact: philgibbs4@virginmedia.com

SOFTSWISS To Rebrand

SOFTSWISS has announced its rebranding which will reflect the brand’s current position on the market and its vision to be the leading global iGaming software provider. The change in the brand visual identity marks yet another chapter in the SOFTSWISS brand evolution.

The creation of the SOFTSWISS brand identity was based on the values and experience the brand acquired in over a decade on the market. The brand logo has been updated to a fresher, more contemporary look, correlating with the brand expansion and evolution over the years.

The SOFTSWISS logo text will now be spelled in caps, as will be the brand name appearing in the company’s official press releases and marketing materials. The new look and feel will adhere to the brand values and positioning as an innovative iGaming market leader striving to deliver the most secure and reliable solutions to its clients. SOFTSWISS will commence using the upgraded visual identity starting from July 1st, 2021.

During the brand image development stage, SOFTSWISS incorporated its most important lessons from the past and combined them with the main secret of the brand’s success – its team. Launched in 2009, SOFTSWISS grew from a small software development startup of just several employees to a leading international iGaming brand that now employs more than 700 top-quality experts, with offices in Belarus, Malta and Poland.

The business has since expanded its product portfolio to include not just an Online Casino Platform, but also a Sportsbook Platform, Game Aggregator, Crypto Casino Solution, Affilka (Affiliate Management Platform) and Managed Services.

Ivan Montik, Founder of SOFTSWISS, comments on the event: “Looking back, it’s astonishing to realise how much we’ve grown. We started over 10 years ago with a very small team, which has now become the size of a small village! The SOFTSWISS brand-new look will reflect our constant desire for innovation and development every step of the way. Through the new visual pattern and overall unified image, we will be able to communicate the brand positioning much clearer to our current and potential clients. The slight logo change is also paying tribute to SOFTSWISS origins – we’re fast evolving as a brand, yet we are staying loyal to our roots and where we come from. So, this way we reflect more where we are now as a business”.