There is rampant speculation that some forms of online gaming will soon be legalized in America - and this includes online bingo. So will online bingo be as popular in the US as it is in the UK? A recent study just released from RKMA indicated that $826 million was wagered on bingo in the US during 2009. These bingo games are run for charity - which is the only legal way to play bingo in America (outside of Las Vegas and a few other selected areas). This huge revenue number - coming just from charitable bingo hall games - illustrates the pent-up demand for bingo which would be unleashed by legalization.
Due to the huge size of the US market, there is no doubt that all existing bingo site operators will attempt to grab a share of the market, and it is also clear that many new operators and sites will pop up as well. Will bingo sites aimed at Americans differ from the current sites mainly geared for UK-based customers? Surely there will be a few cultural differences when it comes to lingo and promotional prizes, but the general facets are sure to remain the same. Just like the British, it is sure that Americans will value the best bingo bonuses, sites that offer free bingo games and the sites featuring the largest jackpots.
British players will greatly benefit as well if online bingo is legalized in America. This is due to the fact that the variety of new sites coming online will provide for greater competition forcing all sites to offer even more generous bingo bonus and jackpots. Online bingo aficionados in the UK should certainly be rooting for this legislation to progress in Congress - however, in the current US political climate it is impossible to predict the outcome of any legislative effort. We'll follow closely this legalization effort as it unfolds - stay tuned for further details.