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Would more bingo games provide a new market opportunity for PlayStation?

The online gaming world is currently experiencing something of a golden age. Thanks to improved technology and unprecedented internet availability, millions of people both at home and on the go are using consoles, tablets, computers and of course mobile phones. This insatiable demand for gaming has allowed both game and hardware developers to become very successful indeed, tapping into a multi-billion dollar industry that is enjoying continued growth.

Online gambling in particular has exploded since the first online casinos and gambling websites appeared in the late 1990s. Games have come a long way from the simple 2D environments that initially made things like online poker popular at the turn of the century, with players benefiting from improved graphics capabilities and faster internet connections. Despite online gambling becoming a 24/7 industry that has allowed operators to post record profits, there are still a lot of gaming platforms that aren’t quite there yet when it comes to offering gambling on their devices. Sony is one of the main offenders, limiting accessibility to gambling and relying on browser-based gameplay to keep gambling fans happy.

So why aren’t Sony capitalising on online gambling markets by allowing apps for specific gaming brands or websites? Yes, you can still play using the browser, but it becomes a bit fiddly after a while. Even the PS2 and PS3 had a few bingo titles from developers like Konami, so it isn’t that Sony don’t want bingo games on their consoles. The reason could lie in the mess that were the Sony data breaches in 2011 and 2014, with the entertainment giant very protective about who they partner with and what level of data security can offer. It could also be the fact that Sony likes to have the final say on what appears on consoles. Either way, there aren’t any dedicated bingo titles at present.

There are a few games however where players can enjoy casino games and several poker titles that have made it to the PS4, but there is a distinct lack of real money, which makes gambling fun in the first place. One area that is certainly lacking when it comes to console games is bingo.

Even though bingo has seen a renaissance thanks to the internet, there still isn’t a PS4 game that either replicates the excitement of the game or allows users to log in to their preferred provider’s service via an app. The recent increase in the popularity of bingo among young people means that an app could potentially be very successful on a PlayStation. Wink Bingo provide a number a fun bingo games that are hugely popular. The upload and share features of the PS4 would be ideal in the thriving Wink Bingo online community and the system itself could easily support the high quality virtual bingo rooms available on the site. Add-ons like headsets could make gameplay even more engaging and of course PSVR lends itself very well to players sitting at a table marking their bingo cards.

Although we may still be some way off a dedicated PS4 title, there are still loads of great bingo apps and websites to be found on mobile app stores, so console players can still get their fix, albeit via a different device. One thing is for certain however; there is certainly a demand and market for online Foxy bingo alternative players who could be tempted to buy a PlayStation to enjoy their favourite game.