If you were to look at the cold hard statistics surrounding the growth of online bingo in recent times, it would make pretty impressive reading. There are currently an estimated 50,000 people in the UK who play online bingo on a regular basis each week and the UK online bingo market is currently the fastest growing bingo market in the world and the third largest behind the United States and Japan.

So what is the reason for this rate of growth, especially when you consider that this has come against the backdrop of one of the hardest hitting recessions in recent times? A quick trawl through some of the better online bingo sites in the UK reveals that many bingo sites offer their customers a superb initial deal to get them on the site.

Most offer a sign-up bonus, which usually sees the customers’ initial deposit into their account, matched 100 per cent by the bingo company, at a stroke doubling the amount of money a customer has available to spend on the site initially. There is little doubt that the enticement for customers to double their money on the site at a stroke, does play a small part in enticing people to sign up.

There are also companies that offer potential customers the chance of ‘free bingo no deposit’. This is also sometimes offered as no deposit bingo and basically means that customers are allowed to register on a site and partake in some of the games free of charge, before they are asked to deposit any cash into their account.

This gives customers the chance to play the games on offer and see if they are the kind of games that appeal to their bingo playing habits! The chance to play free bingo and also a nice sign-up bonus certainly do play a part in helping attract growing numbers of bingo players onto the online market, but surely that cannot be the real reason why online bingo is such a fast growing market in the UK.

Does that explain why the market is now annually worth £600 million? There has to be something more to it in my view. Part of the answer could be the sheer volume and diversity of the games on offer on the bingo websites. Not only do online bingo punters have the chance to play the traditional 90 ball bingo that is popular in the UK, but there is also a 75 ball variant – popular in the US - that is growing in popularity with many UK players due to its diversity of games.

In addition, sites will often be running several of each of these bingo games at any one time, meaning that a customer can find a bingo game with what they feel is the ideal number of people playing; enough to make the amount that can be won enticing, but not with too many players to give the player a real chance of winning!

There are also a specially selected number of games that offer huge prize money each week, which are played for by thousands of players across the world. There is no doubt that the slim chance of a hefty winner’s cheque, often for several thousand pounds, is also a great enticement to many players.

Players also needn’t get bingo-induced tedium! They can choose to spend their cash not just on bingo games, but on a great many other gambling games available on sites, such as three and five reel slot machines, video poker, card based games, keno, scratch card games and many other themed games, all of which offer them a chance to win some money.

For me, however, it isn’t just the number of bingo games on offer, the sign-up bonus, the ease of use, or even features like auto-daub - a useful little tool many bingo sites employ which means that you will never miss marking a number from your bingo card ever again, which makes bingo sites so popular.

Nor is it the simplicity of the game itself, or the fact that it is truly a level playing field regardless of age, experience or gender. It has to be something more than simply to do with choice and game mechanics.

For me, the real reason why online bingo has been so successful has been in the way it has successfully replicated the social aspect of the game, in an online environment.

Certainly in the UK, the three million bingo players who play the game regularly have a love for the game, but there is also something else behind that level of devotion. The answer, I believe, is that bingo is and will always be a social game. Certainly the chance to meet up with friends, have a chat about life and a good gossip while playing the game, is what makes bingo a ‘night out’ rather more than say, a trip to the bookmakers to place a bet is a ‘day out’!

Online bingo’s greatest success has been replicating this online by utilising chat rooms, forums, message boards and any other interactive device to allow bingo players the chance to form friendships, chat in real time or leave messages for each other on the message board, all from the comfort of their own home.

Research has found that nearly 70 per cent of users regularly use the chat facilities on their chosen bingo sites and that half of all customers have formed and maintained lasting friendships as a result of these facilities.

This is the true brilliance behind online bingo, they have turned what is essentially a solitary gambling pursuit, into the perfect, cheaper replica of a night at the bingo, and have retained what makes those evenings so popular and yet also can offer the additional flexibility that the online platform provides.

It is a success story that looks set to continue, given that although there are 50,000 regular online players in the UK each week, which represents just one per cent of the total UK bingo market. Online bingo is already the most popular leisure activity for women aged 20 to 25 and that trend only looks set to continue. So maybe it is time for you to join up and see what the all the fuss is about for yourself!