Unknown to most of us, there is a group of people that are building their own private social circle, whilst we are tucked up in bed. They are however not drinking and dancing until the early hours but are being entertained from the comfort of their home or the confines of an office. These people are the night owls: the insomniacs and night workers whose lives fall outside the norm. They look for different ways to be entertained and find what they need in the virtual bingo halls of the St. Minver network.
Unlike real world entertainment such as bingo halls, pubs and clubs that have a closing time, the Internet is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This makes it the perfect venue for those people whose lives begin when the sun goes down.
Jason is a security guard who works night shifts. His job is to monitor TV screens that watch the building for trespassers. To pass the long and lonely hours, he uses his computer to entertain himself playing Butlins Bingo online. Through playing the game, he discovered the chat room and met other security officers that work in the nearby area. Jason has been able to build a group of friends through the people he meets online. As well as playing, he has taken his friendship offline. The group now meets outside of working hours for a drink. Through his new network of friends, he has also been able to set up a car-share with another user living and working nearby. This new found arrangement has also helped him cut down the cost of travelling alone and parking when he is unable to use public transport.
In addition to those working nights, there are also their partners that are left at home. Michelle plays bingo on Chit Chat as it makes her feel safe at night whilst her husband does night shifts. Moving from London to Essex and living in a new house has left her feeling a little lonely and out of her comfort zone. She has few friends in the new area and finds it difficult to arrange meeting old friends and was therefore looking for a way to reach out to other people. With the use of online bingo she is able to chat to players across the UK and feels that having people on the site gives her a sense of security even though they are not in the same room as her.
This growing community of night owls has even provided people working and living abroad with a chance to keep up-to-date with news from back home. Expatriate Sue, plays Littlewoods Bingo in Spain as she does not have the confidence to venture into a foreign bingo hall where she may have problems understanding the language. She plays online as it helps her keep close to her British roots. During her lively chats, Sue meets a plethora of night owls, who talk about the latest happenings in England including British weather, Eastenders and the latest celebrity gossip.
The combination of entertainment, growing jackpots and friendly chat has meant that the popularity of online bingo is growing. Night owls are able to use online gaming to pass time, relax and meet other like-minded people. Whatever the reason, there is a large community of people that spend time entertaining themselves playing online bingo without leaving their homes or offices.
