Bingo was once the most popular game in the United Kingdom — at its peak in the 1960s, almost 25% of Britain’s population belonged to a bingo club. But a slow decline set in during the 80s and 90s, and people seemed to have forgotten bingo, or consigned it to the possession of pensioners on an afternoon out.
But the last few years have seen a remarkable turnaround for the timeless game — new swathes of people are enjoying bingo, and it’s drawing in crowds of much younger people. Driving this resurgence is technology — harnessing the power of mobile gaming, bingo has gone digital, taking advantage of powerful smartphones and tablets to provide innovative spins on the classic game.
What is Bingo?
Essentially a social event with a side-helping of lucky numbers, bingo has been enjoyed in the UK and the USA for over a century. Players fill in their cards (known as dabbers), which have 15 numbers randomly distributed, as a caller reads out the numbers of the balls they randomly select. Fill in your dabber, shout HOUSE, and win — it’s as simple as you like.
The game comes replete with its own lingo, with famous calls such as ‘Legs Eleven’ (11), ‘Clickety-Click’ (66), and ‘Two Fat Ladies’ (88). You’ll find many serious players down the bingo hall, but there is always time for a laugh and a bit of socialising between numbers.
Bingo in the UK
The game of bingo has a rich history in the UK, not just as a form of entertainment, but also as a part of family and societal life. It first appeared at the beginning of the 20th Century, and gained popularity at fairs and carnivals, before its appeal widened in the wake of the Second World War. Cheap, fun, and good for the whole family, bingo bridged the generations, with senior citizens playing alongside young children, with plenty of prizes on offer.
The 1960s was the golden age of bingo, with vast crowds at newly formed bingo clubs, with the halls themselves becoming a recognisable and iconic part of urban Britain. But the golden age couldn’t last, and by the late 1970s, the game was in decline — this continued through the 80s, and more so in the 90s with the founding of the National Lottery. Add to that the 2007 smoking ban, and the coronavirus pandemic, and scores of bingo halls were closing their doors come 2020.
Resurgence
Although it may have seemed terminally uncool by the end of the 1980s, and pretty much dropped out of the consciousness of the under-70s, bingo has begun an astonishing comeback. Technology is responsible for this trend, as well as an overall remarking of the game. Electronic dabbers are a regular feature in bingo halls these days, and you’ll find plenty of younger folks playing on them. But what has really given bingo its bright new dawn is the advent of mobile gaming.
We’ve seen the incredible growth of the iGaming industry over the last decade, with online casinos responsible for a $60 billion global turnover. The capabilities of smartphones to handle top graphics, sound, gameplay, and interactive functions — AR and VR, for example — have taken casino games to the next level, especially slots. The same is happening to bingo — while rooted in tradition and simplicity, the games have variations and elements to make them exciting, and attractive to a new crowd who may never have set foot in a bingo hall. Newcomers to mobile bingo can find great online resources to compare the best online bingo operators to see their ratings, and the variants they offer.
Other factors
Another big factor driving the online bingo resurgence is its convenience. Players can enjoy the game from wherever they are — the comfort of their homes, to escape the monotony of a commute, or in the bathroom at work. And if you live in a town without a bingo hall, then you can still find a way to enjoy the game, and possibly win some money.
Online bingo sites frequently provide players with bonuses, promotions, and special offers. These can include free bingo games, deposit bonuses, loyalty rewards, and more. Such incentives enhance the overall gaming experience and can increase a player’s chances of winning.
You can’t keep a good game down. It may have got a shot in the arm from mobile gaming, but ultimately online bingo merely highlights how beloved the game is, and how important it is in the fabric of UK society. But it looks like the popularity of bingo is going to grow and grow thanks to its newfound audience. It’ll be interesting to see if that popularity translates across to the high street, and bingo halls take up their place at the heart of Britain’s communities.
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