There are many countries in the world that might be able to claim the great game of bingo as their own. For example, a form of the game is believed to have been played in Italy as long ago as the 15th Century.
But there are many reasons why the UK, with its many bingo operators from ones who run actual bingo halls to big online names like Wink Bingo, has the real claim to the game.
No, we didn’t invent the modern form of the game. That was the brainchild of an American entrepreneur called Edwin Lowe who discovered a version of it being played at county fairs in the 1930s.
But we have certainly taken the great game of bingo and made it quintessentially British – as British as fish and chips, Trooping the Colour and even queuing in the rain.
The heyday of the “live” game
Bingo’s place in the nation’s heart was first established in the 1950s in the aftermath of the Second World War. It’s likely that the game was brought back to the UK by returning service men and women who had been introduced to its delights by US counterparts they met on active service.
Gradually, more and more people began to play, and bingo halls started to open.
At around the same time, an increasing number of British households were getting their first TV sets. This shift in entertainment meant that many cinemas were having to close down, creating the perfect venues for huge bingo halls.
These were also different times when men and women chose their own single-sex leisure pursuits. So, while men headed for sporting events or the pub with friends, bingo made the perfect meeting place for women.
Not only did it provide a relaxed space to mix and enjoy socialising with friends, but there was also the chance to win a few pounds as part of the night out.
So, throughout the 50s.60s and early 70s bingo boomed in a big way with large halls serving almost every community in the country.
The end of the line?
But just as all good things must come to an end, bingo was no exception. Changing tastes and increasing leisure opportunities meant that interest started to dwindle. The halls started to close down and some were saying that bingo’s time had been and gone. So, by the 1980s it looked like bingo had gone bust.
The online revolution
Technology has revolutionised the whole bingo game.
However, nobody had been reckoning on the revolution that was to occur in the 1990s with the advent of the internet.
Initially, a few online casinos started to appear and were enjoyed by many of the country’s so-called early adopters. As their success grew the first bingo sites started to appear. Driven by the same basic kind of software used by online casinos, these quickly started to gain their own following.
It was still predominantly women who chose to play online. The difference between this and the old-style bingo was that they tended to be younger than the typical player. So, a whole new generation of bingo player had been discovered.
At the time, the UK government was also overhauling many of its gambling laws and regulations as well as setting up a new body called The Gambling Commission. The idea was to create a strictly regulated environment which also encouraged the gambling industry to thrive.
So, this, in turn, led to many more bingo sites being established, heralding a whole new bingo boom.
Technology also played a part in this second coming of bingo to the UK. As smartphones were introduced, this meant that mobile play suddenly became possible. The convenience of this attracted even more players, especially from the younger generation who tended to be considerably more tech-savvy than older people.
In a way, online bingo was even better than the old-style game. That’s because people soon found how easy it is to dip in and out of games whenever they had a spare moment or two. It could also offer a huge variety of different games to play.
The inclusion of chat rooms on all of the major sites also introduced that element of sociability that was such an important part of the original bingo hall experience.
The game goes full circle
One phenomenon that could not have been predicted is the shot in the arm that the online game has given to live events. Not only are there reports of numbers increasing the country’s remaining bingo halls, but the game is also now even being played in nightclubs.
This has been the brainchild of a club promoter in Liverpool who was looking for a way to boost attendances mid-week.
The solution has been a night that mixes bingo with dance-offs, karaoke and other fun elements. This also extends to the prizes that are given out. Cash does feature, but so do boxes of cereal as well as life-sized cut outs of celebrities.
The concept has been so successful that now it has been franchised out not just across the UK, but across the world. This is just another sign that the unique take Britain has on bingo is quite unique, with the ability to make it super-fun too.
And, if you need any more evidence that the UK is the true home of bingo, we even have have an annual day dedicated to the game.
Even Edwin Lowe never thought of that one!
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