As we know here at Playing Bingo, the UK’s relationship with bingo has long been the stuff of legend. Bingo halls opened up and down the country during the 20th century, providing communities with vital spaces to catch up with friends, enjoy casual gaming entertainment and hopefully call “Bingo!”. The game quickly became an essential part of Britain’s cultural fabric, with bingo calls and slang increasingly influencing every day spoken language.
But recently, it feels like bingo’s heyday in the UK has been consigned to the past. While there were a massive amount of active bingo halls both big and small in the 1970s and 1980s, there are now fewer than 600 traditional spaces. This number is decreasing every month, and it’s not impossible to imagine a world where British bingo fans don’t have any halls to visit at all. The obsession with bingo is certainly fading in the face of an ever-expanding digital entertainment world, but is it really on its way out?
While the decline of conventional bingo halls isn’t particularly encouraging, it also isn’t the only side of the story. Modern options, like online bingo and a new array of bingo-inspired club nights, are currently helping younger generations get back into this age-old game, so the future remains positive.
The UK and Bingo: a 20th Century Love Story
As you’ll see from the various confessions of a bingo caller, bingo was extraordinarily popular in the UK during the 20th century. For many people, it wasn’t just a game, going to a bingo hall was akin to going to the pub or social club. Bingo halls were vibrant community centres, and not just for older people as they have been stereotyped these days.
Working-class communities were particularly indebted to bingo halls, as they became affordable nights out where friends could bond over a shared sense of excitement, anticipation, and escapism. Millions were playing bingo every week during the peak in the 1970s and 1980s, with the distinctive calls, paper cards, and dabbers becoming institutionalised icons of British culture. Men would often accompany their wives to take advantage of the cheep food and drink, generations of the same family would often play together routinely.
We weren’t joking when we said millions—bingo attracted an estimated 14 million players across the UK across over 1,000 bingo halls in its heyday. Queues outside the venues weren’t out of place, and bingo halls were even more popular than cinemas and pubs in many towns. The Betting and Gaming Act 1960 played a pivotal part in expanding the game’s reach but, as with most things, everything good must eventually come to an end.
Is Bingo Declining?
A combination of factors has led to the decline of traditional UK bingo. The online evolution is arguably the most pertinent fact, especially for younger generations, who now have a pretty much bottomless selection of other games to enjoy from the comfort of their own homes.
Statisticians were seeing a decline in bingo playing as early as the late 1980s, but it was the late 1990s and early 2000s when things really went downhill. Things like the smoking ban were the nails in the coffin for traditional bingo halls—now, there are fewer than 600 left.
Best Modern Ways to Play Bingo
Here’s the thing, traditional bingo might be declining, but is the game as a whole on its way out? Let me say this emphatically, certainly not! As the still popular online bingo, retail halls and bingo themed club nights and events will attest to. You can still very easily play bingo in the second quarter of the 21st century.
A Traditional Bingo Hall
Despite the closures of bingo halls in recent times, the traditional bingo hall is still the best way to play that authentic game. Commercial bingo halls continue to offer players the chance to play both on paper and the new fangled machines, and still boasts some of the biggest regular prize pots available to the fans of the game. OK, so they may be spread more thin these days, but you’re never really that far from a club.
Online Bingo
Playing bingo at the many online bingo sties is a great way to enjoy the game without having to leave the house. You can also play on the move with the new breed of mobile apps. Doing so can unlock bonuses, better accessibility, and more enticing selling points. Also, bingo players love to spin the reels in between bingo games, and there’s even more sites offering online slots that will be familiar to bingo players such as online casino Betway and many other well known sites. Give the wide range out there, Bingo fans are really well catered for.
Bingo Themed Club Nights
Club nights like Bongo’s Bingo and Bingo Lingo have revolutionised bingo for younger audiences, adding live DJs, dance-offs, quirky bonus rounds, and other features to amplify the excitement. We first reported on these nights back in the 2010s, and they have continued to grow both in size and popularity. Held in clubs across the country, these nights are rapidly gaining popularity among younger generations. Whilst not your traditional game of old, it’s fresh modern take on the game that’s guaranteed to see its popularity grow, and potentially feed new life back in to the traditional clubs.
What’s Next for the UK and Bingo?
These are strange times for UK bingo. Although there has been an undeniable decline in bingo halls and general popularity, the game isn’t on its way out. Bingo halls are quietly reinventing the generational game for a new crowd nowadays, as well as continuing to server their traditional crowds, and we look forward to seeing how things develop.
