59 years ago the Betting and Gambling Act was passed in the Houses of Parliament, ushering in a golden era for British betting. Sports betting and casinos were supposed to flourish in the aftermath of the legislation, but instead it was bingo that stole the headlines.

Prior to its legalisation as a gambling activity, bingo was previously only used in fundraising events. Then, just three years on from the Betting and Gambling Act, bingo membership figures peaked at a staggering 14 million.

Everyone and their Granny (literally) were enjoying bingo in the 1960s, but the glory days couldn’t last forever. Forty years after its legalisation bingo was at its lowest point, with membership figures down 90% on their 1963 high.

It seemed as though the Great British pastime of playing bingo was consigned for the rubbish dump. Fortunately something changed, with the industry currently experiencing double digit growth for the first time in decades.

Just under five million people regularly play bingo in the United Kingdom now, with double digit growth forecast for the coming years. So what is responsible for the recent resurgence in bingo? Read on to find out.

Bingo has changed incredibly since this 1993 documentary was produced by RTE

The Online Revolution

On a weekly basis, articles flood the newspapers reported on the ‘death of the gambling industry’ in the United Kingdom. Record numbers of betting shops, bingo halls and small casinos are closing down, and the media it seems, are delighted at this.

Although to call it the ‘death’ of the gambling industry would be premature, in fact the reduction in physical betting venues is more of an indicator of industry diversification than anything else.

More and more people are turning to their phones or laptops in order to gamble whenever and wherever they want. Industry figures from 2018 point to continued growth in gambling revenues - £15 billion – which is being powered by the remote sector.

That trend is the same in respect of bingo. Compared to previous decades there are now considerably less physical bingo halls than before, however nearly 4 million people are registered with online bingo sites.

Gambling has always been at the forefront of industry, constantly looking for new and innovative ways to reach customers. Online casinos and sports betting sites popped up at an alarming rate in the wake of the World Wide Web revolution.

Bingo was initially slow to react, not getting on board with internet gambling until relatively recently. Towards the end of the noughties a whole host of betting companies created their own online bingo sites, reviving the game and sending revenues soaring through the roof.

Standing out from the crowd

As you’ll have gathered, online bingo is a hugely competitive industry, so the biggest struggle for providers is getting noticed. In 2008, 888 Holdings funded the acquisition of a small but successful online bingo company – Wink Bingo. Market research indicated that the biggest growth in the online gambling industry was coming from bingo.

At the time of the acquisition Wink Bingo was a fairly small operator, however after years of investment they have gone on to become an industry leading name. The Wink Experience ensures the company stands out from the crowd, through providing players with the chance to earn more through loyalty programs, while being looked after with perfect customer service. And it clearly works, as the company has overseen consistent year on year growth.

Why is bingo popular again?

There’s no escaping the old stereotypes associated with bingo because they are were all essentially true. Bingo was a pensioner’s game for decades, something that would be enjoyed by OAP’s in retirement homes or smoky community centres on the seaside.

The stereotypes were so widely accepted and universally true that British comedian Peter Kay dedicated a large section of his book to bingo halls. Further to that, when commissioned to produce a six part comedy series for Channel 4, Kay chose a bingo hall as the setting for one of the episodes.

In the past decade bingo has undergone a makeover that would make even Gok Wan stand up and take notice. It has been completely rebranded as a modern game, aimed at a much younger and more affluent demographic.

Leading online bingo websites have targeted middle aged women as their key demographic, concentrating all of their efforts on appealing to that group. Advertising campaigns, offers, commercials and even website designs are all aimed at a younger female audience that traditional bingo did not target.

The Rise of physical bingo

The internet isn’t the only place that bingo is rising to prominence, it is undergoing a comeback in bars and pubs all around the world thanks to drag acts. Yes, you read that correctly. Drag Bingo was initially launched as a way to raise funds and awareness for the LGBTQ community in Canada and America.

Drag bingo is one of the interesting new crazes that is fuelling bingo’s return to the spotlight

Now it is becoming a regular feature of nightlife in some of the major cities around the world including London, New York and Sydney. Some of the world’s most recognisable drag acts have forged a profitable career for themselves hosting drag bingo events.

It’s someway of the traditional bingo halls of the 1960s but it is growing in popularity, with more and venues around the UK hosting their own regular events. Between drag acts and the internet, bingo has really undergone a facelift in the previous ten to twenty years, putting it right back into the spotlight.

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