Bingo has come a long way since the game was invented in 15th century Italy. One early form of bingo called Tombola has survived unchanged to this day and is played in Italy at Christmastime. In the centuries that followed bingo spread across Europe and arrived in Great Britain around 1780. Bingo’s popularity has faded in and out but in postwar Britain war weary Britons played bingo in the holiday camps that were popular during the postwar years. In the 60′s the UK went bingo mad and massive bingo halls began to appear on the British landscape. In 1996 bingo went on the internet and the rest is history. Instead of drawing players away from bingo halls internet bingo created a new generation of bingo players.
The bingo market in the UK has been estimated to be worth about £800 million pounds. (1,283,120,000 USD) The UK bingo market is constantly expanding and there are now hundreds of internet bingo sites online. There are four million regular bingo players in the UK and the number is constantly growing. Internet bingo got a big boost after the national smoking ban went into effect in 2007. Some bingo halls were forced to close and many cut back on staff and services. Since the jackpot is usually determined by how many cards, or tickets, are sold jackpots became smaller at some bingo halls. Fortunately the trend has reversed and bingo halls are full again.
Most people consider bingo to be a woman’s game so it should come as no surprise that 80% of all bingo players are women. In the past bingo players were mostly older working class women but that has changed. Today it is common to see groups of attractive young ladies at bingo halls having a girl’s night out. Bingo halls provide a safe environment and are a great alternative to pubs and clubs. Today it is possible to win life changing amounts of money playing bingo. The largest bingo win took place in Scotland in 2008. The very lucky player won £1.16 million. There have been several other big wins at bingo halls and at internet bingo sites.
Recent figures show that nearly 50% of UK bingo players attend games every day. That’s about 2 million daily players in the UK. As has been mentioned many see bingo as a game for little old ladies and pensioners. In face nothing could be further from the truth and recent figures say that the average age of the typical UK bingo player is 38. Many operators have invested millions to make their halls more attractive to young players. In the UK the bingo market remains the fastest growing sector of the online gaming industry and experts believe that mobile bingo will attract thousands of new players.
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