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British bingo halls started in the 1960s with the passing of the Gaming Act in 1968. Bingo in Britain was revolutionised in June 1986 with the launch of the National Bingo Game passed by Parliamentary legislation and a new Bingo Act. Today there are over 600 licensed bingo clubs in the UK, although this number is in decline due to the smoking ban, economic downturn and the unstoppable growth of online bingo.
Bingo has been huge long before online bingo was even invented. Millions of people fill bingo clubs every night and every weekend. The profile of bingo players in land-based clubs is different to those in online bingo. Online bingo players are usually women in their 20s and 30s, similar to somewhat members on Online Bingo Friends; whereas bingo clubs attract a somewhat older generation.
When the odds of winning the big prize in bingo is better than only the national lottery; one might wonder the reason for such a high interest in these games. Well the answer is simple; people don’t really go to bingo clubs to win big money. Although prizes play a big role, winning them is probably the last on the list of reasons for playing bingo.
If you’ve ever sat in a bingo hall and observed the people around you, you must have noticed some players to be quite “settled” in their environment. They probably go to that club on the same day of the week, they get the same seat every time, they bring the same lucky charms and favourite daubers with them, and usually sit with the same group of friends.
The difference between online bingo and land based bingo doesn’t end there. In my opinion, the biggest difference lies in the fact that playing in a bingo club requires a huge amount of concentration as opposed to online bingo where everything is done automatically. OK bingo is not the most skilful game in the world but in a bingo club, players must concentrate on the bingo calls and have to be very fast and efficient in checking their bingo numbers. Missing a winning bingo card is the worst that can happen to anyone in a bingo club. This actually creates a total relaxation for the mind where you forget about the rest of the world and nothing else exists during those few minutes of the bingo game.
Whatever happens in the online bingo industry or bingo and gambling regulations, land based bingo halls are here to stay. They’ve been around for centuries and they are surely not going anywhere now. It’s true that the internet age has changed social interaction dramatically but nothing will ever replace direct, personal, face to face friendships.
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