Bright lights, big wins and how bingo is dabbling in the future

David Gravel January 2, 2025

SiGMA news

Eyes down! We’re playing for a full house. Dabbers at the ready. It’s the New Year and bingo is making a comeback. Bingo halls and clubs buzz with excitement and online platforms are lighting up screens like Oxford Street’s Christmas decorations. From flashing lights to colourful bingo cards, eager players take their chances on a nice little bonus to cover the festive bills.

You will hear the hum of passion from players in the bingo halls. The chat boxes of the online bingo community continue to beep energetically, and the occasional shout of “pull-it” or “house” from a packed club cuts the tension. From ‘Kelly’s eye’, to ‘top of the shop’, playing bingo is like life – it’s all about when your numbers come up!

Expectation. Anticipation. The buzz of winning. A bitter rage welling up inside. Clenched fists as the sting of defeat pierces your soul. You were ‘sweating’ on one number for a while. Every player knows the nail biting thrill of being nearly there before someone else steals the glory and claims the prize. From packed venues to your sofa with a brew, bingo remains a timeless crowd pleaser.

So, while bingo has firmly established itself as a key player in the iGaming sector, it stands firm in its community roots. Whether that’s in-person or online, bingo has no need to ‘jump and jive’ because it’s on the rise once more.

Doctor’s orders! Read on to see how bingo has achieved this comeback and what lies ahead in 2025. Let’s dive into the numbers, trends, and a bit of trivia. The challenge is this: can you decipher the ‘bingo-lingo’ before you reach the end of the article? If not, the cheeky quack of ‘two little ducks’ will lead you to the glossary!

From niche to nationwide sensation

Once relegated to smoky social clubs, church halls, and seaside resorts, bingo has had a major glow-up. Who doesn’t enjoy a night out in a dabbing frenzy only to win the meat hamper when the caller pulls one of your discarded tickets with your name on the reverse from an empty crisp box? Ok, so bingo has moved on since its heyday in the 1960s and 70s seaside resorts and social clubs with ultra-modern halls offering a full range of gambling, food, and drinks, as well as providing socialising and community. The younger generation has embraced this exciting game of probability and now, online bingo is reaching new heights of participation. For instance, Rank Group’s Mecca Bingo reported that 44 percent of its new customers in the year to June 2024 were under 35 years old, a rise of 5 percent since 2019.

Whilst online gambling bears some responsibility for the decline in bingo halls, other things such as high taxation, the UK smoking ban and the cost-of-living crisis following the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. In 2014, the number of licenced bingo premises stood at 710 whilst in 2024, official UK government figures reveal this figure has declined to 251. The resilience of in-person bingo experienced a slight rise to 650 premises in 2023 following the UK lockdowns.

Now, the convenience of accessing online platforms offers players home comforts whilst still presenting that all-important community aspect that bingo bases its success upon. To counteract this and encourage people to attend, operators such as Buzz Bingo have introduced themed events such as Abba bingo shows, which has proved exceptionally successful amongst the younger demographic. In the year to January 2024, around half of their 200,000 new visitors were under 35 years old.

Dabbing into the digits

Bingo is a thriving industry in the UK, with a rapidly growing online presence. According to the UK Gambling Commission November 2024 report, the total gross gambling yield (GGY) for the Great Britain gambling industry reached £15.6 billion (€18.1 billion/$19.7 billion) between April 2023 and March 2024. This is a 3.5 percent increase from the previous year. Land-based bingo GGY was £628.1 million (€728.6 million/$791.4 million), a 5/6% increase on the previous year. This figure includes £234.1 million (€271.6 million/$295 million) from bingo games and £394 million (€457.0 million/$496.4 million) from bingo machines.

Importantly, the Remote Casino, Betting, and Bingo (RCBB) sector accrued £6.9 billion (€8.0 billion/$8.7 billion) in GGY with online bingo contributing significantly to this figure. Online bingo platforms are instrumental in the games revitalisation. By gamifying elements, offering themed games and social chatrooms, the online bingo apps replicate the community vibe of traditional bingo. AI and data analytics are used to recommend games, highlight bonuses, and tailor the aesthetics of digital bingo cards to player preferences. This blend of tradition and tech is personalising the experience and breathing new life into the industry. Whether it’s the excitement of ‘snakes alive’ or AI suggesting your next game, tradition, and innovation will keep players coming back for more.

Bingo Bonanzas

Not withstanding the appeal of competing games such as lotteries, bingo’s allure lies in the mix of small, heartfelt wins and life-changing jackpots.

Glasgow offered a notable November by making a mother and daughter duo £56,000 richer (€64,960/$70,560). Warming up with a £6,000 win (€6,960/$7,560), this lucky pair won the £50,000 jackpot (€58,000/$63,000) on the national game a week later. Mecca Bingo in Parkhead celebrated with confetti cannons following the win. Scotland continued its lucky appeal when a grandmother scooped a £100,000 (€116,000/$126,000) bounty during a special Millionaire Night event at Club 3000 Bingo in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire. She promptly split this with her closest friend of 50 years.

Other winners include another £50,000 loot in Blackpool in January 2024, as well as two £50,000 winners in one day at Opera Bingo in Barrow. These stories illustrate why bingo is still a beloved game and pastime. In a competitive industry, bingos charm lies not only in the prizes won, but also in the stories and connections that make every win unforgettable. Bingo remains a celebration of luck, life, and togetherness.

Eyes on the prize in 2025

Experts are bullish about bingo’s future, forecasting robust growth across the industry. The ongoing reforms aim to improve consumer protection whilst keeping pace with industry changes. Projections predict that the online bingo market will grow by 10 percent annually by the end of 2025, with global revenue expected to surpass £8 billion (€9.3 billion/$10 billion). Expanding online platforms, rising player participation, and the continued integration of cutting-edge technology fuel this growth.

New technology offers a new frontier. Virtual reality (VR) looks set to revolutionise the bingo experience. Immersive 3D bingo halls replicating the charm of physical venues, players interacting with avatars and themed games to give their living rooms a social atmosphere are a few features set to change bingo’s landscape. Augmented reality (AR) will also bring an added layer of interactivity to live bingo. Players in physical halls could use AR devices to display animated number calls or enhance game visuals, merging tradition with modernity. This will undoubtedly attract a broader audience.

Expansion of themed events, building on the popularity of drag bingo or Abba nights, will ensure operators roll out more niche, localised and seasonal themes. Focussing on the Gen Z audiences offers operators the change to use social influencers and gamify experiences to increase participation and revenue. Land-based bingos are already looking at sustainability and the environment with ideas such as paperless tickets, LED lighting, and other green energy initiatives.

Regions like Asia-Pacific and LATAM will see significant growth in bingo popularity, with culturally adapted games and tailored marketing driving interest. Add blockchain and cryptocurrency payments to this equation, and this will become the mainstream in bingo platforms, ensuring faster and safer transactions and non-fungible tokens (NFT) rewards. As an example of this emerging trend, players could win NFT artwork, themed digital collectibles or unique items tied to bingo events. Accessing VIP rooms or customising their virtual identity would also appeal to players who could then sell or trade their NFT rewards on secondary markers to monetise their winnings. Despite a recent Brazilian Senate postponement of the vote on the bill that allows the operation of casinos and bingo halls, once regulated, this will be a vast market for online gambling.

Top of the shop expert insights

Greg Johnson, equity analyst at Shore Capital, commented on bingos changing landscape. “Bingo has become part of the experiential leisure trend that is gaining popularity.” He drew attention to activities offering interactive experiences that are becoming more inclusive to appeal to broader audiences. Cheryl Gifford, Marketing Director at Mecca Bingo, says, “Our research shows 1 in 7 Brits say their most enthusiastic reactions come from playing games where they can win cash prizes, such as bingo.” John O’Reilly, Chief Executive at Rank Group, notes, “Young people are increasingly discerning about where they spend their money and are looking for significant value.” He highlighted that a night at Mecca Bingo offers an affordable entertainment choice, with players typically spending about £25, making it an attractive choice compared to other leisure activities. This comes as a shock Sky News investigation revealed that illegal online casinos are using one of the most popular video games in the world to lure children as young as 12 into the unlicenced gambling sphere. With UK regulation tightening and updates to the UK Gambling Act 2005, being introduced in 2025, higher standards for transparency and responsible gaming policies will be key for operators and regulators alike. A recent SiGMA News two-part insight into European safer gambling looks deeper into the collaborative effort involving operators, regulators, and technology innovators.

Youthfulness is driving a fresh wave of excitement in bingo halls. Dominic Mansour, CEO of Buzz Bingo, observed: “It’s really good value for money in a world where inflation is crazy.” He highlighted that themed events, such as Abba bingo nights, have captured the younger audience’s imagination. Bingo has evolved from a seaside staple to a dynamic, thriving industry. 2025 promises more excitement, innovation, and big wins.

Eyes down for a bright future

So, eyes down, dabbers ready as bingo’s future is as bright as the jackpot lights. The best is yet to come as 2025 offers even thrills with innovative technology, expanded markets and sustainability at bingos core. If you are a seasoned pro or a first-time dabber, the beauty of bingo lies in its unpredictability and sense of community. Who knows? Maybe the next big win will be yours!

If you didn’t guess, here is a glossary of terms used in this article:

Kelly’s Eye (Number 1) refers to the single I of the number 1, and some believe it relates to Ned Kelly, the infamous Australian outlaw, although this isn’t definitive.
Doctor’s orders are number 9 and suggestions say the number 9 was army slang for laxative, which apparently helped British troops stay regular!
Two little ducks are the number 22. Visually, 22 looks like two ducks. Apparently. Another name for this is ‘dinky doo, 22.’ Dinky Doo is the name given to concert parties held at the end of a pier.
Jump and Jive refers to number 35.
Snakes alive is 55. As with 22, this is a visual reference.
Nearly there is 89.
Top of the Shop is number 90, the highest number in a game.
A ‘dabber’ is a foam tipped marker pen used to cross out numbers once they are called.
‘House’ is the traditional call when you have marked either a single line, or all of the numbers on your board, which is a ‘full house.’
‘Pull-it’ is a colloquial phrase to speed up the game when players are close to victory and only need a number or two.