Let’s face it Bingo and Britain go together like Fish and Chips. It’s no wonder then that the modern day equivalent ‘online bingo’ is the most popular leisure activity in the UK for women between 20 and 25 years old. That’s right, not yoga, not hockey, not jogging but online bingo.

Some 50,000 of the estimated 3 million land-based bingo players now play bingo online here. A massive 90% of these are below the age of 50, dispelling the myth that bingo is for the older generation. 85% of online players are women.

Indeed the British online bingo market is the most intensively developed in the world with only 17 sites in 2004 growing to 243 in 2008.

Second to the UK, Spain is the next big growth area for the online bingo sector, with 40 Spanish halls emerging in the last year from only 6 at the beginning of the year. This huge response to online bingo is causing many operators to want to become involved with launching Spanish-speaking sites.

The UK online bingo industry stands behind only the US and Japan as having the most sites per player, and with the introduction of TV bingo formats to late night television and satellite channels, the popularity of bingo in this country is only set to grow.

‘Full houses’ and ‘lines’ have never been as popular and progressive websites such as Thinkbingo.com and Foxybingo.com attempt to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere for players by introducing well monitored chat rooms and offering innovative promotions.

But why do we as a nation love online bingo with such a passion? Well convenience is the big answer. No longer do players have to trudge down to smoky bingo halls and sit in a chilly room while a dull sounding ball caller tells them if their numbers are up. The smoking ban which came into effect two years ago helped things improve but for smokers it meant playing bingo would never be the same again.

Value for money and new bingo games also make the online version a winner with young and old and with men and women.

Print version