Bingo's Coming Home!

 

News in pictures
News in pictures
On Facebook
Arts & Ents blogs

Shonky: From maths lover to international DJ

Late last year I interviewed Dan Ghenacia and Dyed Soundorom but missing from that interview was the...

Brighton Fringe: The week ahead…

So it seems that Brighton is well and truly swimming in gin, and apparently we can’t stop talking ab...

Lady Gaga corrupting youth, Bieber Fever and other reasons for gig cancellations

Are pop concerts the latest battle ground of moral superiority? Well, with Lady Gaga’s Indonesian co...

There’s no doubting the fact that bingo is back! The de rigueur game of the sixties, that fell out of favour in the eighties and nineties, is currently going through a massive revival that’s seeing a younger crowd and even bigger jackpots...

Bingo rose to prominence in the UK during the 1950s and 60s as Housey-Housey, a game that was often played to raise money for churches, working men’s clubs and other charities.

The game’s simplicity and the chance of real excitement made it incredibly popular, though anti-gambling legislation continually blocked it from being open to a mass market. Despite this, Butlins and Warners, who were then the country’s largest two holiday chains, would often run charity games because demand was so high.

By the late 1950s, it was becoming clear that the British people simply weren’t ready to accept anti-gambling legislation, and the government looked for ways to regulate an industry that had been steadily growing.

In the early sixties, the process of legalisation began and on January 3rd 1961, the first commercial bingo club opened. By 1963 the industry boasted over 14 million members nationwide and bingo had entered into its first hey-day.

Diana Dors, Cilla Black, Max Bygraves and Tommy Steele could be seen in bingo clubs up and down the country, while international stars like Cassius Clay would pass through for a taste of real Britain. The national press were regularly reporting thousands of pounds in winnings, and a 1966 Gallup poll revealed that almost a quarter of the country had enjoyed a game in the previous twelve months.

Throughout the 80s however, bingo’s popularity waned as the game became known more as the preserve of the ‘blue rinse brigade’ and major clubs like Mecca and Rank began to fall into disrepair. Bingo had gone the same way as Butlins and Warners, as a symbol of un-cool Britannia.

More recently though. The game’s been making news again as online bingo halls like Jackpotjoy have been overseeing the game’s return to prominence.

“Online bingo is immeasurably different to the offline game,” explains head of Jackpotjoy, Adele Lawton. “We offer loads of different rooms for players to enjoy, so there’s somewhere where everyone can feel at home and enjoy the chance of a big win.”

Jackpotjoy has been running for eight years now. The site give away over £1 billion a year in winnings, and register more transactions on their site per day than the London Stock Exchange. Their latest ad campaign, featuring Barbara Windsor as the Queen of Bingo, and has seen the site become a household name.

“For me, though, one of the biggest differences between online and offline bingo is that there are no dabbers online,” Adele explains, “so the old ‘eyes down’ mentality is no longer enforced.

“Modern games are social, relaxed and friendly. We offer great chat facilities, with friends’ lists and chat games that make for a really welcoming atmosphere. You can make new friends and really enjoy the experience.”

Also, because online bingo halls are open all the time, players can always find a game that fits around their schedule.

“This is a very important point as well,” Adele points out. “A lot of our players work unsocial hours, or have other commitments at home, which means going out to meet people or visit a club just isn’t an option. Online bingo offers thousands of people the chance to enjoy an exciting, social experience without leaving the comfort of their living rooms.

“It’s genuinely one of the great gaming revolutions of the past decade.”

You can experience online bingo for free at Jackpotjoy.com who are currently offering a very generous deposit £10 and get £30 to play welcome bonus.

www.jackpotjoy.com

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
Career Services

Day In a Page

Grace Dent: Personally, I'd fire bullying teens from a cannon and relocate the 'feral' kids to Chipping Norton

Grace Dent

Personally, I'd fire bullying teens from a cannon and relocate the 'feral' kids to Chipping Norton
Hollywood's former holiday destination of choice to vanish from tourist map

Falling off the tourist map

California's Salton Sea
Life as a hermit: 'My life is a great adventure'

Life as a hermit

For nearly 30 years, Jake Willams has lived as a hermit in the Scottish wilderness
European egrets move to Somerset – for the weather

Herons over here

European egrets move to Somerset – for the weather
Animals left for dead in Indonesian zoos

Zoos of death

Animals left for dead in Indonesian zoos
Millions of Asians watch 'ring of fire' eclipse

Ring of fire eclipse

The annular eclipse in pictures
Bee Gees star Robin Gibb - A Life in Pictures

A Life in Pictures

Bee Gees star Robin Gibb
Antelope first seen 20 years ago is on brink of extinction

Endangered animals

The good news and the bad news
Second best day of his life? Zuckerberg surprises friends with secret wedding

Second best day of his life?

Zuckerberg surprises friends with secret wedding
Laurie Penny: In the age of camera phones the message is that protesters are watching police too

Occupy in the age of the camera phone

In Chicago, you can't see the cops for the cameras
Exclusive extract: How Cameron tried to evade Murdoch's embrace

Exclusive book extract

How Cameron tried to evade Murdoch's embrace
Pathetic fantasist or Nazi spy? The mysterious Mrs O'Grady

Pathetic fantasist or Nazi spy? The mysterious Mrs O'Grady

She was the only British woman sentenced to death for treason during the Second World War. Now, a new book revisits her bizarre case
Introducing the wellderly

Introducing the wellderly

Growing numbers of the over-65s want to keep working, volunteer or go on gap years
Penny Junor: 'I'm absolutely not a friend of Prince Charles'

Penny Junor interview

'I'm absolutely not a friend of Prince Charles'
Joe Strummer: The angry young man who grew up

Joe Strummer

How to remember the punk hero?