Posted by It’s fair to say that until quite recently, bingo may have shouldered a somewhat unfair stereotype about the age demographic of its players – play it here.
Up until bingo made its transition online in the 1990s, becoming sleek, smart, and modern, the general thought of bingo was either your Auntie or your Nan toddling off down to the local bingo hall, listening to Donny Osmond and Cliff Richard.
Official statistics indicated that even in the early 1990s, the average age of players was 60+. No, bingo wasn’t that cool.
Enter the internet
When bingo was swallowed up by the digital age, everything changed dramatically. Sadly, traditional bricks and mortar bingo halls fell into decline as more people signed up online. Subsequently, as the demographic of internet users is substantially younger, games like bingo saw a surge in popularity.
Fast-forward to 2021, and research conducted by the YouGov organisation confirms that the online bingo gaming sector is largely inhabited by young people.
The study shows that bingo is far more popular amongst the 25-34 age demographic than any other bracket.
At the same time, it was always thought that traditionally, men weren’t really interested in bingo and that the overwhelming majority of players were female. However, although figures suggest that women are still playing bingo more than men, it doesn’t mean that the number of men playing online bingo is comparatively low.
“As it happens, 38% of the 25-34 age group is male, while the remaining 62% is female. If you were to look at similar research done in 2015, the percentage of men playing bingo online was 35%. So, even though that figure is only three percent lower, it’s clear that more men are engaging in bingo today.” [1]
Variations of bingo
Something else that has helped bingo become more popular amongst the younger demographics are the variations on a theme.
One such variation definitely worth mentioning is Bongo Bingo. If you’ve never heard of Bongo Bingo, you may do soon. It’s best described as an amalgamation of bingo and going to Ibiza.
You’re there at the bingo hall, listening for your numbers to be called out, when suddenly, at random, there’ll be an impromptu rave or a trance-style dance-off with people jumping up and down spontaneously on the tables.
If you feel inhibited, you can drink beer, cocktails, or shots in order to loosen up and feel the vibe, and overall, it’s a way for young people to marry together two very different worlds, adding a 21st century millennial twist to a rapidly outdating British institution.
Keeping it fresh
There’s also Slingo, which is a mix of slots games and bingo. You use a 5×5 grid and a reel that you’d see in regular slots.
Play starts when you spin the reel and the numbers that appear are the ones you can tick off your Slingo card. Like bingo, the goal in Slingo is to match five in a row, as many times as you can.
It’s just about keeping things fresh, and adding dimensions to things to bring in a new crowd. This doesn’t mean changing something beyond recognition. For the traditionalists, you can still find plenty of normal bingo games available.
To go back to the original question, the answer is a resounding no. Bingo has changed tack and is a popular, energetic, and sometimes crazy game which entertains all age demographics alike.