Bingo is a true classic in Britain. Everyone knows about this game of chance where entertaining callers control the flow of the game. Colourful lingo fills up the room as punters focus on their tickets and listen carefully. The air is electrified! The suspense is broken at the moment when the lucky player hears the number they’ve been waiting for to complete their winning combination – try Millionaire Slingo game.
As good as it sounds, bingo has been mainly attended by the elderly throughout history. Meanwhile, the youngsters seemed apprehensive about taking part in this timeless game. It is unclear why younger generations historically chose other games over bingo. However, at present, bingo games seem to have more younger players than ever before! There has been a steady trend of bingo games becoming more popular amongst all age groups. A further look into the spread of bingo is underway!
The age-old game gets upturned with the invention of the internet
At the end of the 20th century, bingo was going through a dry season that lasted longer than anyone anticipated. The once glorious game seemed to have faded into the background. Bingo halls, which were once bustling with excited players, were struggling to stay afloat, keep staff employed and many of them had to close their doors. Many people predicted that bingo will be uncrowned as the people’s game and the vast bingo hall premises will have to find alternative purposes. But that is when technology came into aid!
Perhaps bingo was becoming irrelevant. Or perhaps there was a need for some sort of innovation within the game. After all, bingo has mostly remained the same since the 18th century when it was played by French aristocracy. The innovation came in the form of online bingo which became available in the 90s shortly after the internet was introduced into our lives.
The perks of playing online bingo were numerous: players could enjoy their favourite game from the comfort of their living room; there was a range of different prices that players could buy the tickets at; digital games were easy to play and made the auto-daubing function available.
The new digital avenue presented bingo in a new light. A good portion of regular players transferred to online games while others kept visiting bingo halls, helping to save the game from extinction. The younger demographic became interested in digital bingo games with towering prizes and the rest was history!
The numbers
Just how popular is bingo amongst different age groups? With the quality of games improving, the appeal of bingo increases likewise. Here are some statistics from recent surveys:
- One analysis by age revealed that older bingo players were significantly more likely to play more often. However, younger players are more likely to spend more per bingo session.
- One survey estimated that bingo players are overwhelmingly women (75%) with only 1 in 4 players being male.
- 18-34 year-old players made up 17% of players in 2015, increasing to reach 21% in 2016 and 25% in 2017.
- The same upward motion was observed in the 35-44 age group that has increased from 21% in 2015 to 26% in 2016-2017.
- There has been a decline in the number of players aged 45-54. Their number dropped from 30% in 2015 to 26% in 2016.
- The biggest difference is amongst players aged 55+ who were leading in 2015 with 32%, being the largest group of players but then became the smallest one in 2017, having decreased to 21%!
As bingo remains steadily popular, some changes in the player demographic can be observed. Maybe it is time for the youngsters to take the game into their hands? However it might turn out in the future, bingo welcomes everyone!