From Bingo Halls to Bingo Sites – The History of Bingo

Bingo has been popular in the UK for decades, with traditional bingo halls taking off almost as soon as the laws on gambling in the UK were relaxed in the 1960s. But the attraction of bingo was not just about the game itself.

Bingo is undoubtedly a fun game. It brings a certain sense of satisfaction while crossing off — or dabbing — the numbers, tension would mount as the cards filled and a win drew closer. Then the game would reach a climax as all the players shared the anticipation of someone crying ‘House!’ while carrying the hope it would be them.

Those attractions, though, were just a part of the appeal. Bingo became an incredibly social activity. Games were not played in solitude, but were an event at which players would regularly meet their friends for a get-together and catch-up on gossip. They became nights out, where they would have food and drink, and for many it was a family affair, used to mark events, celebrations or just the weekend.

Surprisingly, online bingo carries with it many of these advantages. While you don’t have to go to a physical bingo hall, and you will have to make your own food (or pay for someone to deliver it), it has retained its social side.

Some of the UK’s top bingo sites

What are the advantages of online bingo?

Online bingo is, basically, bingo with all the advantages you would expect from being on the internet.

You can play at home

In the old days you would have to drag yourself to the bingo hall if you wanted a game. While that might not seem such a bad thing on a warm summer’s evening, on cold, wet winter nights it is much less appealing. Many people don’t even have a bingo hall close to them; a familiar sight in even small towns in their heyday, many bingo halls have now closed.

Now you can play in the comfort of your own home, whether that’s sat at a computer or curled up cosily on the sofa it’s up to you. No need to get cold or wet for your game.

You can play on the go

The beauty of the modern internet is that you aren’t limited to wires and cables any more. Bingo sites are optimised for a range of devices, so you can play it anywhere. If you fancied playing a game at your favourite coffee shop, you can. If you want to while away the wait for a bus or train, you can. If you really miss getting cold and wet going to the bingo hall, well, you can do that too!

Online bingo means you can just log on how and where you want. As long as you have a device with an internet connection, you are good to go.

You can play when you want

Online bingo is being played 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In the days of the physical bingo hall it was limited to when people in the area wanted to play, which was usually evenings or during the day.

Being online means players can come from anywhere and all walks of life. If you work shifts, there will be other players who work shifts and want a 3am game too. If you’re an early bird who wants a game to wake up your brain over a coffee, there’ll be players across the country to join, even if there aren’t any in your town.

Bingo sites are always starting games, so you can play at your convenience, not the site’s.

Bingo is bigger online

Physical bingo halls were limited by their size. While often large, they couldn’t easily get any bigger. Even if they wanted to and could afford to expand their neighbours would probably have something to say about it!

The internet isn’t constrained by physical space. While sites need the infrastructure to run games, in practice they can be as big as they, or the players want. This means there are often huge games (with big prizes) being played because they aren’t limited by how many bodies they can squeeze into a hall.

You aren’t just limited to bingo

Bingo halls were, as the name suggests, focused on bingo so most of their building would be dedicated to the game. This meant there weren’t many alternatives if you fancied a change to playing bingo.

Playing online you will find that the sites will have lots of other options. Frequently bingo sites are part of a larger casino, so you can easily try your luck in the casino or on the slots. Even if it is a pure bingo site, it’s very likely to be part of a larger operation that you can easily use.

There are lots of free bingo games or offers

These are especially obvious for new players, but bingo sites have offers all the time. If you have not signed up for a site they will usually have some incentive to get you on-board as a player. These are usually framed as free games or perhaps a matched deposit. If you are already a signed up member there will still be offers available for you, although they might not be quite so generous, but what’s not to like about free games?

You should, however, be careful with offers since they will usually have conditions attached, such as the games you can use them on, or limits on when you can withdraw winnings. This does not mean they aren’t great offers, but that you should be careful to make sure the offer is right for you.

You need never miss a game

The popularity of tradition bingo meant that many players were disappointed to find their hall was already full when they wanted to play. This can still happen with online bingo if a game has a player limit. However, you can purchase tickets in advance to make sure you have a place. And because it’s online, you can buy your cards whenever and wherever you want. The only thing you need to worry about is turning up to the game on time.

You’ll never miss a number

Anyone who has played in real-life will have seen the bingo professional. They will effortlessly dab off the numbers from a table full of cards while keeping up a chat with their neighbours without breaking a sweat.

You don’t need the dexterity of an octopus to keep up when you play online, though. You can simply set your computer to mark off your card for you. If you enjoy the ritual of dabbing your own numbers, you can do that too. But if you get distracted by a cheeky joke in chat it’s no problem because the computer will pick up any numbers you miss.

There’s a wider variety of games online

British bingo hall traditionally played 90-ball bingo and this version remains the most popular in online bingo too. If you are happy sticking with this, then you will have no problem. But if you fancied trying something a little different you’ll be able to find any type of bingo being played online.

Common alternatives include 80-ball and 75-ball, which follow similar rules with wins for lines, full houses and sometimes shapes or patterns on the card. But newer variants are becoming more popular. 30-ball bingo offers a fast-paced take on the traditional game, while 52-5 bingo is even quicker, featuring just five numbers or symbols on each card.

The community is still there

While you won’t see people in-person playing online bingo (unless you arrange to play with someone else), online bingo has retained the strong sense of community that has always been associated with bingo.

Games will have chats running alongside them, so you can chat with fellow players and celebrate wins together. Sites also frequently have lounges away from the games, where you can meet while you wait for the next game or simply take a break from playing.

It brings lots of benefits

The game of bingo brings a surprising range of benefits to players. The requirements of the game mean that bingo players get a lot of cognitive benefits. Players will often have better memory and concentration than other people because they have developed this during playing. Those that actively mark their card may also see benefits in hand-eye coordination and reaction times.

It is also a huge stress-reliever and research has shown that playing bingo may be associated with decreased stress and increased happiness.

Above all else it’s great fun

Frankly, none of the advantages online bingo offers would be worth much if it wasn’t for the fact that the game is great fun. While numerous benefits are associated with bingo, both online and offline, bingo is not the only way to meet friends, have a night out (or in) or relax.

Bingo’s popularity stems from the game itself is huge fun to play, win or lose: having fun is the best advantage of online bingo.