We often see run down areas of cities gentrified, particularly in London. The likes of Peckham, Brixton and Croydon have been given a new lease of life as the city expands and people find places to live.

Trendy coffee shops, craft beer bars and health food stores now line the high streets, with young professionals now calling these roads and avenues home. Some say the old London has gone, others believe it’s brought previously undesirable areas into the 21st century. What can’t be argued is that it has brought areas into the 21st century.

It’s a talking point across many UK cities, as areas of once deprivation are seeing new swanky apartments and a younger generation, flush with cash arrive in town.

Why are we talking about this in an article clearly meant to be about bingo you might be thinking? Well, that’s because it’s also happening in bingo too.

Bingo – The Stereotype

It’s fair to say that bingo in the UK produces quite the stereotype. It’s a stereotype that the industry has really battled with, and has been a contributing factor in why many bingo halls up and down the country have closed down over recent years.

Think of bingo and you’ll likely think of older ladies getting rather aggressive in their play. A musty smell in the air and chicken in a basket. Bingo halls are often considered run down, with carpets unchanged since the 1980s, and bingo callers are almost a caricature.

That has led to a gap in new generations enjoying bingo in halls. However, all is not lost though as recent statistics have shown that there are more younger players than ever before…

A New Breed of Bingo Player

In fact, there are actually now more players under the age of 50, than there are the stereotypical player many of us visualise. According to a study, the largest number of bingo players today are between the age of 25 and 34, with 9/10 under the age of 50.

Over the last few years there’s also been a steady stream of new players with one in five online bingo players having only taken up the game in the past two years. It’s a remarkable resurgence, and there a number of reasons as to why that has happened…

Bingo Brought into the 21st Century

Bingo has been resurrected in two major ways, with online bingo now being bigger than ever. It’s a huge industry that is ever growing and has also seen a significant increase in players during the lockdown period.

Online bingo has been the major catalyst in the resurrection of bingo, with many of the major online bingo brands offering far more variants than a regular bingo hall can. What’s more, it gives players the ability to play from home, as well as whenever wherever.

A YouGov poll found that seven out of 10 bingo players only play online, and that’s largely down to the variations of the game on offer. As well as the more traditional forms, the likes of slingo bingo, speed bingo and roulette bingo are providing players with something outside the norm, and it’s giving players something to stick around for.

The rise of varying payment methods that are faster and safer than ever is also helping. Whether you’re looking to pay by debit card or looking for PayPal bingo, there is something there for you, and it’s developing a level of trust that can’t be ignored. With PayPal especially, it’s become a part of how many people pay for all manner of items, so the ability to use it for bingo instantly makes players feel comfortable in trusting and playing with a site.

However, online isn’t the only way bingo is being catapulted into the 21st century. In fact, there’s been a resurgence of offline bingo too. You won’t find it in the regular bingo halls though, but rather arenas and concert venues, as music meets bingo, and a totally weird and wonderful concept.

Not only is it giving younger bingo players the chance to enjoy it in a brick-and-mortar venue, it’s also introducing new players to the game, who are then getting a taste of the game and playing more regularly.

What that’s leading to is a rise of players in the more traditional venues too, and it appears that this new wave of bingo night is complimenting both online and the more traditional bingo evening.

It’s helping bring the came well into the 21st century, when many other games which date back as far as bingo does have failed. There doesn’t appear to be any sign of the industry slowing down, which begs the question…

What will be the next big thing in bingo?