Bingo: 'Generational' game gets reinvented for new crowd

Bingo halls are changing how the centuries-old game is played to attract a new generation of fans.

Becki Tate, pictured far left, and friends use tablet devices to play bingo at Mecca Bingo in HullBingo halls, like many other traditional entertainment venues, have faced some tough years. The indoor smoking ban in 2007 has been just one of several recent challenges they have faced, with Covid and the cost of living crisis serving as the final nail in the coffin for others.

The octogenarian has been a regular for "more than 20 years", Ms Marshall tells me. For now, I leave her to her game.Ms Marshall has worked at this hall since the 1990s and few are better qualified than her to give a view of the challenges facing the industry. Ms Marshall says: "Bingo has definitely evolved. We are seeing a lot more younger customers coming in, even if they only come in from 6pm to 9pm and then go off into town."

Here in the lounge, play is relaxed, with chatter encouraged. But behind a sound-proofed wall of glass, in the sprawling hall, it is serious business, with silence only broken by losers' exasperated exhalations contrasting starkly with winners' cheers. "Americans say they invented the name bingo in the 1930s," says Ms Downs. "But certainly in 1926 I found records of it being played in Britain."

We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

bbchealth /  🏆 143. in US

Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Ohio and Detroit Are Beefing Over a Tourism Billboard [PHOTOS]If your 2023 bingo card did not include a second Michigan-Ohio war, you’re not alone.
Read more »

234 arrested at 'Go Topless Jeep Weekend' in Bolivar Peninsula which had crowd of 80,000'Go Topless Jeep Weekend' at Crystal Beach resulted in hundreds of arrests and some...
Read more »

Caitlin Ting on Shooting Incredible Photos and Standing Out From the CrowdTing’s advice is to not look at what everyone else is doing. Experiment. Take risks. Never stop shooting.
Read more »

Club pro Michael Block stuns crowd, ties for 15th at PGA ChampionshipThe 46-year-old's performance not only earned him a payout of more than $288,000, but also guaranteed him a spot in next year's major tournament.
Read more »

Filipino Taylor Swift Stans Packed a Mall to See an Eras Tour Drag ShowSwifties in the Philippines packed a mall to watch Taylor Sheesh, a local drag queen and Swift stan, perform a full set in the style of the singer’s headline-making tour
Read more »

Robert De Niro and Jeff Bezos Hit Up the Prada Party in CannesRobert De Niro, fresh off his standing ovation, joined the the party along with other celebs like Storm Reid and Alexa Chung. Cannes
Read more »