Bingo is still one of the most popular games in Great Britain. It has a rich history ever since the 16th century and it still remains the most popular game among Brittons. The game bingo actually originates from Italy and it spread into France before finding its way to Britain and other parts of Europe during the 18th century. During the 1920s it became part of popular culture and now it is a world-renowned game.
Once, bingo was solely a game for the working class, but today it appeals to all types of people and it seems as if its popularity does not plan on stopping. It is then no wonder that today we have numerous sites offering online bingo games. So, how did Bingo actually become a British cultural mainstay?
The Background
In the 1700s, bingo made its way to the shores of Great Britain, and only in the 20th century bingo really exploded in Britain. This game first took off in the US in the 1920s after an early version of the game started at a carnival. Edwin Lowe was the one who spotted the game and he took the game to his friends and made a few changes to the game and created “beano”. The game actually involved shouting “beano” after completing a card of numbers, but as one of the Lowe's friends accidentally called out “bingo”, the name was eventually changed. After that, the game spread across North America into Britain. And during the decline in the popularity of cinemas during the 50s, bingo grew massively across the country.
Cultural Phenomenon
In the early 60s, big changes in the British gambling laws occurred and this sparked an explosion in bingo's popularity all over the country. This game actually became an important part of British culture and it continued to increase in popularity during the 70s.
Various cinema halls were actually turned into bingo halls, and this trend spread into other venues, including holiday camps, working men's clubs, and even church halls.
Occurrence of the Big Brands
Bingo remained popular in the next decade, but the number of venues has dropped. This is due to larger chain venues opening their doors to players, which put smaller halls out of business. Still, bingo remained an important part of people's social life and thus bigger clubs started offering ever-increasing jackpots.
Ever since online bingo was introduced during the late 90s, there was a huge decline in the number of people who went to bingo halls to play. This is how bingo made its transition from halls to online platforms and the popularity of the game hasn't changed a bit.
Popularity of Online Bingo
Even though bingo halls have massively decreased, people still wanted to play and they have found their favourite game online. And this ability to play bingo on their computers and mobile devices gave this industry a huge boost because a whole new generation of players started playing the game. Today, there are countless sites and bingo games anyone can enjoy. There are thousands of bonuses, discounts, promo codes and even reviews of the most popular games and sites. For example, you can find Booty Bingo games online on sites such as BoomtownBingo, as well as many other games.
Also, by incorporating bingo in their entertainment, different venues have attracted new demographics and this had a great effect across the board. What is more, it has been predicted that the online bingo games market will reach $1.9 billion by 2022, and new venues will be opened across the country. This all looks like bingo is going to be a British cultural mainstay for many years in the future.
