Bingo: Why It's Not Just Your Granny's Game Anymore

If you hear the word “bingo” and your only thoughts are of a communal hall, full of blue-rinses, petticoats and Brylcreem comb-overs, you’re way behind the times. Bingo has evolved, and it can now be said to rival selfies on elevators as a favourite millennial pastime, both online and offline.

Bingo in the UK is commonly associated with older folk and the kind of rose-tinted nostalgia that comes with well-worn photograph albums of postwar holidays along the English coastline. But, even though many of these sentimental golden oldies might still love to get their hands on a dabbing pen, and giggle at naughty bingo lingo innuendos, the game has changed!

Today, bingo has evolved from the days of wholesome innocence—and life without television—to become a rollicking good night out for the young and old alike. What’s more, online bingo has made the game explode in popularity with an entirely new demographic. So much so that now, all kinds of lucky pants are being slipped into, from sexy low-cut thongs to high-waisted elasticated briefs.

In this post, we’ll explore some of the ways that bingo has changed — and isn’t just for the baby boomers anymore!

5 reasons why bingo is not just your granny’s game anymore

1. Society has changed 

Bingo had its first moment in the limelight in a post-war world, at least in the UK. This was a time of courting, manners and overall conservatism, so it makes sense that bingo might still have a bygone feel about it. But those days are gone! Today we’ve swapped courting for Tinder and texting, and the whole world manages their lives through a tiny handheld computer.

This means that you don’t need to even take a step out of your living room to grab a game nowadays. All you need to do is visit an online bingo site and register to play, at any time of the day!

2. Playing bingo games is now easier 

Many pensioners might be used to waiting patiently for a game to happen in-person, but the average internet user today gets impatient when their browser doesn’t load in a matter of milliseconds. This means that online bingo games are faster to access and easier to play, with the option to automatically keep track of your numbers so you don’t even have to concentrate!

All that you need to worry about is finding the best bingo sites to suit your preferences, including the style of the game that you like to play, and the number of balls you like to play with (get your mind out the gutter!).

3. There is so much more variety 

Traditional bingo with a hand-cranked ball cage is definitely still happening out there, somewhere, but today there is more variety than ever before. 

If you like online slots, and all of the insane variety of themed graphic interfaces that come with them, you can now even play Slingo! That’s a far cry from sitting on a church hall chair next to your nan trying to keep track of the numbers being called out from the front of the room.

In the physical world, the rising popularity of bingo raves has also taken the game far beyond what anyone might have expected, with more drinking and dancing on tabletops than devoted number dabbing. If we actually stop to think about all of the raucousnesses that goes on at these kinds of over-18 bingo parties, it’s enough to get any granny’s knickers in a twist!

4. Celebrities have made the game cool again 

The fact that Kate Moss is a reported fan of bingo is enough to convince even the most self-conscious 20-something that playing bingo is cool — and for good reason! If that wasn’t enough, legendary (and sexy) bingo party fans like The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger have also done wonders for the popularity of the game.

While your granny might not need any convincing, it takes a lot of street cred to make a game cool for millennials again. So, true to its celebrity-approved status, bingo has managed to reinvent itself, yet again, to become a game that can be played anywhere, and with anyone.

What’s more, you can even use the chat feature to engage in some light banter with other players — what could be more MTV Generation than that?

5. Simple, exciting games will always be fun to play

It’s no surprise that bingo has managed to outgrow its common associations with pensioners and communal halls because it’s actually been evolving for hundreds of years!

Getting deep into the intricacies of bingo history going might not be the most riveting way to spend your time, but the fact remains that it's been played all over the world for centuries.

As it’s moved around the globe, going from “Beano” to bingo, and from carnivals to church halls and everywhere in between, it’s been played in a number of different ways. This shows how each new generation adapts it and makes it their own. This also highlights the fact that it hasn’t lost its simple and exciting appeal, even after crisscrossing oceans and continents.

Judging by the fun everyone is having at bingo raves, and when playing online bingo games, we can’t wait to see what’s next!

Get your hands full of bingo balls with Lucky Pants Bingo

If the insights in this post weren’t enough to convince you to get involved, here is some extra encouragement to pause that selfie shot, don your luckiest underthings and play some rounds of the best online bingo at Lucky Pants Bingo. All you need to do is sign up or log in and get dabbing!