- Updated by Mike Bennett on -
This report presents an overview of the UK bingo industry, its participants, its organisers and the trends that have characterized it in recent years. While the available data on the bingo industry is limited and is not collected centrally by any branch of the UK government, we use a variety of data sources, including surveys of bingo participants, to construct a snapshot of the current shape of the industry.
We also suggest several possible future trends for the industry in terms of participation demographics, the composition of bingo providers (commercial vs. charity) and the composition of online vs. in-person bingo events.
This report presents an overview of the UK bingo industry, its participants, its organisers and the trends that have characterized it in recent years. While the available data on the bingo industry is limited and is not collected centrally by any branch of the UK government, we use a variety of data sources, including surveys of bingo participants, to construct a snapshot of the current shape of the industry. We also suggest several possible future trends for the industry in terms of participation demographics, the composition of bingo providers (commercial vs. charity) and the composition of online vs. in-person bingo events.
Perhaps surprisingly, the total size of the bingo industry, including both charity and commercial, has remained relatively steady over the period between 2008 and 2019, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. While the number of players and total revenue has not grown over this period, it has also not fallen, indicating that the industry remains as popular despite the growing number of alternatives available and the popular perception of the game as being limited to older players.
In the run-up to the pandemic, total revenues of the UK bingo industries stood approximately at the 2008-2019 average of £680m. As can be seen in the figure below, aggregate industry revenues over this period remained remarkably consistent. However, it is worth noting that focusing on the aggregate may mask important internal trends on which data is not available. For example, several reports indicate a growth in the bingo services of large commercial betting companies such as Ladbrokes.
Taken together with the aggregate statistics, it is possible that this growth has come at the expense of both smaller commercial bingo organisations and the local bingo charity industry. Further analysis of this trend requires micro-level data, which is currently unavailable, particularly since the majority of companies operating in this industry are not publicly traded.
While the COVID-19 pandemic caused considerable damage to the industry, it has since mostly recovered from this shock. As seen in the figure, industry-wide revenues dropped considerably during the pandemic. As demonstrated both in participation surveys and communications from commercial companies, this is because traditional bingo events have been held in person. While the pandemic accelerated an already existing trend of a rise in the use of online bingo services, the development and expansion of these services was not immediate and, in any case, does not entirely substitute for traditional face-to-face events. It is this factor that accounts for the considerable drop in revenues to approximately 450m in the first year of the pandemic.
Notably, as online services became more widespread and pandemic-related restrictions were lifted. In aggregate, the industry has bounced back from the pandemic – by 2024, 92% of the pre-pandemic average revenue had been restored. It is worth noting, however, that this is only an industry aggregate, and data on potential changes to the composition of the industry are not available. For example, several large commercial companies have announced expansions of their operations in recent years, raising the possibility that larger organisations are “pushing out” smaller, more traditional or charity-based ones – perhaps due to financial pressures caused by the pandemic.
The most important development in the bingo industry to emerge in recent years has been the expansion of platforms for the use of online bingo. As noted above, this trend predates the pandemic but has likely been pushed forward significantly by the COVID-19 era restrictions.
The figure below presents the annual shares of online and in-person bingo events. This figure clearly shows that the move towards online bingo began already in 2014, when approximately 10% of bingo events were held online and not in person. This is likely due to the emergence of available platforms on which to conduct remote bingo events, as well as the relatively widespread use of devices from which to participate in these, particularly among an older demographic.
Data does not exist on the way in which the move to online bingo is distributed between charity and commercial organisations. It is unclear, for example, whether the first bingo providers to offer online services were commercial companies or rather charity events. It is likely, however, that the first to develop these services were the large commercial betting companies with sufficient capital to invest in these projects and that only later, these platforms became available for use by smaller organizations.
Between the years 2014-2019, the share of online bingo use grew at a relatively stable pace, averaging 18.5% online over this period. As seen in the figure, the pandemic caused a considerable jump in the use of online bingo, as restrictions meant that the traditional face-to-face events could not be held. In the year 2019 approximately 43% of all bingo events were conducted online.
Interestingly, following the pandemic, the rates of online bingo did not remain significantly higher than the pre-pandemic rates. In fact, by the end of the restrictions, the share of online bingo use had fallen back to approximately 20%, suggesting that despite potential benefits such as ease of access and low costs, bingo users still overall prefer in-person events. The relative stability of the share of online events also suggests that it is unlikely that online bingo with overrun traditional forms of bingo in the near future. This has some important implications for the composition of the industry. Approximately 79% of the total revenue from online bingo in 2023 was reported by 5 large commercial companies.
The average user of bingo events is considerably younger than the popular image of bingo events. In fact, according to the available statistics based on recent YouGov surveys, the drivers of the above-mentioned increase in participation have been young women in the 25-34 age group.
According to a recent YouGov poll, conditional on an individual having played online bingo in the past 12 months, there is a probability of approximately 0.28 of these individuals being in the 25-34 age group – the largest age group in this category. In addition, the second largest age group is 34-44, which represents 26% of the sample. In other words, 44% of the participants in online bingo have been relatively younger than the average for in-person bingo, which stands at approximately 60.
A gender decomposition of the participants in online bingo shows that not only is the surge in participants driven by young players but it is primarily driven by young women. Of the largest age group, 25-34, 62% were found to be females. This is substantially more than women’s share in the total gambler population, which is just 38%.
Online bingo events are also more likely to be frequented by individuals from modest financial backgrounds when compared to in-person events. 33% of the poll were classified as such individuals, compared to just 26% in the total industry. The share of high-income participants is also slightly lower in the online bingo industry compared to the industry as a whole: 17% vs 20%.
The significant representation of younger women in online bingo highlights broader shifts in leisure and gaming preferences, influenced potentially by accessibility, convenience, and the social nature of online platforms. These evolving trends suggest that online bingo platforms have successfully appealed to and captured a vibrant and youthful audience, reshaping perceptions of who plays bingo today. This shift may have further implications for targeted marketing, game design, and community-building strategies within the online gaming industry.
The available data does not make clear when the trends in engagement frequency are, nor does it give a precise picture of the trends in community participation. However, the above-mentioned data can be used to raise several hypotheses.
The relative stability in overall use suggests that bingo, both in its in-person and online form, bingo continues to provide an important and in-demand service to British communities. This is despite the appearance of other, more individual forms of entertainment.
Another important conclusion arising from the available data is that despite its image, bingo is not restricted to older participants. In other words, younger and new participants have recently joined the group of Britons who are members of bingo communities. This, in turn, suggests that bingo may continue to be a popular form of community engagement in the future.
Surprisingly, the rise in online bingo participation has not come at the expense of in-person bingo, as is demonstrated in the figure above. The combined trends of growth in online use and stability in in-person participation suggest that the two may be complimentary and casts doubt on the assumption that in-person participation will diminish as online bingo becomes more widespread.
Data from which to draw definite conclusions about the expected trends is limited. However, the above-mentioned YouGov survey indicates that a high proportion of online bingo participants are also in-person participants. This suggests that those players who are particularly avid bingo players in person may be more likely to be attracted to online playing.
This trend also suggests that online bingo provides some similar benefits as in-person bingo. While there are obvious differences, online bingo still provides a sense of interaction and social participation. This may be particularly true when combined with in-person participation, as players interact with other players that they expect to meet in person in the future.
In terms of purely economic factors, the difference between online and in-person bingo is negligible. This is because, whether charity fundraising or commercial bingo, the revenue generated by these games is identical.
However, as noted above, the rise in online bingo use may have socio-economic implications. In other words, the over-representation of low-income participants in online events, when compared to in-person events, implies that some thought over the potential impacts of online bingo is warranted. If, for instance, online bingo is more easily accessible, or alternatively online bingo users are more susceptible to manipulation, this trend could have negative socio-economic implications.
Bingo charities have played an important role in British community life for many years. In the UK, bingo is highly associated not only with community activity and social events but also with charitable fundraising activities. In this context, funds raised from the community gathering are donated to charitable causes.
Across the UK in the past few years, bingo isn’t just a cherished pastime–it’s becoming an instrumental force for community support and charitable fundraising. Recent events across the nation vividly demonstrate how bingo is bringing together communities, raising substantial funds, and supporting various important causes.
In this context, the bingo industry plays a double role in British community life. These organisations provide both an important form of community entertainment and engagement while being one of the primary sources for funding charitable organisations in the UK.
This report finds several potentially significant factors affecting the UK bingo industry:
The conclusion of this report is that bingo continues to be an important cultural phenomenon in the UK and continues to attract new groups of participants despite its image as an outdated form of entertainment. This is likely due to the community aspect of the game, which is lacking in other forms of modern entertainment. As such, the increasing popularity of online bingo does not seem to pose a threat to more traditional, in-person events.
https://yougov.co.uk/society/articles/21613-full-house-who-driving-online-bingos-growth
https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/licensees-and-businesses/sectors/sector/bingo
https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/licensees-and-businesses/guide/page/bingo-for-fundraising
https://www.variety.org.uk/corporate-partner/the-bingo-association/
https://www.times-series.co.uk/leisure/24413087.barnet-drag-bingo-raises-1k-age-uk-pride-charities/
https://www.cambrian-news.co.uk/news/birdys-bingo-brings-in-over-ps3000-for-school-582773
https://bingo-association.co.uk/about-us/
https://www.unicef.org.uk/fundraise/fundraising-ideas/charity-bingo/
https://dabbers.bingo/about-dabbers/charity/
https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/activities/bingo-night/
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