Data study reconciles British bingo participation gap
In a move toward data transparency, the British Gambling Commission has released a comprehensive report investigating the coherence and comparability of bingo participation estimates. According to the Commission’s report, the project was initiated after the Bingo Association, the trade body representing licensed bingo clubs, highlighted discrepancies between its internal admission records and the findings of the inaugural Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) annual report.
The two organisations said they sought to develop a well-rounded and robust evidence base for decision-making, ensuring that regulatory actions are grounded in a clear understanding of consumer behaviour. This investigation aligns with broader recommendations from the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) to ensure that GSGB statistics are coherent with other relevant data.
The three pillars of defining modern bingo
To understand why data might vary, the report first establishes a clear framework for what constitutes the game. According to official sector guidance, bingo is defined by three fundamental principles: it must be played as an equal-chance game; it must involve a degree of participation, such as marking cards; and the games must have a clearly defined endpoint.
The landscape of where these games occur is vast. While traditional bingo clubs are the most recognisable venues, a bingo licence also covers activity in high street bingo venues, holiday parks, and working men’s clubs. Furthermore, some bingo can be played without a specific licence, such as bingo for fundraising in school halls or places of worship. The report notes that because bingo can be played almost anywhere, capturing an accurate participation rate requires a nuanced approach to where consumers are spending their money.
Physical venues dominate over online platforms
A major revelation of the report is the continued dominance of land-based bingo over the digital sector. Industry statistics for the period of April 2024 to March 2025 show that land-based bingo generated a Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) of £650.4 million ($878.2 million), and £165.6 million ($224 million) of that was generated by online bingo. Of that land-based yield, £226.4 million ($306 million) came directly from bingo games, while a substantial £424.0 million ($572.5 million) was generated by gaming machines located within bingo premises.
This financial trend is mirrored in participation rates. The GSGB found that 3.3 percent of adults played bingo in person at a venue, compared to 2.5 percent who played online.
Novel formats attract a new cohort of players
The report highlights a shifting demographic within the industry, driven by social motivations. Unlike online gambling, the report finds that in-person bingo is largely motivated by the fun and social atmosphere. This has led to the rise of “novel in-person bingo formats,” most notably Bongo’s Bingo, which “blends traditional bingo with a party atmosphere”.
Other initiatives, such as “Spingo,” a combination of exercise and bingo introduced by Mecca, demonstrate how the sector is diversifying. The report said that these examples indicate that bingo is “expanding beyond traditional bingo clubs and potentially attracting a new cohort of players” who might not otherwise engage with the gambling industry.
Methodological differences behind the initial gap
According to the report, the core of the investigation focused on why the GSGB originally reported a 3.3 percent participation rate while the Bingo Association estimated only 1.0 percent.
Researchers concluded that the differences were “largely driven by methodological differences.” The Bingo Association’s data is drawn from 86 percent of large land-based operators and focuses solely on traditional clubs. Conversely, the GSGB is a self-completion survey where respondents’ answers reflect their own understanding of what constitutes a bingo venue. The report said this allows the GSGB to capture a “broader range of in-person bingo activity,” including social clubs and fundraising events that the Bingo Association does not track.
A commitment to continuous data improvement
The agency said this exercise has helped “validate the GSGB estimates against industry data” and increased “mutual understanding of the bingo landscape.”
The Commission has pledged to continue monitoring these trends through further waves of data. “Following collaborative discussions with the Bingo Association, the Commission will continue to monitor trends relating to in-person bingo,” it said. The Commission also invited other industry stakeholders, stating that it welcomes engagement from interested parties to ensure the accuracy of British gambling statistics.
Subscribe HERE to SiGMA’s Top 10 News countdown and SiGMA’s weekly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest iGaming News from the biggest iGaming community in the world and benefit from subscriber-only offers.
