Young Brits have become an unlikely driving force for Buzz Bingo
Over half of Buzz Bingo’s new members in the last year have been under 35.
It’s a remarkable statistic for a game generally portrayed as the home of older generations; one memorable Simpsons episode features a 4pm nap time for its group of elderly players.
But that’s no longer reflective of the game in 2025: Young people have drawn into halls by the promise of affordable, light fun and “a safe place to hang out”, says Buzz Bingo chief executive Dominic Mansour.
In fact, the game attracts a “disproprtionate amount” of women, as well as queer-identifying people: “It’s a safe place, and I think younger people have picked up on that,” he says.
“[There’s a] misconception that Bingo is sort of, can be a really dull old game played by old people,” he added.
Buzz Bingo has reported record results for the second consecutive year, it said, driven by the wave of new, young customers.
Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose 20 per cent year on year, with revenue up five per cent to £217.2m.
Retail revenue i.e. money made in halls, accounted for about 80 per cent of total revenue – and rose three per cent year on year.
A full house
With high street footfall consistently lacklustre in the UK – and spending still leaving something to be desired – what does the Bingo experience offer its players?
For Mansour, it’s a combination of ‘competitive socialising’ and a sense of community – a lot of customers go every day over the week, or three or four times a week.
“Post covid, there has been this real increase in younger people who are looking for… a different kind of social experience,” he said. “It naturally just happened.”
“People are quite happy to spend a very extended period of time there, not just come for the session… it’s a place to hang out.”
Louder, more club-like experiences such as Bongo’s Bingo have also prospered, too, catering to a slightly different – but equally experience-minded – market.
One London-based company even offers a Bingo ‘multi-sensory live entertainment experience’ in Shoreditch, if nothing else another sign of how Bingo has become an accepted and welcomed form of entertainment in younger generations.
Bingo – although perhaps not multi-sensory Bingo – is also cheap, and therefore nicely insulated from the harsh side of the cost-of-living crisis.
The main concerns, in fact, come from ever-rising operating costs and uncertainty around the impact of regulatory change on the sector.
Tax rises have made employees much more costly to hire, while business rates – essentially a levy on having a physical, public-facing presence as a company – are almost universally hated by companies.
Earlier this year, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown also urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to hike gambling taxes at the Budget to help fill a looming black hole in the country’s finances.
The Betting and Gaming Council, which represents gambling companies, warned the “economically reckless” plan would push gamblers into the black market.
It’s unclear how such a change would affect Bingo, which is classed as a ‘softer’ form of gambling and therefore might escape the worst tax hike – in fact, the IPPR recommended excluding Bingo from any changes at all.
While Mansour is tight-lipped on taxes, he says that he’s “supportive of what Reeves is trying to do to grow the economy.”
“Most sectors in the UK must be concerned about the budget at the moment… [but] we’re hopeful that’ll be recognized as part of the growth of the UK.”