Much has been said (particularly by us) about the negative effects of bingo and stereotypes. And last week, two reports caught our eye which we think show just how far the game of bingo has come – and how online bingo operators may want to think twice before they start compartmentalising their players too much!
It seems like bingo might be finding another revival amongst the hip and happening, with Rebel Bingo opening up the possibilities of bingo to a whole different generation. Much has been made of online bingo’s effect on the appearance of the game, with the transformation of bingo from an activity held in smoky seaside clubs packed with nanas certainly busted. But now reports suggest that bingo is being treated to a bit of an underground makeover, with the appeal of the pastiche of traditional bingo clearly striking a chord with some serious party goers.
First up is the rather provocatively titled Rebel Bingo, an underground form of bingo that holds secret bingo raves across London, New York and Paris amongst others. According to an email from the rather secretive Rebel Bingo site, it is a form of bingo that is “dangerous and addictive”. Held at secret locations in London, it is a scene that seems to get more from the underground rave scene than your local Gala Bingo or Mecca Bingo club, with rather hyped warnings such as “The authorities are after us so we have to keep these meetings secret.”
The founders of the “movement” – Freddie Sorensen and James Gordon – apparently started playing bingo with friends in the basement of a small disused church hall. Over time, it seemed more and more people wanted to get involved with the game.
“The grannies in the church had a bingo wheel, and a couple of girls started playing with the bingo balls, and it was great fun. We all got involved with it,” said Gordon.
And then in other parts of the capital, it seems that monthly Gay Bingo events are creating a stir amongst people looking for a bit of hedonistic eyes down action. The brainchild of a beloved underground party trio of Jonny Woo, Andy Butcher and D.J. John Sizzle, the Gay Bingo events were apparently inspired by a trip to the Mecca Bingo hall in Hackney, around five years ago.
What started as a bit of a laugh in small Brixton bars and warehouses in East London seems to have grown, with the quirky takes on bingo lingo and withering put downs to losers and winners now becoming a monthly occurrence that attracts hundreds each time. The trio were even asked by Selfridges to host a Gay Bingo event for its 100th birthday party!
The location changes monthly, as do the themes, which have become an integral part of the night itself. From Shirley Bassey tributes to 3-D video shows, and with plenty of kinky performances, its part of a new breed of risqué bingo which seems to be attracting an even wider audience than before. And with audiences full of mothers, straight couples and gays and lesbians, it seems that more and more people are beginning to see bingo in a very different light. Whilst it is unlikely the latest incarnations of bingo will have a massive effect in quelling the growing popularity of online bingo, we have to say it’s good to see the game being given a new lease of life in the capital. Although we do have to wonder: whatever would Grandma say?!
