Bingo (British version)

These closures are blamed on high taxes, the smoking ban, and the rise in online gambling, amongst other things.

[2] Players mark off numbers on a ticket as they are randomly called out in order to achieve a winning combination.

The similar Tombola was used in nineteenth-century Germany as an educational tool to teach children multiplication tables, spelling, and even history.

Early British slang records bingo as... "A customs officer's term, the triumphal cry employed on a successful search."

But it definitely gained its initial popularity with the first modern version of the game appearing at carnivals and fairs in the 1920s and is attributed to Hugh J.

The introduction of the Betting and Gaming Act 1960 on 1 January 1961 saw large cash-prizes legalised and the launch of Mecca Bingo by Mecca Leisure Group, led by Eric Morley, who had a large chain of dancehalls and introduced bingo into 60 of them, including the Lyceum Ballroom.

The game is presided over by a caller, whose job it is to call out the numbers and validate winning tickets.

If it does, they mark it off with a special marker called a "dabber" or "dauber", or simply cross it off with a pen or pencil, depending on the venue.

When all the numbers required to win a prize have been marked off, the player shouts in order to attract the caller's attention.

The different winning combinations are: An official or member of staff will then come and check the claim: There will often be an interval halfway through the game.

[10] This allows players to purchase more than the standard 6 tickets per game, thus increasing their chances of winning.

This allows players to purchase a larger number of tickets than they would usually be able to handle from playing on paper.

The electronic board on which the tickets are played are usually black touchscreen terminals, with screens slightly larger than DVD cases.

This means that the staff member who verifies their claim does not need to physically provide them with their cash winnings.

Players can choose when to play by inserting credit into a coin slot, with games typically costing either 50p or £1 per board.

To activate Board B, players must insert extra credit and press their claim buttons.

[14] In fast-paced electronic bingo games, players press a claim button to signal a winning combination, allowing operators to collect more frequent par-fees.

Prize money is delivered to the winner's table, and electronic board winnings are automatically added to their bingo account.

In Northern Ireland bingo clubs, different regulations apply, and callers announce wins without player participation.

Generally, between 10 and 20 clubs will link up and play a much larger game of mechanised cash bingo, with prize money in the hundreds.

In November 2012, Mecca introduced its own version of Buzz's National Party Xtra XL game, known as the Richest Link.

Equally, all Mecca clubs in the UK link up offering prize money worth thousands of pounds.

For example, during weekday afternoon sessions and Monday and Wednesday evening sessions, The Gala Bingo clubs in Aldershot, Dover, Maidstone, Nottingham St. Anne's and Wokingham link up for four pages of gameplay during the first half of Gala Bingo's Main Event.

[18] These closures are blamed on high taxes, the smoking ban, and the rise in online gambling, amongst other things.

At Gala, a link is played for the late session (known as the 'Last Chance') and consists of two pages and is free.

In Northern Ireland bingo clubs, distinct laws lead to a common practice called "parti bingo," where the caller announces a winning position without player participation, allowing customers to play more positions for a better chance of winning.

In 2003, Butlins holiday camps introduced some more modern calls devised by a professor of Popular Culture in an attempt to bring fresh interest to bingo.

BBC Television also produced a sitcom, Eyes Down, starring Paul O'Grady, which ran for two series (2003–2004) and focused on the staff at a bingo club.

In 2020, a pilot episode of Full House, a documentary made by production company Tuesdays Child the previous year, was aired.