The Biggest Bingo Clubs in the UK
The demise and closure of many land-based bingo clubs has been covered in great detail in the press but at the same time it has been greatly exaggerated. Having said that, it is true that the activity of playing bingo in a club with friends has been on the wane for a number of years now. This can be attributed to a number of factors, one major being the introduction of the smoking ban in the UK back in 2007, which made it illegal to smoke in enclosed spaces, or even to the fact that some of the best new bingo sites in the UK are now offering the exact same games you can find in a bingo club plus lot’s more.
This way, patrons that used to visit their local club can save money on petrol and can avoid all the hustle and bustle of the club, but they do miss out on the live interaction with their friends and meeting new people.
With the constant growth of technology, the habits of gamblers are also changing, moving from land-based to laptops and more recently to their mobile phones. Still, even with that in mind, many land-based operators are investing millions of pounds in renovating their old brick and mortars and even building new ones in strategically chosen locations.
In order to highlight the continued popularity of land-based bingo, we have decided to run down the three biggest bingo clubs in the UK.
#1. Beacon Bingo – Cricklewood
There are five Beacon Bingo clubs, part of the Praesepe Group, with the one located at Cricklewood Broadway in London being able to accommodate over 2,700 patrons. They also happen to be featured in the Guinness World Records after Shaban Binaku from North London scooped an amazing £100,000; the biggest cash prize ever paid out when playing a game of bingo at a single venue.
#2. Beacon Bingo – Northampton
Enjoying the view from the number two slot, sister club Beacon in Northampton is thought to be the second biggest club, able to seat close to 1,500 patrons. Funnily enough, this club moved up a spot on our list after The London Palace Bingo, which was owned and operated by Palatial Leisure Limited, winded down its operations in April of this year. It was located at the top of the Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre and it was considered the second biggest club across the country for many years, with adequate space for over 2,000 of their patrons. How the mighty have fallen!
#3. Mecca Bingo – Camden Town
This venue on Arlington Road is well-known for its special themed nights, entertaining hosts and the ladies love their cocktails. This is next door to the Odeon Cinema and can seat around 1,200 bingo players. It is open seven days a week from 12pm until 12am and with the backing of the Rank Group, you can expect a great selection of games and big prizes up for grabs.
In Conclusion
According to the Gambling Commission, and a report that was updated on May 30 2019, as of September 2018, there are a total of 650 bingo premises in Great Britain, a small decrease of 1.1% from March 2018. So, with that in mind and just as long as people are still enjoying purchasing their bingo cards and using their daubers to mark their numbers, this favorite pastime will continue to flourish.