Playing bingo in Europe

One of the most known games in the West including parts of Europe is bingo. Global estimates show that around 1.6 people play bingo across the world every year, both at land-based bingo halls and at online casinos. The number of people that are playing bingo on their mobiles and smart devices, as well as computers, has grown substantially over the years with experts estimating that this number sits around 100 million.

In this article we’ll explore the history of bingo and its popularity within Europe, as well as some of the most popular European cities to play bingo and what differs between them.

Read on to find out more.

A brief history of bingo

 While bingo is popular today, it’s actually had a century’s old history that goes all the way back to 1530 in Italy. It’s here where bingo’s origins are said to have been created, from there traversing into France where it was played by the aristocracy. From France, it made its way to Britain and then eventually the US and became popular with US and British troops in the first and second World War.

During the 60s, the much beloved bingo hall boomed in popularity with thousands of people making it one of their main forms of leisure and entertainment. Of course, nothing transformed bingo like the rise of the internet in the 1990s which led to the birth of online casinos and brought new audiences and players to bingo. By this time, the bingo halls had begun to wain in popularity, but it faced a massive resurgence during the 2000s as players realised they could enjoy their favourite themed bingo games from the comfort of their homes – or conveniently, on the go. These days, it seems like more people than ever are playing bingo online; and despite a varied history, the game shows no signs in stopping anytime soon.

The most popular countries to play bingo in Europe

If you’re looking to play bingo in Europe, here are some of the countries where the game has been (and continues) to be popular.

England

Bingo has had an important part in British culture for decades, with bingo halls becoming a distinctive UK social feature across towns and cities in England during the 1960s. There are still hundreds of bingo clubs across the UK, as well as the game being played regularly at places like leisure centres and pubs, as well as part of popular themed nights like bongo bingo.

Online bingo has also become a huge part of the leisure activities for British people where they play online bingo for money at various reputable sites such as winkbingo. This has led to new audiences playing the game, especially younger demographics who would have associated bingo with older generations in the past.

Bingo has become so well-known and a go-to game everywhere in Europe.

Italy

Italy has strong connections with bingo, with many considering it the birthplace of this popular game. It remains one of the top places to play bingo in Europe, with many venues and a growing younger demographic keeping it relevant. Some reports show that the annual bingo turnover in Italy consisted of 240 Euros, which is evidence to just how much Italians still love a bingo game!

Russia

You might not associate Russia with bingo, but in Moscow a wide audience of viewers enjoy tv bingo, which allows them to play their favourite game daily from the comfort of home!

Germany

Germans have played bingo since all the way back in the 1880s, although it remains a very popular game across the country in 2023. A fun fact is that the bingo system as played with cards has been used to help children learn maths and spelling in schools, which shows the diverse applications of this game in Europe.

Romania

Romania is another place in Europe where bingo has become a favourite pastime, with Romanians visiting the various bingo halls across the country. There are regulations for online bingo however, are unclear, so when visiting it’s best to visit a land-based hall to get in a bit of bingo time!

Hungary

Hungary has a rich history, but should you be visiting you’ll also get a bit of time to enjoy bingo too at their hotspots in the towns and cities. There has been some rise too in Hungarians playing online bingo, which goes to show that it seems there are very few places that people aren’t enjoying their favourite games online.