There Is More To Bingo Than Gambling

by Hollie Sanders

I have always maintained that bingo is not gambling and is more of a socialising activity and I am happy to hear that there are people who agree with me. I was more than pleasantly surprised to come across another cheerful thinker who considers bingo the way I do.

That is not to say that all gambling is completely harmless, this would be a gross misunderstanding, we all know that gambling can get out of hand and people can wind up having a real problem, but bingo? I doubt it! My mother played bingo, my aunts played bingo, my Nan played bingo and my granddad played the football pools, but it was never a problem. Food always went on the table first and the bingo, horses or pools always came last if there was a little bit left over to have fun with.

If you look at the percentages of problem gamblers within the framework of the gaming industry the percentages of people who are problem gamblers is very low, something like one – one and a half percent.

The important thing to understand about bingo is the socialisation aspect, nearly everyone in the UK who has ever played bingo or has ever considered playing a game of bingo, thinks of the game as a social thing to do. It is entertainment, not gambling. Even though it is nice to win, for most people it is not about the winning at all, bingo is about the fun!