How Bingo Players Navigate Between Physical Halls and Online Casinos

Online bingo hasn't killed traditional bingo halls.

22:51 30 July 2025

Online bingo hasn't killed traditional bingo halls. Instead, both are thriving together in ways that challenge everything we thought we knew about digital disruption.

Recent data tells a fascinating story. Between April 2021 and October 2023, online bingo participation among British players jumped from 7% to 12%. But here's the twist—offline participation didn't decline. It actually doubled from 5% to 10% during the same period.

What we're seeing isn't replacement. It's growing.

Today's online bingo casino players are not necessarily making a conscious effort to choose between a digital or physical experience. They’re picking the contents of both experiences that suit them best, they’re adopting a hybrid gaming approach, and they’re changing our perspectives on choice and entertainment options. Statistically, this exists, as 40% of UK bingo players play across both venues, 45% play online only and only 15% play traditional bingo halls exclusively.

This isn’t about one format winning over another. Its considering why people play, where, and how those needs change depending on mood, circumstance and social appetite.

Two Sides of the Same Lucky Coin

Physical bingo halls and online sites have different functions in players' lives. They should be viewed less as competitors and more like complementary experiences, where both can satisfy different urges.

In this regard, the bingo hall offers something that online platforms cannot replicate - authentic human connection. Regular players make friendships in person that extend outside of the venue, making a weekly bingo night a social highlight. The experience of a bingo hall is a community experience that online chat rooms cannot completely duplicate, no matter how hard they try.

Online bingo platforms offer the only real competing experience, convenience and variety, which physical bingo venues cannot offer. You can play at 2 AM in your pyjamas, choose from 75-ball, 80-ball, 90-ball, and 30-ball variations, and avoid the hassle of travel and parking.

Analyzing the spending behavior provides insight into player engagement online. As of October 2023, 41% of online players spend more than £15 a month (up from 33% in October 2021). These are not the casual players who are exploring digital offerings; these are people who are committed participants and they have discovered real value in the online experience.

The twist is that greater engagement online will not diminish the value of visiting physical halls. To put it another way, many of the same individuals who spend a considerable amount of money online still appreciate making weekly visits to a physical hall to meet with their fellow participants, for the social aspects of the activity that the screen cannot provide.

The Millennial Bingo Revolution

The demographic breakdown shows an unexpected story about the people driving this dual format. Cross-platform players—those using both halls and online platforms—are younger than one might expect.

Of mixed-format players, 50.5% are Millennials aged 29-44.Generation Xaccounts for 28%, while women account for 65.1% of mixed-format players. These are not digital natives abandoning their prior in-person experience—they are a skilled demographic trying to take advantage of new forms of entertainment.

When differences are compared for each format player, we get patterns. Online-only players are 49% Millennial, with slightly lower female representation at 56.7%. In-person players are 40.2% Millennial, while showing the highest female representation overall at 67.3%.

What's particularly telling is mobile usage among online-only players: 77.4% primarily use smartphones for their gaming. This suggests convenience often trumps other considerations for digital-first players.

The spending behaviour of online players adds another layer to this story. They're more likely to stake over £100 monthly compared to general UK gamblers—26% versus 16%. This isn't casual entertainment spending. It's meaningful engagement that reflects genuine enjoyment and value perception.

Geographic concentration also plays a role, with mixed-format players clustering around major urban centres: London, Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester. Access to both quality halls and reliable internet infrastructure likely influences these patterns.

Digital Halls, Physical Clicks

Understanding how players actually move between formats reveals the sophistication of modern bingo consumption. This isn't random switching—it's strategic selection based on specific needs and circumstances.

Players use physical halls when they want social interaction and shared experiences. People utilize the digital space to enjoy fast-paced games during lunch hours, late-night games, or just when there is no realistic way to get to their local hall.

Game formats largely remain consistent between in-person games and online games:

- 90-ball bingo continues to dominate the scene, touching 47.9% in both digital and non-digital space

- 52-ball is next, with a share of 22.2% in popularity

- 75-ball bingo stands at 15.7% of player preferences

It would seem that this consistency informs us that players are not just pursuing different formats because of their variation and similarity in gameplay, but rather the different social and real-world experiences associated with the same genre of entertainment.

Online platforms are working hard to bridge the social gap. Enhanced chat features, forums, and social media integration attempt to recreate hall camaraderie digitally. Some operators are even experimenting withVRbingo to blend physical presence with digital convenience.

The success of this dual-format approach becomes clear when you consider market expansion rather than market share. Both channels are growing because they're serving different aspects of the same fundamental desire: entertainment, social connection, and the thrill of potential winnings.

Actually, what we're witnessing might be the maturation of an entertainment category that's found its digital-physical sweet spot.

The Bigger Picture

Cross-platform bingo gaming represents more than simple format choice- it is evidence that the thoughtful implementation of technology can enhance rather than replace human experiences with meaning.

The simultaneous growth of both formats suggest people do not want to choose between convenience and community; they want both, to be there if the need arises. Smart operators are responding with multi-channel revenue strategies that meet the player across a full range of needs and choices.

Most importantly, this tactic has demonstrated a capacity to diversify bingo's appeal, as new participants join communities that were previously dominated by an older cohort, while the more traditional players find new ways to engage with the games they love.

The future likely belongs to operators who understand this complementary relationship rather than those still thinking in either-or terms.

What emerges isn't a story of digital disruption but of intelligent adaptation—one where technology amplifies rather than replaces the social value that's always been bingo's true drawing card.