Which Countries Play Bingo?

Bingo Around the WorldWe all know that bingo is big business in the UK, with online bingo going down a storm in recent years and even new bingo halls being opened up – a complete turnaround from a decade back when they were closing faster than the office door at home time.

But what about the rest of the world?

Bingo is a brilliant game so it would be a shame if our love for it wasn’t shared around the world, so it’s great to hear that it has been popular in various other countries for a very long time.

In fact, in some countries it is even growing in popularity, and there are some interesting takes on how it is played by our global neighbours too.

So here is a run down, in no particular order, of places where people play bingo and also how they like to do it.

Italy

Bingo in ItalyIf you have read our article on the history of Bingo then you will already know that Italy is where bingo is fabled to have originated – ten points to you smarty pants!

Like here in the UK, the average age of the Italian bingo player is going down too, so the game is gaining popularity, and there are more than 300 bingo halls running games across the country.

There are a lot of parallels between the UK and Italy when it comes to bingo actually, because just like here it was online bingo that got the Italians going again, and reinvigorated the bingo industry over there.

They tend to play 90 ball bingo the most, and Sicilia is the region with the most bingo halls, so Sicilians are officially the most bonkers for bingo in all of Italy. Calabria was the region at the other end of the scale with just 1 lonely bingo hall; 1 bingo hall for 2 million people – the horror!

Germany

Bingo in GermanyIf bingo was played while you were at school would you have been a better student? The Germans definitely think so, because in the country of Bratwurst and men who still have non-ironic mullet hair dos, bingo is widely used as a teaching tool.

It is most commonly used to teach maths and spelling, but other subjects can use a bit of bingo magic as well.

That said, while the game is popular there are only around 40 bingo halls in all of Germany, and for a country with a population of more than 83 million that’s just not enough if you ask us. Especially since the game has been popular with players young and old there since the 1880s.

Come on Germany, sort it out!

Sweden

Bingo in SwedenThis might surprise you, but bingo is absolutely massive in Sweden, and especially with younger players who are absolutely lapping it up. It is actually thought to be as big in Sweden as it is in the UK, and only about 10 million people live there so that’s a lot of bingo per person.

They have taken to doing things a bit differently in the land that created ABBA and IKEA too, because one of the most popular ways of playing the game is via drive in bingo. This is when everyone drives to a field and parks in neat rows, buys their tickets, then the numbers are called over a loud speaker and you have to honk your horn if you get a line or a full house. Awesome fun.

Traditional bingo halls have actually not been as popular in recent years, but online bingo is big big business over there, and there is even a primetime bingo TV show called Bingolotto that has been running since 1989.

They tried a version over here but it only lasted 2 seasons, and we should all bow our heads in shame.

The 90 ball and 75 ball games are the most popular in Sweden, and its huge popularity might well be helped by the fact that bingo is one of the few forms of gambling that isn’t controlled by the state.

Denmark

Bingo in DenmarkAs a very close neighbour of Sweden, it is perhaps no surprise that the bingo love is crossing borders and making its way into the hearts of the Danes too.

Just like in Sweden, the Danish have a Bingo style TV show, although this one is called Bingo Banko and the numbers are decided by celebrities and members of the audience completing funny challenges. Players at home can join in by printing bingo cards from the show’s website and laugh along with the silliness.

Online bingo is big there too, especially since 2018 when the state released their grip on the industry somewhat and allowed bingo operators from other countries to enter the market. This made the bingo landscape much more interesting for the people of Denmark and they responded with enthusiasm.

It is a bit sad that there are only 10-15 bingo halls in the country, but then again only about 5 million people live there, and many other venues host bingo nights as well as it being a popular addition at festivals and the like too.

Romania

Bingo in RomaniaAlthough the bonkers game of bingo only really hit Romania in the 1990s, it is thought today to be one of the biggest bingo hotspots in the whole world.

In fact, popular bingo site 888Ladies ranks them as number 2 for bingo’s popularity worldwide.

There are an estimated 25-30 bingo halls in the country, which isn’t loads for the population of around 20 million, but that is double the number they had back in 2008 so it is still growing in popularity.

Of course online bingo is an option there too, and Romania is another country that has a national TV show dedicated to the game we all love.

It’s called Bingo Romania, not the most inventive name perhaps, but you can’t mistake what it’s going to be about!

Russia

Bingo in RussiaWith over 400 bingo hall locations, online bingo availability, and even a very popular TV show where people can play along at home, it’s safe to say that bingo is something of a national pastime in Russia.

Their biggest bingo operators are called Boom Bingo and, hilariously, Bingo Bum!

They are another country that favours the 90 ball game, although they do play other types too, and they even have some pretty interesting alternative bingo calls.

For example, our own ‘legs eleven’ becomes ‘drum sticks’ over there; number 40 is Ali Baba because he had 40 thieves; and ‘down on your knees 43’ is rather bleakly known as Stalingrad – yep, the 1943 WW2 battle where around 2 million people were killed. What fun!

Russia is another place where gambling is tightly controlled, so with bingo being one of the few forms of gambling that is allowed it was bound to be popular here.

America

Bingo in AmericaThis is where bingo got its name, thanks to a Polish American toy maker named Edwin Lowe, who originally called it Beano but changed the name when one of his friends shouted ‘Bingo’ by mistake when they won a game.

People in the home of the brave and the land of the free spend an estimated $90 million per week on bingo tickets – we’re surprised all that dabbing doesn’t cause an earthquake.

There are different gambling laws in different states in America, and 10 states still don’t allow it as a commercial enterprise, but bingo has been legal on a federal level since 2011, and even those 10 states that don’t allow commercial bingo won’t stop it being played at fundraisers and the like.

They play the 75 ball game over there a standard, but of course they do have other game types as well, and it can be played online or in person at a venue. There are too many of them to count but it’s safe to say that bingo fans are well looked after in the US of A.

Japan

Bingo in JapanBingo halls are actually illegal in Japan – we know, what a travesty.

It’s perfectly legal online though, and it has been going great guns in recent years, even becoming the worlds second biggest market for online bingo. Wow.

That said, bingo can be played in person in casinos or pachinko parlours, but technically you can’t win money. You can win prizes though, and a crazy legal loophole also allows winning tickets to be exchanged for money so long as it happens on a different premises.

Japan has gone the American route and adopted 75 ball bingo as the standard form, and despite their strict laws around bingo, Japan even holds the world record for the biggest ever game.

It was played by a crazy 493,824 people back in 2010, and it goes without saying that it was an online game. Imagine trying to make a winning call heard amongst that lot!