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Eyes
down!
By
increasing prize money and attracting celebrity role models,
Bingo halls are tempting in younger audiences. To find
out if these efforts are paying off in our city, Matt
Chittock goes in search of a Brighton 'House' and gets
his card marked.
| Eleanor
is an advertiser's dream. She's 26, single, works
in IT and has ample disposable income to splash out
on her leisure time. |
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It's
Friday night and she's getting ready to go out. Mates
are phoned, glad rags are donned and make up applied.
If you saw her get into her car you'd think that she was
off to the opening of a new club on the seafront, or one
of Brighton's trendier bars. You'd be wrong. She checks
at her door to make sure she has her lucky dabber in her
handbag, because tonight she's away to the Bingo.
Ok,
so Eleanor may not exist outside the dreams of the Bingo
Association's directors just yet, but the Bingo industry
are trying their hardest to conjure her into reality.
They are launching a new advertising strategy to convince
the all important 18-30 demographic that Bingo is not
just for the blue rinse brigade.
In
a mission statement Richard Sower, head of marketing at
Gala Bingo, pronounces that "Bingo is no longer about
old women with stockings round their ankles." Celebrities
like Sara Cox have been held up as role-models for the
new breed of player the industry is chasing: young, hip
and female. The Radio One DJ recently walked off with
a prize from a Bingo bash held at an achingly trendy private
club at Soho. Robbie Williams, Yasmin Le Bon and even
Bono are apparently occasional players. While such celebs
up the ante of the game's profile, the new wave of advertising
identifies an aspirational target market. Rather than
the usual array of merry OAPs, the new television advert
for Mecca Bingo features a group of young women choosing
Bingo over the pub for a gossipy girls' night out.
But
will the adverts work? Are Brighton's bright young things
actually spurning bars for the delights of 'two fat ladies'
'eyes down for a full house'? Funnily enough, this might
be the perfect time for the advertisers' dream to come
true. It has been well publicised that super-clubs such
as Liverpool's Cream are suffering from a pronounced lack
of interest from punters. People are looking for alternative
ways to have a night out. Will we see glow-sticks replaced
by game-cards in the not too distant future? As I speak
the chic coffee shop/bar at the bottom of my road is gearing
up for its first themed Bingo night to attract evening
customers. Don't laugh yet, far stranger things have happened
in youth culture.
If
you are a newcomer to the game it's surprising how many
people already make Bingo part of their lifestyle. Over
3m people in the UK play regularly. The three big commercial
clubs in Brighton, Riva, Mecca and Gala, are all packed
to the rafters at the weekend, and many are busier than
the pub on weekdays. These figures don't even touch on
the other end of the spectrum. Around Brighton and Hove
more traditional and less commercial Bingo sessions are
run by the church, Age Concern and other social groups.
Bingo is a genuinely popular leisure pursuit that was
quietly thriving, until recently, with little media attention
outside of the odd mention on Coronation Street. In every
office, tutorial and street in Brighton lurk closet Bingo
players.
So,
with my drinks money burning a hole in my pocket I went
to investigate a Saturday night session at Gala Bingo
in Portslade. As I made my way to the entrance I took
a quick look around to get my bearings. My guide for the
evening, a seasoned player who was going to show me the
ins and outs of the game, clocked my look. "Making
sure that nobody you know sees you going in?" she
said. Perhaps that PR machine still has a little way to
go.
It's
easy to forget that for all their cosy image Bingo Halls
operate under similar regulations to casinos. Britain's
gambling laws mean you can't just walk in off the street
and start crossing off numbers. Luckily my gambling companion
is able to get me signed in as a guest. Normally you have
to become a member 24 hours before playing. Membership
is free and as long as you are over 18 no doorman or guest
list queue is going to look down its nose at what you're
wearing. The woman on the door asks if I am 18. I take
this as a massive compliment and try to look as if I'm
not going to get steaming drunk and abuse the other patrons.
Before
going out and losing my Bingo virginity I decided to quiz
some younger players about the game's appeal. As a 40
year old mother of two, Debbie Beeforth is typical of
the Brightonians that are the life blood of the Bingo
Halls. She also has a while to go before she picks up
her old age pension. Bingo has been part of her life 'for
years'. Almost every Saturday she ventures out with her
Mum to play. She has no loyalty to one particular Bingo
club and will change venue every so often for variety's
sake. Debbie goes simply because "It's a good night
out. It's really sociable, the regulars are friendly and
the staff look after you". It gives her time away
from her day job as a life assurance adviser in a Hove
office.
According
to research two out of three players go for the social
aspect rather than the lure of winning some cash. The
Bingo industry has taken note of this, highlighting the
social aspect with cheap drinks and meals and trying to
inject a little glitz and glamour. It's not unusual to
see Bingo staff take time out to chat to the punters and
all the regulars know each other. Going regularly has
also made Debbie aware that Bingo Halls are a social lifeline
for pensioners who just would not meet people otherwise.
Bingo Halls respond by laying on free lunches in the afternoon
and giving them an environment where they feel safe.
For
a social butterfly like myself, the prize money seems
lure enough. The odds are far better than the National
Lottery and it is possible to walk out £10,000 richer
(and with a hall full of new friends.) Debbie and her
Mum's biggest win to date is a not- to-be-sniffed-at £1,000,
and they have seen people win much more.
I
enter with dreams of winning enough money to buy some
property in Brighton. With a deposit of £10,000
I might be able to afford a mortgage on a tent near the
seafront. Gala Bingo itself is huge and overrun with winking
slot machines and lights that flash up the numbers as
they are called. In a venue that is halfway between a
big works' cafeteria and a TV game show set, the crowd
stare intently at their Bingo cards. I start to comment
but my gambling companion quickly hushes me. It seems
that like other pursuits Bingo has its own particular
etiquette to observe. Your friends may be dying to hear
your witty deconstruction of last night's Eastenders,
but if it's in the middle of a game, you'd better keep
your mouth shut.
After
a game finishes (they don't often last more than five
minutes) the atmosphere quickly changes as punters toast
their wins or comiserate their losses. We take this temporary
lull as a chance to buy game-cards and settle down. Night
to Remember kicks in over the tannoy in all its cheesy
glory. I am surprised to find myself fairly excited. It's
all hush again as we poise our dabbers in anticipation.
The caller does his thing and we're off. Listen to number,
find number, tick number and hang on, where was I again?
It has to be said that although the drinks here are cheap,
Bingo is one of the few activities not improved by alcohol.
You have to have sharp wits just to keep up. The callers
don't even bother doing the 'two little ducks' bit any
more, opting instead for a fair impression of Carol Vorderman
reading from a maths GCSE paper. All around me people
cross their cards with easy aplomb while I am always two
numbers behind, staring at the TV screens as I vainly
try to catch up.
Eventually
someone shouts 'Bingo' and I am spared my embarrassment.
An old lady looks pityingly at me and smiles: "Don't
worry, you'll get the hang of it." Her name is Maureen
and we have a chat about what is sadly lacking in my technique.
She's a remarkably sprightly 67 year-old who has lived
in the Portslade area all her life and 'loves the Bingo'.
As we speak friends stop and say hello. Though she looks
like she's having a whale of a time, she confides that
she's having a bad night and like me hasn't won anything
yet. We agree to look on the bright side as the night
is still young.Believe it or not, later on through a sheer
fluke (and Maureen's tips) I actually manage to cross
off a line. Being a little old-school I shout 'House'
at the top of my voice and sit there red faced as the
caller checks my numbers. Calling for a win can be a nerve-wracking
experience for the first-timer. Eventually I am vindicated
and an attendant delivers a promising looking envelope
to my table containing £24. Enough to pay for my
night out at least. The old lady smiles at me again and
I beam back feeling like an old pro.
The
crowd covers a wide range of ages. There's a smattering
of OAPs, but the majority of people generally fall into
the 25-50 age bracket. It's also almost predominantly
female. Many of the women that I speak to agreed that
the Bingo is one space that they can go as a group and
not get any unwanted male attention. There's also a nice
community feel. The joint anticipation as you wait for
a win is electric. Everyone is friendly and the young
attendants flirt with the elder ladies mercilessly to
everyone's enjoyment. I don't spot any celebrities, but
maybe Norman and Zoe couldn't get a babysitter tonight.
Perhaps
that's the point of Bingo. It really doesn't need to be
seen as trendy just yet. There's certainly enough people
playing to keep the cash registers ringing and the community
atmosphere is just what's missing from Brighton's more
fashionable leisure spaces. Bingo may not be the new rock
'n' roll just yet, but it's definitely a great night out.
Now, where did I put my lucky dabber?
copyright The Insight 2002
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