UK bingo players have become accustomed to the classic 90-ball bingo calls like #1 “Kelly’s Eye” and so on. Over time we lost two fat ladies as to avoid offending anyone but it seems that Mecca Bingo players have lost a lot more than that. Is it really a loss? The rhyming phrases in land-based Mecca clubs have been changed to appeal to the younger demographic – a strategy to save a dying industry.
Here's a look at the revamped calls.
#1 - YOLO replaced Kelly’s Eye
#6 - Little Mix replaced Half a Dozen
#8 - Tinder Date replaced Garden Gate
#15 - Dabbing Machine replaced Young and Keen
#17 - Selfie Queen replaced Dancing Queen
#24 - Lads on Tour replaced Knock at the Door
#25 - Adele replaced Duck and Dive
#27 - Hipster Heaven replaced Duck and a Crutch
#48 - Tag A Mate replaced Four Dozen
#69 - Netflix & Chill replaced Anyway Up
Caroline Webb, for Mecca, said: "With bingo attracting record numbers of younger players, we wanted to tap into the resurgence of interest in the game, and what better way than by refreshing one of the most iconic things about bingo – its calls for the numbers!
"Bingo calls are rarely used in Britain’s bingo halls these days, so the trial of 21 century inspired calls is sure to ignite excitement amongst regular players.
"Likewise, the references to modern culture phenomena and trends, such as hipsters and Tinder, and massive stars, like Adele and Little Mix is likely to appeal to the increasingly younger crowd which can be found playing bingo.”
While it seems appropriate for things to move with the times, not everyone likes change. Does something like this push older bingo players away from the game? Can you imagine granny asking what “Netflix & chill” is? My goodness, that just opens a whole new can of worms.
Source: 'Mecca Bingo has cheeky new name for number 69 in bid to appeal to young players’, Nicola Oakley, mirror.co.uk, December 31, 2016
Here's a look at the revamped calls.
#1 - YOLO replaced Kelly’s Eye
#6 - Little Mix replaced Half a Dozen
#8 - Tinder Date replaced Garden Gate
#15 - Dabbing Machine replaced Young and Keen
#17 - Selfie Queen replaced Dancing Queen
#24 - Lads on Tour replaced Knock at the Door
#25 - Adele replaced Duck and Dive
#27 - Hipster Heaven replaced Duck and a Crutch
#48 - Tag A Mate replaced Four Dozen
#69 - Netflix & Chill replaced Anyway Up
Caroline Webb, for Mecca, said: "With bingo attracting record numbers of younger players, we wanted to tap into the resurgence of interest in the game, and what better way than by refreshing one of the most iconic things about bingo – its calls for the numbers!
"Bingo calls are rarely used in Britain’s bingo halls these days, so the trial of 21 century inspired calls is sure to ignite excitement amongst regular players.
"Likewise, the references to modern culture phenomena and trends, such as hipsters and Tinder, and massive stars, like Adele and Little Mix is likely to appeal to the increasingly younger crowd which can be found playing bingo.”
While it seems appropriate for things to move with the times, not everyone likes change. Does something like this push older bingo players away from the game? Can you imagine granny asking what “Netflix & chill” is? My goodness, that just opens a whole new can of worms.
Source: 'Mecca Bingo has cheeky new name for number 69 in bid to appeal to young players’, Nicola Oakley, mirror.co.uk, December 31, 2016
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