The UK Gambling Commission has published new research examining differences between official survey estimates and industry figures for bingo participation, concluding that earlier gaps narrowed once both sides compared how activity was being measured.
The report reviewed data from the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) alongside admissions figures supplied by the Bingo Association after discrepancies emerged following the survey’s first annual report in 2024. At the time, the trade body questioned why survey estimates appeared higher than its own records for land-based bingo clubs.
Regulators said the joint exercise formed part of a broader effort to strengthen evidence used in policymaking and followed recommendations from the Office for Statistics Regulation to test the coherence of GSGB figures against other relevant data sources.
Different Definitions Created Earlier Gap
The Commission said the original mismatch largely came from differences in scope. Bingo Association data focuses on admissions to traditional bingo clubs, while the GSGB captures a wider set of in-person bingo activity, including venues beyond standard clubs.
To improve comparability, the Commission added a new question to the survey in January 2025 asking respondents where they had played bingo during the previous four weeks. That allowed researchers to isolate participation at traditional clubs and compare like-for-like results.
After the adjustment, estimates moved much closer together. The Commission said participation in bingo played in person at a traditional bingo club during the prior four weeks stood at 1.2 percent in the GSGB, compared with 1.0 percent in Bingo Association data.
Officials stated that the work increased understanding of why previous participation rates differed and helped close the gap through better data sharing and clearer definitions.
Land-Based Bingo Still Leads Online Market
The report also provided a wider picture of the bingo sector in Great Britain. Industry figures covering April 2024 to March 2025 showed land-based bingo generated £650.4 million in Gross Gambling Yield, while online bingo produced £165.6 million.
Of the land-based total, £226.4 million came directly from bingo games, with £424.0 million generated by gaming machines located in bingo premises.
Participation data reflected a similar trend. According to GSGB findings, 3.3 percent of adults had played bingo in person at a venue during the past four weeks, compared with 2.5 percent who had played online.
The Commission said those results indicate venue-based bingo remains more popular than online bingo across the period reviewed.
New Formats Broadening Audience Reach
Researchers also highlighted changing player behaviour in the land-based segment. The report found that social motivations such as fun and excitement were the only significant reasons linked to in-person bingo participation.
It pointed to newer entertainment-led formats such as Bongo’s Bingo, described as combining traditional bingo with a party atmosphere. The study also referenced Spingo, an initiative introduced by Mecca that blended exercise with bingo.
According to the Commission, these examples suggest bingo is expanding beyond traditional club settings and may be attracting new groups of players.
The regulator said future waves of data and a larger sample size should allow more detailed analysis, including demographic comparisons between people who play bingo in different venues. It added that collaboration with the Bingo Association will continue and invited other stakeholders to participate in similar exercises.
Source:
Investigating the coherence and comparability of estimates from the GSGB with industry data from the Bingo Association, gamblingcommission.gov.uk, 9 April 2026
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