The National Bingo Game, is a bingo game operated by the National Bingo Game Association since 1986 and played in some British bingo clubs. At one time more than 500 bingo clubs participated in the game every night (except Christmas Day).

Origin of game

The game was introduced under UK legislation as a game of multiple bingo UK bingo clubs are permitted under law to play only three such games of multiple bingo during any one day.

It was launched in June 1986 as technology became available whereby clubs were able to connect to a game control centre via modem to receive a preselected list of numbers which were called in the same time window in each participating bingo club.

Clubs then relayed their winner details back to the game control who would then award the National Game and Regional Game prizes to the clubs with the fastest claim that session.

National Lottery

Until 1994, the National Bingo Game was the UK’s largest computer controlled game until the National Lottery was launched. The lottery did have a negative impact on attendances at bingo clubs, although the game underwent several changes in attempt to boost prize money and compete with the lottery. In 2003, the total prize money paid by the National Game exceeded £47 million. By 2007, this had fallen to £37.7 million.

Rollover jackpots

In September 2007, bingo operators were allowed to introduce rollover jackpots for the first time and the National Game introduced the "Big N" - an optional £1 jackpot charge to players which gave them a chance to play for a gold, silver or platinum jackpot which began at £1 million.

Ticket sales for the jackpot were lower than anticipated and the prize was not won for many months, before the National Game decided to remove the optional £1 charge and introduce a 50p compulsory price rise in January 2008.

Decline of game

Several bingo clubs decided to withdraw from the game in January 2008, as price rises came whilst operators were still dealing with the effects from the smoking ban in England, which came into force in July 2007. Despite the new jackpot creating three new millionaires during 2008, Gala Bingo announced it would be withdrawing all its clubs from the National Game from September 2008 which meant another change in format. [2]

Current format

Following Gala's withdrawal from the game, several other clubs also took the decision to pull out of the game, meaning less participants and no further possibility of £1 million jackpot wins. The price of the tickets is now very similar to when it first launched - 25 pence per ticket each afternoon (£1.50 for a strip of 6) and £1 for a set of 3 or £2 for a set of 6 tickets in the evening. With fewer participating clubs, the National Game now promote as "Better Chances and Better Choices" [3]

Biggest wins

  • The biggest win ever was on 23 March 2008, when Soraya Lowell from Motherwell, North Lanarkshire scooped GBP £1,167,795. The game was played in the Club 3000 bingo hall in Coatbridge

Charity

The National Game has brought all the bingo industry together each year in its annual charity campaign for Breakthrough Breast Cancer known as Bingo for Breakthrough. Operators and clubs who have withdrawn from the National Game tend to still support the charity.

National Game Caller of the Year

The National Game have operated a competition for all club callers to compete - the caller of the year competition. Regional heats are held across the country with each winner going on to the national final.

Recent winners[4]:-

  • 2008 competition suspended
  • 2007 Blake Robson, Mecca South Shields
  • 2006 Brett Hyrjak
  • 2005 Karl Seth
  • 2004 Mandy Gargan
  • 2003 Mike Vyse
  • 2002 Peter Lewis
  • 2001 Alan Stockdale
  • 2000 Phil Groom
  • 1999 Steve Linder

Notes

  1. ^ Gala Bingo Withdraw from National Game press release
  2. ^ National Game current format nationalbingo.co.uk
  3. ^ Caller of the year winners

References

Links

 

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