2025 BINGO PLAYERS SURVEY
The WhichBingo Bingo Players Survey has returned!
In February 2025, we surveyed over 1,200 bingo players in the UK to get insights into their current gaming habits, average bingo spend, attitudes towards online and in person bingo, if they have expanded into new ways of playing bingo and more. Read on to see what we’ve learned.
Method
1. Online research for the 2025 WhichBingo Bingo Player Survey was conducted using the Prolific platform between February and March
2. A sample of over 1,200 UK adults from a diverse range of ages, genders, and regions participated, with this year’s survey being updated and refined based on insights from previous years.
The Sample
Age:
- 18 – 28 (Gen Z) – 14.9%
- 29 – 44 (Millennials) – 46%
- 45 – 60 (Gen X) – 28.9%
- 61 – 79 (Baby Boomers) – 10%
- 80+ (Silent Generation) – 0.2%
Gender:
- Female: 62.9%
- Male: 36.6%
- Other: 0.5%
Summary
,
38.5%
only play bingo in person
36.5%
only play bingo online
25%
Mix of Both
68.6%
say that Online bingo player’s favoured preferred payment method is Debit card.
Up from 40% in 2023.
Top 3 Favourite Brands of Respondents
Foxy Bingo
Mecca
Gala Bingo
.
65.1%
of respondents are female with London, Birmingham, Liverpool & Manchester that prefer a mix of both online and in-person bingo experiences.
72%
feel they have access to all the help and resources they need from a player protection perspective.
Up from 60% in 2023.
30.1%
find safer gambling messaging within adverts and operator websites helpful or useful most of the time with
26.7%
thinking they are sometimes helpful.
43%
of people play bingo for entertainment
28.4%
of people play bingo for socialising
17%
of people play bingo for pride of winning
14.4%
of people have increased their bingo play since 2024 while
56.4%
of people have remained the same.
Average Spend Bracket for players
Online or In-Person?
In-Person Bingo Players
Millennials were found to be the largest active player base for bingo, with 40.2%. Followed closely by Gen X at 31.1%, indicating strong representation for middle aged adults who prefer to play in bingo halls. When looking at the gender make-up, female players dominated with 67.3% with the largest cohort from London, Birmingham and Manchester.
- Millennials (29–44): 40.2%
- Gen X (45–60): 31.1%
- Female players made up of 67.3%
- Largest cohort of players: London, Birmingham and Manchester.
Online Bingo Players
Again Millennials made up the largest segment at 49%, followed by Gen X at 27.3%. While not as big as the In-person group, females still made up 56.7% of online bingo players with the most popular device being mobile on 77.4%.
- Millennials (29–44): 49.0%.
- Gen X (45–60): 27.3%
- Female players: 56.7%
- Largest cohort of players: London, Birmingham and Manchester
- Mobile users: 77.4%
Mix of Both
- Millennials (29–44) make up the largest share at 50.5%, followed by Gen X (45–60) with 28.0%, showing strong cross-generational interest.
- 65.1% of respondents in this group are female with London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester had the highest number of respondents that prefer a mix of both online and in-person bingo experiences.
QUESTION:
What type of bingo games do you enjoy most?
INSIGHT
When asked to pick their favourite bingo game,
90-ball bingo was the clear winner at 47.9%.
52-ball ranked in second with 22.2%
followed by 75-ball on 15.7%.
Bingo Brands
To better understand bingo players brand loyalty, awareness, and engagement with brands. Asking players which bingo brands they use, if they follow and engage with brands on social media platforms, and how they feel about advertising and celebrity partnerships in the industry.
The results show a mix of top brands and some smaller, less known brands. Mecca topped the list on 20.2%, Gala was the next big brand on 13.8% and following closely behind in third place was Foxy Bingo on 12.3%. It is worth noting that 16.0% of the vote went to smaller less known or new bingo sites.
- Mecca – 20.2%
- Other – 16.0% (includes lesser-known or niche platforms)
- Gala – 13.8%
- Foxy Bingo – 12.3%
- Tombola – 11.3%
- BuzzBingo – 6.6%
- Jackpot Joy – 4.7%
- Heart Bingo – 3.4%
- Club 3000 – 2.1%
- Casino Kings – 2.1%
Brand & Review Based Scoring
WhichBingo reviews rate all three brands highly (4.6+), highlighting strong platform features, game variety, and reliability with user ratings trend marginally lower.
Gala Bingo is the standout with the highest WhichBingo scores and the highest user review numbers.
| Brand | WhichBingo Score | User Ratings | No. of Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mecca Bingo Review | 4.6/5 | 3.8/5 | 242 |
| Gala Bingo Review | 4.8/5 | 3.7/5 | 302 |
| Foxy Bingo Review | 4.8/5 | 3.5/5 | 166 |
In addition to brand reputation, the brand’s bingo bonus can influence the choice of brand by users. Site behaviour data highlights the most attractive bonus incentives that are driving user action on WhichBingo.
- Our Free Spins page had the highest of all bonus pages on site, with 55,509 sessions. Proving it to be the most popular sign up bonus.
- In second place with 8,127 sessions are Low Wagering Offers.
- £5 Deposit Bonuses remain a reliable offer, with 3,877 sessions. Showing the popularity of low deposit bonuses.
Social Activity
- Only 10.6% of respondents engage with bingo brands on social media apps, illustrating a major drop from 34% in 2023.
- Only 12.5% said they have been put off by a bingo brand’s social media activity. Although it is mostly paid ads, this suggests why engagement has fallen.
Celebrity Endorsements
Celebrity endorsements show limited influence on player behaviour according to the respondents. While they may support brand awareness, they rarely drive engagement to a brand/s.
62.8% of respondents felt neutral, and 26.1% said they were unlikely or extremely unlikely to engage with a brand due to a celebrity tie-in.
Only 11.1% reported being more likely to engage as a result of celebrity involvement.
Spending Patterns
To understand how UK bingo players manage their money in 2025, their household income, their spend on bingo and its frequency, changes in habits since 2024, preferred payment methods, and their spend on other gambling products.
56.4% of respondents fall into the £0–£10 spend per month category. With 4.5% of players spending £50+ per month, highlighting it as a low spend form of entertainment.
The most favoured payment method is debit cards with 68.8%, followed by Paypal at 15.3%. This highlights a shift from player patterns in 2023 where 40% preferred debit card and 33% preferred Paypal.
We asked respondents what household income threshold they fall under in order to gauge disposable income vs. average spend on bingo. Many factors like the cost of living crisis have seen dips in online spend since 2023 – 2024.
- Up to £25,500: 18.3%
- £25,501–£35,000: 19.3%
- £35,001–£45,000: 15.3%
- £45,001–£65,000: 21.1%
- £65,001+: 26.0%
When asked what bingo players spend on other products such as casino, 52.2% spend less than £10 per month, while only 10.1% spend £50+.
QUESTION:
Do company policies on withdrawals impact your choice of Bingo/Casino brand?
INSIGHT
30.3% of respondents say the withdrawal policies do influence their choice of bingo or casino brand,
while 50.8% are unaffected by these,
and 18.9% remain unsure.
Responsible Gaming
To assess how bingo players perceive and interact with safer gambling tools, we asked a series of questions focused on messaging, access to support, and suggestions for improvements on responsible gambling.
30.2% of people found safer gambling messaging very useful, 26.8% found it somewhat useful and 42.4% of players said they do not find safer gambling messaging useful.
Despite mixed feelings about messaging, 72% of respondents feel they have access to the help and resources they need, up 10% from 2023. However, 24.8% expressed uncertainty or hesitation, indicating room to better highlight or communicate available tools.
Among those who felt that improvements were needed, common suggestions included:
- Spending limits (not deposit or loss limits)
- Time limits
- Self-assessment tools to monitor gambling behaviour
QUESTION:
Have you ever been put off by a bingo brand from their social media activity or campaigns?
INSIGHT
An overwhelming 87.5% of respondents said
they have not been put off by a bingo brand due to its social media activity or campaigns.
Leaving only 12.5% indicating that social content had negatively influenced their perception.
Understanding and Updating Bingo Calls
28.1% of respondents said they know all current bingo calls, with a further 52.6% understanding most. While 57.4% are happy to keep things traditional, 42.6% expressed interest in modernising some of the calls.
When asked if any calls should be changed, the majority of respondents answered no, however many flagged “88: Two Fat Ladies” as potentially insensitive or outdated.
AI & Technology in Bingo
77.4% have not yet explored AI-driven features such as chatbots or auto-dabbing leaving 13.6% of players who have tried these tools. It is worth noting that with the emergence of AI being in its infancy we may see this rise in the coming years.
Party Bingo Events vs. Traditional Halls
With the rise of live party bingo events, 32.7% of respondents have attended one of these events in the past 12 months.
Among those, Bongo’s Bingo was the most popular, followed by Bingo Loco and Dabbers.
Format preference breakdown:
- 36.7% – No strong preference
- 33.7% – Prefer traditional bingo halls
- 22.2% – Enjoy both equally
- 7.4% – Prefer party bingo events
QUESTION:
The unconventional locations you’ve played bingo or casino games online?
INSIGHT
When asked respondents to share with us some of the unconventional places they find themselves playing bingo.
- 43.3% play while watching TV or Netflix,
- 42.0% from bed,
- and 37.9% while multitasking on the couch.
- 34.7% have played in the pub,
- 22.9% on their weekend holiday at a caravan park.
Other playful mentions include: 9.8% on a road trip, 9.1% on a cruise and 6.5% while sitting on the toilet.
Player Habits & Comparison Sites
Looking Ahead
69.4% of players expect their bingo playing habits to stay the same over the next 12 months, representing the largest segment. 22.5% anticipate playing less While 7.3% said they plan to play more and 6.4% were undecided.
As bingo continues to evolve, player routines remain largely consistent, but their motivations for choosing where and how to play differ.
69.4% of respondents expect their bingo habits to remain the same over the next year, while 22.5% anticipate playing less. Just 7.3% said they plan to play more.
When it comes to choosing the best bingo sites, we asked players to pick any factors that would influence them choosing a bingo brand.
- Bingo Bonuses – 65%
- Ease of use – 52.7%
- Game variety – 30.9%
- User reviews – 19.4%
- Free Spins – 4.6%
When asked about comparison sites, only 4.0% rate them as very valuable, 33.6% find them somewhat valuable. Despite the value comparison platforms can offer, 61.1% of players say they don’t find sites like this very valuable.
Comment from the Editor of WhichBingo
Nic McBride
Managing Editor
From ChatGPT to driverless cars, AI is everywhere and it has all of us talking. But how will it impact something like bingo that dates all the way back to the 16th century?
Bingo has lived through innovations like the automobile, the internet, and more – so how will bingo adapt with AI?
Could there be AI hosts? Virtual reality AI bingo?
AI will no doubt transform the way people dab in the years to come, in ways we might not even consider.
I predict that bingo chat rooms and immersive experiences will become a valued part of the bingo experience, as – in face of more artificial interactions – people seek something that bingo offers a great sense of: community.
Hopefully AI technologies will also be used for responsible gambling purposes as well. On that note, it is very pleasing to see an increase in the number of players feeling they have access to safer gambling resources.
With more millennials adopting bingo it could be time to start updating a few of the bingo calls to give them some modern flair – though still staying true to the traditional roots.
Finally, if 61.1% of players don’t find comparison sites very valuable, then WhichBingo will need to lead the way at making sites more user friendly. We are already making changes to our rating system and other key areas to provide clearer, more tailored, and trustworthy information to players, ensuring the entire bingo experience is seamless and rewarding.
