Rock shot bingo!

Just when you think you have seen every variation on a game of bingo, someone comes up with a new idea. This particular version of the game was intended to attract younger people to play. So don’t expect quiet halls with gatherings of players all sitting in their favourite chairs waiting for the all important game to commence. No, nothing could be further from that reality!

The customary low-key game of bingo like our mums and grandmas used to play was a much more sombre affair. This game involves loud rock music, shots of your favourite cocktails and an atmosphere that you are more likely to find in a dance club.

One bingo manager explained that it was a really cool way to introduce young people to the game of bingo in a fun and novel way. The lure of a win, however small, lures players through the door and they soon realise that it is much cheaper than playing on the more customary slot machines. Winnings are usually alcohol based, which is another big incentive to play the game.

Imagine the setting if you can. Around 150 young people all crushing into the bingo hall. To create the right atmosphere there are t-lights inside balloons and laser lights darting up and down the walls and ceiling. People are dancing with glow sticks as loud rock music pours out from the DJ’s sound system. The players bring in with them portable playing machines which automatically mark off the numbers. This is just as well as it is highly unlikely that anyone would hear the numbers being called above the strains of Bon Jovi booming out “Living on a Prayer”.

There are tables for the young people to congregate to play the game. The idea is that if someone at your table wins, then everyone sitting there gets a free shot. The cocktail waitress appears as if by magic to deliver the drinks to the winner’s lucky companions. How sociable is that? Definitely not a game for loners.

In between the game sessions the DJ whips the crowd up into a frenzy with all time favourites like “YMCA” to get everyone up on the dance floor. They all join in, singing at the top of their voices and dancing themselves into a passion of fun and frolics whilst waving their glow sticks frantically in the air.

The people who attend love it; it offers such a different experience whilst gambling safely and sensibly. The fun element just brings the game alive and it combines so well with the music. Clearly a successful idea, a stroke of genius some would say. Others might feel that our beloved game of bingo has strayed a little too far from the original. It does, of course, originate in America but I can see no reason why it won’t catch on here. Bingo is an enjoyable game for all ages but if the hustle and bustle of the dance floor isn’t for you then stick to playing online in the relative tranquillity of your own living room.