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Bingo at Regular Social Events

If you're unfamiliar with bingo, you might want first to read Bingo: The Basics - click here

Social Events for Playing Bingo

There are many different regular social events - especially for older people - at which bingo can be played, for example:

• an over 60's club
• a luncheon club
• weekly meetings of a local group for sufferers from arthritis

Playing bingo can also be a social event in itself - such as weekly bingo organised by the social committee in a sheltered housing complex, or at a residential home.

Staying within the Law

There's no difficulty with playing bingo at a regular social event - without needing permits, licences or registration - provided the proceeds are used to support charitable activities or some other good cause.  (Of course you can pay for expenses like bingo tickets or bingo equipment, and room hire, and for prizes from the charges you make to those playing bingo).

Providing social and recreational activities for elderly people is a recognised charitable purpose; thus also clearly a good cause.

• over 60's clubs (or similar) and social committees can quite properly use the money raised from bingo to help with other social activities, such as a summer outing or a Christmas dinner - but, to avoid any doubt, it's always a good idea to have a set of rules or constitution explaining what you do and how your funds are to be used
• if the social event is held by another organisation which is itself a charity or a good cause - such as a local church - the proceeds can go into their funds
• for bingo played at a local authority residential home or private care home, the proceeds would need to go into a Social Fund quite separate from all other business accounts

Charges and Prizes

As bingo at a regular social event is about enjoying an afternoon or evening playing bingo - with some refreshments and a chat - it's usual to keep the charges as low as possible; so that everyone who wants to do so can easily afford to join in.

Prizes are also usually very modest too - just to have the pleasure of winning something:

• you can simply ask players to donate items as prizes - maybe something that they can bring along from home, even a tin of baked beans!
• you might have cash prizes - perhaps on the scale of £1 for getting a full house

More about the law.  In Great Britain (but not in Northern Ireland), the law has changed - and as follows:

• Prize bingo: if the prizes for your bingo games (prizes like a bottle of wine or chocolates or cash prizes) are determined beforehand and do NOT depend on how many people are playing, then there are NO restrictions on admission charges, stakes or prizes
• Equal chance bingo: if instead the prizes depend on how many people people are playing (such as the level of prize money is determined by the takings on the day), then the all-in charge for admission and tickets must not exceed £8 and the total prize money must not exceed £600.   

In Northern Ireland, you are limited to an all-in charge of £4 covering admission  - and the total value of prizes cannot be more than £400. You also have to inform the police of your event 7 days beforehand, tell participants how the proceeds will be used, and keep accounts of how the money was spent.

Playing 1 - 90 Bingo

1 - 90 bingo is probably the usual choice for bingo games at regular social events - if only because it's the most familiar game.

In an afternoon or evening's bingo, you might plan on playing 10 games - with a refreshments break - and perhaps an extra couple of games at the end if there's time, or for a special prize.

But there can be drawbacks to playing 1 - 90 bingo:

• it might become too repetitive, especially if you're playing a couple of times a week
• it can be difficult for those with arthritic hands, for example, to play with bingo tickets and bingo dabbers

Playing 1 - 75 Bingo

Another option is to play 1 - 75 bingo:

• with such a huge variety of winning patterns, it can make an enjoyable change from 1 - 90 bingo
• played with plastic shutterboards as the bingo cards, it's very user-friendly - as the shutterboards are lightweight and comfortable to hold, and the shutters can be closed (and opened again) with a finger tip

The chief drawback is that the initial outlay on shutterboards is more than on bingo tickets - but:

• if you play bingo once or twice a week, shutterboards may in fact cost you less than you would spend on bingo tickets in the course of a couple of years
• you'll also save money on bingo tickets - you won't need so many - if you have some games of 1 - 75 bingo, as well as playing 1 - 90 bingo

Essentials for Playing 1 - 90 Bingo

Bingo Tickets -  There are two different formats of bingo ticket - bingo singles (or flyers) and bingo booklets.  Especially if you are buying bingo tickets in bulk, you want to make sure you choose the right format.  It is worth taking the time to read our separate information page on bingo tickets; which will also help you work out how mnay tickets to buy.

Bingo Dabbers - Some players find these easier - and quicker - to use than marking off numbers with a felt-tip pen or biro.  If you buy a stock of dabbers, you can sell them to players.

Bingo Clipboards - These are especially useful if anyone is in a wheelchair - or prefers to sit in an armchair.  Some players like the extra firmness of a bingo clipboard, even when they're sitting at a table.  Again you can sell them to players.

For playing 1 - 75 bingo

Apart from a bingo selector, you only need the plastic shutterboard cards.

Bingo Selector (1 - 90 bingo and 1 - 75 bingo)

A proper bingo selector makes things very much easier for the bingo caller

• bingo cages are cheaper than electronic bingo machines - but they can be more difficult to use if you have arthritis and cannot turn a handle easily; or if you'd have trouble picking up bingo balls.  If you buy a bingo cage, choose one which is designed for regular use, and plastic-coated to reduce noise.
• an electronic bingo selector can be a huge asset.  It's easy for the bingo caller to use - and the audence display of the last number called is a very great help for those who are hard of hearing

You can use the same bingo selector for playing either 1 - 90 or 1 - 75 bingo.  With a bingo cage, you simply take out the unwanted balls if you are playing 1 - 75 bingo.  On electronic selectors, you change the setting to whichever game your're playing.

Traditional Bingo Calls

Not really an essential - but using the traditional bingo calls, if only for some games, can be a lot of fun; especially when those playing join in the calls that some of them will remember very well from playing bingo years ago.  See link below to view the bingo calls.