Wednesday 23rd of December 2009
Rebel Bingo revealed
We all know that UK online bingo is hugely popular with young people.
But a quirky offline night is bringing together thousands to play a few lines and make a few friends, reports the Sunday Times.
Rebel Bingo, which attracts crowds of up to 2,000 young people, was founded by two avid bingo fans just ten short months ago.
The bingo nights bear uncanny resemblance to the underground rave scene of the 1980s, according to reporter Katie Glass.
For example, players only find out where the event will be staged at the last possible moment.
Instead of advertising through leaflets and listings pages, the message is spread through word of mouth and a selection of viral marketing tactics like covert emails, phone calls and texts.
Don't tell anyone about Rebel Bingo
And if anybody asks, players are under strict instructions to pretend they are going to a very different kind of event.
"Do not reveal to anyone that you are here to play Rebel Bingo," the email demands.
"You are here because you are very concerned about security in the neighbourhood. Make sure you are not followed. We are disguised as a Neighbourhood Watch Meeting."
Once inside the doors, the scene really couldn't be any more different to a traditional bingo club.
Black Sabbath tracks pound the speakers while the assembled players scrawl bingo slogans on each other's arms.
A girl dressed in a revealing red-sequinned dress shouts out numbers using such politically incorrect catchphrases as "give me some ketamine, 39".
And the rowdy bingo games go on long past midnight for those hardy souls who manage to stay the course.
Earlier this year, a study from market research firm Mintel looked into the average age of online bingo players.
It found that one fifth of the UK's frequent internet players were aged 18 to 25 - a staggering 700,000 people.
