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Report

Investigating the coherence and comparability of estimates from the GSGB with industry data from the Bingo Association

This report investigates the coherence and comparability of estimates from the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) with industry data from the Bingo Association

Published
9 April 2026

Last updated
9 April 2026 - Changes

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  1. Contents
  2. How we define bingo

How we define bingo

As set out in our Bingo sector guidance, there are 3 fundamental principles of bingo, namely:

  • "bingo must be played as an equal chance game." Essentially, all players must have the same chance of winning
  • "bingo must involve a degree of participation." For example, players marking their cards, or claiming to have won
  • "bingo games must have a clearly defined end point." The end of the game should be clearly communicated to players.

Generally, bingo can be played anywhere, however when bingo is provided to players for commercial gain in Great Britain, a licence from the Gambling Commission is needed. Unlike online bingo, licences for bingo played at a venue aren’t always needed, including bingo for fundraising2 which can be played at school halls, places of worship and community spaces.

In instances where a bingo licence is needed at a bingo venue, this could include (but is not limited to) places such as traditional bingo clubs, high street bingo venues, holiday parks, and working men’s clubs3.

References

2 Read our guide on how to run bingo legally in our Bingo sector guidance.

3 See more on when a non-remote bingo operating licence is needed.

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Bingo report - What the landscape of land-based (or in-person) bingo looks like
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