Bingo games were seen as a way of putting the surfeit of cinemas and theatres to good use. In 1950s Britain, an increasingly affluent society forsook the picture house for the television. Cinema fought back, but attendances declined sharply throughout the decade.

The Gambling Act of 1960 abolished the ban on gambling, which paved the way, and bingo had the added bonus that the fabric of the building would require little alteration for its new purpose, unlike other conversions of cinemas to shops or bowling alleys. The Gambling Act did not regulate the industry however, and it was known to be arather shady business in part.

Although the Government considered outlawing bingo, public protest changed their minds, and instead the Gaming Act of 1968 cleaned the business up considerably. By the early 1970s, the crude bingo blower machines were being replaced by state of the art electronic Random Number Generators, and in the 1980s, the National Game was introduced, played across many clubs.

Throughout the 1990s, laws governing bingo halls were increasingly relaxed by the government, but the introduction of the smoking ban was a crushing blow. Bingo halls earn the majority of their money with interval games, and this income was decimated overnight.

The first 90 number online bingo club was launched in 2005, and since then, both major players and newcomers have started operating online bingo sites. Although not all have been successful, online bingo games and bringing new players as well as established ones into play.