LONDON, England – Bingo numbers have always been the talk of the town among the people regardless of the year in question. In 2022 though, things have arguably took a turn for the worst — depending on who you’re asking of course.

That’s right, this year, bingo names are getting a makeover of sorts, something that appeals more to the millennial player, eliminating some of the seemingly offensive calls – also play Great Rhino Megaways.

Foxy Bingo/New Calls

One of the UK’s biggest online bingo providers, Foxy Bingo, are behind this one, asking younger players what new nicknames they’d like to see be implemented into the game. Customers were asked to vote on which names they’d like to see added, giving customers the chance to vote on up to 20 new names. These changes could see Tinder, avocados and Brexit make their way into the world of bingo for the first time.

“Time for tea number 83” will now become “gluten-free number 83” — which is actually pretty clever when you think about it. One of the major changes sees “two dat ladies number 88” changing to “Wills and Kate number 88”. This one seems to be quite the topic of debate. The original call is said to be iconic, whereas others believe it to be offensive.

One of the funnier ones we’ve seen is “48, not another Brexit debate?”, which in our eyes, captures what the game of bingo is all about: classic British humor. The new names themselves appear to be ironic in a sense — caricatures of what older generations think of millennials. We’ve heard the term ‘snowflake’ thrown around once or twice regarding these changes, despite older players being the only ones up in arms about this. 

Good Thing or Bad?

The overall answer to this question comes down to perspective, although we believe this to be a good thing for bingo! Let’s face it, some of the bingo names out there are quite outdated. Some of the meanings behind the numbers are most often lost in translation — some don’t get it, and why would they? Studies have shown newer generations don’t play bingo for the call outs, most play just to make money, especially online.

Freshening up some nicknames for numbers could be what brings in more players to the game too! Being inclusive isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Try to keep in mind that everything changes in due time, even games like bingo that has always reflected the times. Times are changing, so why can’t bingo get a coat of new paint?

Some of you out there might think it’s political correctness gone haywire, which it very well could be, but at the end of the day who really cares? Would you rather the game dies with its traditions, or thrive for many more years to come by changing with the times? Not every site/bingo hall are adhering to these changes either, so you’ll still have your original calls if you want them.

This column was provided by Kelly Martindale.