For many people, Bingo is a British game. It's as British as Baseball is American or as rugby is Australian. Still, to be clear, the UK isn't the only place where bingo is a popular game. Thanks to the Internet, most European, North American and even Asian countries have large groups of bingo players.

Sure, players don’t always play the same version of Bingo. And neither do they use the same gaming devices. What’s more, players differ in what interests them in Bingo. But when you think about it, these different tastes are why Bingo continues to grow globally.

In this article, we’ll delve into the popularity of online bingo in Europe. Which countries play it the most and why?

Italy

Bingo was born in Italy over five centuries ago. But for a long time, it wasn’t popular. Lately, however, bingo is mushrooming through salons, halls and of course, websites. Online bingo is the primary reason behind the game’s explosion.

In fact, playing bingo online is such a popular thing in Italy that some critics fear the country’s love affair with the game is too much. Interestingly, it’s not just senior citizens that play bingo in Italy.
Bingo is a game for both the young and the old. At land-based bingo halls, they sit side by side. On the Internet, players interact through chat rooms without care about everyone's age.

Germany

Bingo was first introduced in Germany in the 19th century. But it took over a century for Germans to eventually embrace the game. When the Internet came along, bingo became a mainstay at online casinos.

Today, Germany’s online casinos provide all variations of the game:
• 30-ball
• 75-ball
• 80-ball
• 90-ball

Most online bingo players in Germany play it for fun and socialization. They play mostly through mobile casinos, especially those that award bonuses to new customers.

Unlike Italy, senior adults dominate the Bingo industry in Germany. However, the country’s culture of using Bingo as a learning tool ensures the game will be passed down for generations to come.

Norway

Last April, Norway made an unpopular decision to help its citizens stay social amid COVID-19. Precisely, it created leeway for land-based bingo players to access their favourite gambling game online.

Norway’s latest bingo rules came with some caveats like you can only play the game from 10 am to 10pm. But unlike any other time, players don’t have to visit a bingo hall for in-person registration.
That said, online casino games are skyrocketing in the Nordic region. Poker is pretty popular in Finland and bingo is hugely popular in Norway. In contrast, Swedish and Danish players seem to favour slot machines—the most popular games at most online casinos.

Romania

This might come as a surprise to some. But bingo is incredibly popular in Romania. It got popular in the 1990s through bingo halls spread out in every busy street. Over time, Romanians embraced bingo as a family game and started it to popularize it through TV shows.

Of course, Romanians fell in love with bingo for the same reason Italians and Britons love the game. It’s a simple and fun social game that costs little to play. In Romania, precisely, people don’t always play the game for money.

Sure, online bingo primarily pays out cash prizes. But inside Romanian bingo halls, it’s not unusual for friends—mostly senior women—to play the game for simple gifts like chocolates, sweets and cheap jewellery.

Sweden

Although Swedes have a special place for slots, they clearly also love bingo. In fact, Bingo is a billion-dollar industry. And like Italy, young people—and not senior citizens—are the backbone of Sweden’s online bingo industry.

Online bingo is so popular in Sweden that it’s credited for the declining popularity of bingo halls. The only sector it hasn’t dethroned yet is drive-in bingo tournaments. For the uninitiated, bingo drive-ins are precisely that.

Hundreds of young and middle-aged Swedes drive to nature parks and play bingo while inside their cars. Usually, there's an announcer that oversees games and makes announcements through loudspeakers.

With that in mind, online bingo could soon put an end to drive-in tournaments. According to researchers, the only reason people drive for the events is to have a feel of drive-in experiences. In other words, it’s a fad that could end any time.

The UK

Britain is home to online casinos. And unless anything changes, it will continue to dominate the online bingo market. Bingo has been popular in Britain for centuries. So, when the Internet came along, it was only natural people had to open bingo websites.

Britons play nearly every type of Bingo possible. And they have websites that accept all types of players. If you have a limited budget, all you need is to find a game that accepts low limits. If you’re a high roller, all you need is to find the right site.

The best part of online bingo in Britain is that it’s properly regulated. As finding a safe, reliable bingo site is easy. To add icing, players don’t pay taxes on their winnings.

Spain

While Norway made new laws to help bingo players have fun amid COVID-19, Spain allowed its citizens to play the game through windows. Most of them play for simple prizes with some people playing the game for no monetary gains at all.

Of course, the Internet is a different ball game. And many players flock virtual bingo halls to win real cash. Surprisingly, men make a significant percentage of bingo players at Spain’s online casinos, nearly at par with their female counterparts.

Ireland

Although restricted through anti-gambling laws, bingo is a popular game in Ireland. Most people play the game through pubs, at home and the few bingo halls yet to be banned by the government.

Last year, the government also proposed a law to cap bingo wins to 50%--charities and casinos would share the rest. People protested, maintaining they would quit playing the game if the law was passed.

Other players turned to the Internet to play at foreign online casinos. You see, Ireland's laws don't prohibit people from gambling at offshore casinos. And since these websites don't take away players' profits, they’re getting more popular.