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Looking For Grownup Games In Coral Island? Bingo!

 

When it comes to family days out and holidays in Blackpool, everyone knows Coral Island is the place to be. There are rides, the latest video arcade games, ticket machines galore, brand-new soft toys in the crane grabbers, and all the traditional seaside amusements you need. And, of course, Kids Eat Free all day, every day!

 

There’s fun for all ages at Coral Island, and it’s a great place to go when you’re having an adult-only day out with friends. For many grown-ups, Coral Island holds a lot of memories from their childhood seaside holidays, and it’s great fun to re-live some nostalgic moments playing the penny pushers or taking a trip on the Ghost Train.

 

And if you’re looking for adult amusements, then head to Coral Island’s Adult Gaming Centre, where there are £500 jackpot slots, with all the latest huge video screen games and the most popular titles.

 

But what about a game you and your friends can all play together? A game that’s been around for hundreds of years, is great fun, and everyone knows how to play.

 

Bingo!

 

Two little ducks! 22! Snakes alive! 55! Time for tea! 83! Everyone knows bingo, whether they’ve played it as a child, at a bingo hall, or online. It’s an incredibly popular game, with 8 per cent of the UK population playing regularly.

 

At Coral Island, we have recently upgraded and expanded our over-18s Cash Bingo section to cope with the number of people coming to play. There are live video bingo callers, fantastic jackpots and prizes to be won, and the latest state-of-the-art touchscreen consoles to play on.

 

Bingo is a rather simple game to play. In the UK we play a 90-ball version of bingo, and each player has one or more tickets - typically a nine-by-three grid with a series of numbers in some of the spaces. The first column can have the numbers 1 - 9, the second 10 - 19, the third 20 - 29, and so on.

 

A bingo caller presides over the game, saying ‘eyes down’ to commence the game, before picking out and calling the randomly selected numbers dispensed from the bingo machine or randomly generated by a computer.

 

Players then cross off any called numbers that appear on their tickets, and the first person to cross off 5 numbers in a row calls ‘Bingo’ and has their claim checked. Play then continues until someone crosses off two lines and calls ‘Bingo’ again, but the jackpot is the first person to cross off all 15 numbers!

 

Bingo Lingo

 

The bingo caller might simply state the numbers drawn - ‘all the fives - 55, three and a six - 36’ - or they might use a rhyming version that many of us are familiar with.

 

From Kelly’s Eye for number one all the way to the Top of the Shop for 90, via Lucky Seven and Legs Eleven, Two Little Ducks and Two Fat Ladies, these rhymes were originally used in London in the mid-20th century, where they were used to pass on secret or hidden messages, but they were quickly picked up by bingo callers who used them to help clarify the numbers in noisy bingo halls, where, for example, 15 could be mistaken for 50.

 

Over the years, the rhymes and names for bingo numbers have changed, with regional versions and more modern names added, such as Dancing Queen for 17 coming from the famous Abba song, or Heinz Varieties referring to the number 57 seen on all cans of Heinz Baked Beans.

 

Let’s take a look at some more interesting facts about bingo:

 

• The game was popularised by Edwin S Lowe, a New York toy salesman, who had come across the game being played at a fair. He recreated the game, which he called ‘Beano’, but when playing with friends when someone called out ‘Bingo’ by mistake, and the new name stuck.
• A similar version was being developed in the UK, called ‘Housey-Housey’, but this also became known as Bingo.
• The origins of Bingo are said to date back to around 1530 in Italy, where it began life as ‘Il Gioco del Lotto d’Italia’ - the Italian national lottery - and then seen being played by the French aristocracy, before finding its way to the UK via America.
• The biggest bingo win in a club belongs to Soraya Lowell, who won £1.1 million in 2008.
• It might be thought of by some as a game for old ladies, but the average age of players in the UK is between 25 and 40 years old.
• Do you know anyone called Margaret? The most popular winner’s name is Margaret, so if you know a Maggie, take them along for good luck!
• Bingo is a great way to keep the mind sharp, according to research conducted by Southampton University, while other studies have found that social gatherings such as bingo are as important and as good for your health as getting regular exercise.
• Having only one number left to cross off can get your heart racing more than riding The Big One at the Pleasure Beach!
• Celebs love a game of bingo! Singer Robbie Williams is known to play at his local club and played a game with actor Daryl Hannah in his music video for Feel. Catherine Zeta Jones can thank Bingo for her career after her dad won enough to send her to drama school. It’s also popular with Denise Van Outen, Scott Mills, Kylie, Elle McPherson, Take That, and Cher Lloyd.
• It’s also given some celebs a start to their careers by working as a bingo caller. Simon from boy band Blue, East Ender’s Shane Richie, Russell Crowe, Kian from West Life and Chris Tarrant all began as bingo callers.

 

Safer Gambling

 

You have to be 18 and over to play Cash Bingo at Coral Island, and if you look under 25, you may be asked to provide proof of age.

 

It’s very important to remember to practice safer gambling if you’re heading to play bingo or fruit machines. Always set yourself a limit on how much you can afford to spend and lose, never double down to chase your losses, and when the fun stops, stop!

 

You can find out all about how to identify the warning signs of gambling addiction and more tips for safer gambling at https://www.begambleaware.org/

 

Plan your next adventure in Blackpool!

 

So why not come to Coral Island and come and play Bingo the next time you visit Blackpool? Whatever the weather, there are always great games, delicious food, and the perfect place to bring your party!