Beef steak and bingo cards: how Spain's bingo halls changed

Bingo has gone from being a low-cost, social activity to a more regulated business, with a mostly retired audience and an atmosphere that bears little resemblance to its early days.

## the state steps in

What used to be a simple bingo card at a local club, at **50 cents** a game, has gradually changed. State intervention, seeking its cut, drove up costs and complexity until the activity became unsustainable in many of these venues. The idea of a family bingo afternoon, a simple and affordable plan, now runs into barriers. Entering a casino, for instance, requires procedures such as showing your ID and filling in a questionnaire, a filter that already puts many people off. And most surprisingly: in some of these venues, bingo has disappeared altogether, as peine at the **Casino de Tomares** from **November** onwards.

## the new player profile

If you think of a bingo hall, the image that probably comes to mind is a place packed with pensioners. And you wouldn't be far off. The bingo halls that are still running, especially the larger ones, attract an audience that is mostly **over 65**. The price of a card has risen to around **2 euros**, and it is common to see players holding several cards at once, focused on the game. The scene is rounded off by an atmosphere that mixes the thrill of gambling with everyday moments, such as eating or having a drink, while the called numbers decide everyone's fate.

## the business goes beyond bingo

But bingo is not just the main hall. In many of these venues, **sports betting** coexists with the balls. The tension of a tennis match, for example, can be as palpable as that of a line about to be completed on a card. This diversification aims to attract a broader audience and maximise revenue. The contrast between retirement, often associated with modest pensions, and the apparent spending power in these venues raises questions about the players' financial viability and the nature of the business.