Bingo halls under threat as thousands of gambling grannies move online

Bingo halls are under threat as thousands of grannies switch to online gambling from home.

A report found that one in five over-55s now regularly enjoys playing over the internet — with 300,000 making the switch in the past year.

It is said to account for a 14 per cent drop in bingo hall attendance over the same period.

In the past decade the number of bingo halls has nearly halved from almost 600 to 350.

High tax and the smoking ban have had an impact — but experts say online bingo’s rise is the biggest factor.

In its annual report, the Gambling Commission says: “Bingo has seen the greatest decline in people playing in person from 2016.”

Source: thesun.co.uk