What happens when a country sees its traditional bingo halls in decline? Well, in Sweden it seems bingo fans take to playing the game in their cars.
Drive-in bingo popular in Sweden as bingo halls decline
A report in The Guardian describes how tens of thousands of Swedes living in the countryside swarm to local fields to play drive-in bingo. Traditional bingo halls have suffered in recent years, partly due to the rise of online bingo, so enthusiasts have come up with drive-in bingo as a way to maintain the social aspect of the game. “Most private companies have left the bingo halls – they can’t make enough money,” Anders Manheden, of the West Swedish Sports Confederation, told reporters. “The drive-ins are out in the rural areas, far from the nearest bingo hall.” In a field near the southwestern town of Lidkoping around 300 players gather in a field for the first drive-in bingo session of the season. The bingo games only take place during the summer and at their busiest, include rows upon rows of cars and picnics. The more people taking part, the larger the prize pot becomes. When players complete a row they honk their car horn and an official comes over to check the card.
There is a song about drive-in bingo?
The popularity of drive-in bingo may seem a little odd to townies who live close to a bingo hall but as musician Jens Lekman, who has written a song about the phenomenon, explains: “I think 1950s America sometimes echoes through Sweden, particularly the rural and small-town areas, where a lot of people own classic American cars and listen to 1950s American rock. Drive-in bingo seems like a cross between the 1950s American love for drive-ins and the Swedish love for bingo.” “Bingo indoors is not as popular as the drive-in,” says Tomas Svensson, one of the organisers. “Why sit in a bingo hall when you can enjoy nature at the same time?” Amanda Johansson, who attends the drive-in with her friends, says it’s about the social element. “It’s cool,” she says. “And it’s cheap. We come with coffee and candy – it’s a social thing. And it’s becoming younger and younger.”