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Bingo bosses slam millennials for replacing classic calls with 'vulgar' and modern slang
MILLENNIALS are making bingo "vulgar" and "offensive" as hipster clubs attract younger punters to the game with vegan food, cocktails and sexual innuendo.
Bingo bosses have complained traditional audiences – women aged between 45 and 55 – are being put off by lively young crowds who use modern slang to call out numbers.
Venues such as Dabbers Social Bingo in London have replaced their calls with millennial-friendly phrases like "14 – Insta hipster scene", "48 – Not another Brexit debate" and "56 – Scrolling through the ex's pics".
And the classic "two fat ladies" call for the number 88 is being replaced by the more politically correct "two body-positive ladies" in some halls.
Bingo Association CEO Miles Baron told the Telegraph the changes are leaving bingo loyalists behind.
He said: "Some of the innuendos are very offensive.
Some of the jokes, the innuendo are down right vulgar.
"If you're a traditional bingo customer in a bingo club and somebody calls 69 and says 6 and 9, sixty-nine, you mark off 69."
He said the lewd quips about 69 and references to "Netflix and Chill" were inappropriate for older female audiences who enjoy the game.
The youngsters also create a "risque" environment at the events, he said, as pictures show booze-fuelled revellers treating the occasion more like club nights.
CLASSIC BINGO PHRASES REPLACED
The traditional call for 14 is "Valentine's Day", but now millennials have replaced it with "Insta hipster scene".
Some venues also announce "48 – Not another Brexit debate" instead of the old school "Four Dozen".
And "56 – Scrolling through the ex's pics'" is the new call pushing out the traditional "Was She Worth It?".
One of the most famous calls is "88 – Two Fat Ladies", but now youngsters have added a millennial twist replacing it with "Two Body-Poisitive Ladies".
Other phrases such as "11 – Legs Eleven" and "28 – Overweight" are also reportedly being phased out.
Mr Baron added: "Some of the jokes, the innuendo are down right vulgar.
"Our younger customers who come at the weekend would probably think it's OK, but our bread and butter – 45 to 55-year-old females – who come on a Wednesday and Thursday, I don't think would be impressed."
But the lively modern twist on the classic British game isn't all bad, he admitted, describing the newer clubs as "absolutely brilliant" for bringing bingo into the future.
Mecca Bingo head of events Barry Lyons said they are adapting the game to appeal to everyone and "help it stay relevant in 2019".
Meanwhile the co-founder of Bongo's Bingo, which caters to all ages, told the paper his company had not received any complaints for the "tongue-in-cheek comments" at their events.
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