By Simon Jones on Tuesday, 20 Feb 2007 A night out at the bingo is becoming an increasingly popular pastime among UK men, a new report suggests.
One bingo enthusiast, Jeff, from Swarcliffe, attends a session five times a week with his partner Jeanette at Mecca Bingo in Hunslet.
He told the Yorkshire Evening Post how the social side of bingo is one of its main draws and that he had made lots of friends.
Going to a bingo hall was also a more civilised way of spending a night out than going to the pub, he said.
"In a lot of the pubs you can't hear yourself think. But if anyone starts shouting in here and getting drunk they won't get away with it because people want to hear the numbers," he told the paper.
Martin Devine, Mecca Bingo's area manager for Yorkshire, confirmed that while bingo had always been popular among females, popularity among males was now burgeoning.
And with a night out at the bingo believed to have been enjoyed by Prince William near Sandhurst recently, Mr Devine suggested that getting royal endorsement may have influenced their decision.
"Maybe when they saw bingo getting the royal approval from the future king, they realised it was good enough for them too!" he said.
Recently, Mecca's owner, the Rank Group, announced the closure of nine bingo halls across the country.
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