Dabbers Social Bingo held its latest event on 2 July 2023, hosting the final of the ‘Next Top Bingo Caller 2023.’ Contestants were whittled down from 20 to a final four in the fight to win the coveted title, as well as £1,000 ($1,266) and a 12-month contract with Dabbers to be its next bingo caller.
The runner-up would also win a year-long supply of Malibu, as it sponsors the event.
Bingo is often judged as something you either do in your early years at school for fun (minus the gambling), or something you do at the elderly home, or in your older years; the in-between demographic often gets left out.
But Dabbers is aiming to target that open demographic of twenty-somethings up until the 50s, by incorporating an entertainment aspect and making bingo more of a fun night out as opposed to a leisurely activity.
Established in 2018, located in Houndsditch, Dabbers has reinvented what modern ‘bingo’ is and has transformed the traditional bingo experience. The event was chaotic in all of the best ways and was LGBTQ+ galore; it consisted of high-energy performers, comedians, drag queens, dancing and drinks flowing, making a fun night for anyone 18+.
To be expected: a DJ playing all of the old classic party tunes from the Spice Girls ‘Spice Up Your Life’ to Rednex’s ‘Cotton Eyed Joe,’ entertaining comedic bingo callers, multiple games of bingo with silly prizes, and a flow of cocktails and tacos delivered to your table that you can order from Dabbers’ app.
This was the company’s third year of hosting the competition, where the audience decides on the winner and the judges pick their own; Gambling Insider spoke with one of the judges, Miles Baron, CEO of the Bingo Association, about Bingo and the rise of events like this, which you can watch here.
Other judges included: Kate Daughton, Ex- Head of Comedy at the BBC and Co-Founder of Boffola Pictures and a comedian who knows all about winning competitions, Hannah Byczkowski, The Traitors (BBC,2023).
Comedian Amy Webber won the vote and won the 12-month contract with Dabbers, and Ric O’Brac won runner-up meaning he won the Malibu sponsorship.
Stand-up comedian and self-proclaimed ‘Britain's most unsuccessful Mexican wrestler,’ Jerry Bakewell also made an appearance at the event and presented the Malibu sash to runner-up Ric O’Brac.
2023's Next Top Bingo Caller Winner, Amy Webber
