Attitudes to bingo have changed a lot over the last two decades.

Online play has brought the game to a new generation of bingo lovers, making it more accessible and popular than ever, and boosting the game’s credibility. Twenty-first-century bingo fans won’t be surprised to learn that research shows that the profile of the ‘average’ player is changing: modern bingo players are just as likely to be young working professionals as pensioners. And bingo has attracted a number of superstar fans who recognise its appeal.

With a reputation as a quintessentially British pastime with undeniable kitsch factor, it’s not surprising popular sites like sky-bingo attract the stars. Celeb bingo aficionados include cheeky cockney Carry On and EastEnders star Barbara Windsor, surreal comedian Vic Reeves, and beloved Brit actor Ricky Tomlinson (Brookside, The Royle Family). In fact, Tomlinson adores bingo so much that in 2007 he released an ode to the great game – ‘The bingo Song’ – as well as his own interactive bingo DVD.

A number of A-listers have also given the game their seal of approval, with British stars Kate Moss, Catherine Zeta-Jones, even Prince William, rumoured to enjoy striving for a full house. The States, too, has its fair share of rich and famous bingo players; Sharon Osbourne, Courtney Cox and members of the Obama family are all fans.

Bingo hasn’t enjoyed a rock n’ roll reputation, being seen as more pensioner than punk. So, it’s perhaps surprising that celebrity enthusiasts include Smashing Pumpkins’ frontman Billy Corgan, who has hosted regular bingo nights at his Chicago tea shop and art studio Madame ZuZu’s, proving that bingo appeals to alternative rock gods too – perhaps as a way to unwind after all that angst…

Of course, you don’t have to be famous to enjoy bingo. With online games making it easier than ever to play and connect with other players in your spare time, day or night, you can find out for yourself why these celebrities have their eye on the ball.