Bin-going anywhere good lately?

I've discovered I have something in common with Robbie Williams, Emma Bunton, Catherine Zeta-Jones and S Club 7. And it's not that we're all loaded. It's that we all love bingo. This is the country's fastest-growing leisure activity among women under 35.

I decided to put aside my reservations and go for it big time at the Gala Bingo, Tooting. And it wasn't hard to find anyone to go with. I casually mentioned the idea to my friend Jo, who turned up with a convoy of colleagues, meaning there were eight of us, pens in hand, ready to check out the new rock'n'roll. I later found it's a regular night out for Jo and her crew ? an unusual pastime, considering they're all financial advisers.

This 'new bingo' is a far cry from the bingo halls of my youth, when my brother was a 'bingo gigolo' at the Royalty in Notting Hill. The ladies loved him there - they all thought him a charming young man and wanted their daughters to meet him (my brother was no fool - this was the fast track to lurve).

But bingo, as I say, isn't what it used to be. It's no longer about old women with stockings hanging round their ankles, and these days they don't use ping-pong balls. You buy a book of tickets at the beginning of the session. Several games are played from each book, and you've three chances of winning: if you have all the numbers across one line, if you've any two lines complete on a single ticket, or - a full house - if you've all 15 numbers on the ticket. And prizes can be impressive - we saw one man pocket £800. You can also join a separate national game played simultaneously in bingo halls across the country, where the winnings often run into thousands.

For around £15 per head, this is a fun, economical evening, where you can expect lots of laughter (supported, I'm sure, by the cheap beer). Oh yes, and the chunky chips were the best I'd had in ages.

For details of your local Gala club, call 08459 404 090 or visit www.gala-bingo.co.uk