Cypriot bingo, or tombola. A summer evening that still brings entire villages together.

Tables set up outdoors, cards with numbers on them, pens in hand, and someone calling out the numbers. In Cyprus, bingo—most often called "tombola" in Greek-language announcements—is still a staple of summer evenings, village festivals, and local gatherings. And it's definitely not just a pastime for seniors.

In August 2026 alone, the Cypriot Check In Cyprus gathered 16 towns and cities to host tombola nights. The game is held alongside concerts, food, and festivals, and sometimes also serves as a fundraiser for charity. It's one of those small things that captures what everyday life is like outside the tourist resorts.

In the evening the tombola begins

At first glance, everything is very simple.

Everyone receives a card with numbers. The leader draws or calls out the next numbers, and players mark them on their cards. The first player to form the required combination wins.

What is much more interesting than the rules themselves is that How many people can such a simple game gather?.

This is what one of the Cypriot tombola evenings looks like, which we recorded:

Entire groups of friends and family sit around tables. There's conversation, food, and sometimes music, but when the next number is played, everyone suddenly starts looking at their cards.

In the summer you can find bingo in many villages

Tombola is especially visible in August, when many Cypriot towns organize their own summer festivals.

This year, Check In Cyprus even published a list "15+1 villages where you can play tombola"The editorial team presented it as one of the characteristic elements of the Cypriot summer – alongside festivals, concerts, and evening gatherings.

In Kalopanayiotis, bingo was held on the roof of the local council building on August 15th. The Cyprus Mail included the event in its weekend calendar, alongside concerts and cultural events.

This clearly shows that in Cyprus bingo does not have to mean a separate "gambling hall".

More often it is simply one of the highlights of the local evening program.

Not only in the countryside

Interestingly, the traditional tombola also finds completely new forms.

In August, ARTos House in Nicosia hosted "Strangers Bingo Night." Organizers described bingo as one of Cyprus' well-known traditions, but they primarily used the game as a way to meet people and enjoy an evening together.

Five rounds were held on the roof of ARTos House, there were prizes and refreshments, and participation was free with prior reservation.

So the same game can look like a traditional evening in a mountain village or a modern social event in the center of Nicosia.

Bingo can also help

Tombola also often appears at charity events.

The Cypriot association PASYKAF, which supports people with cancer and their families, regularly organizes bingo nights. This June, the game was combined with live music at the Sia amphitheater, and September 16, 2026 Another charity bingo is planned in Geroskipou. Proceeds will support the organization's activities.

Such events are conducted within a specific legal framework. Official PASYKAF announcements include permit numbers, and the organization's previous bingo events were also held under appropriate licenses.

Tombola is not a bingo machine

It is worth making one distinction here.

A social or charity bingo evening organised in accordance with regulations is not the same as an electronic slot machine.

The Cyprus National Betting Authority lists bingo machines, in which players pay for the opportunity to play for financial gain, are among the prohibited gambling devices. At the same time, Cypriot regulations allow for legally organized lotteries and events with appropriate permits.

Therefore, not every "tombola" means gambling in the sense we associate it with a casino or a slot machine.

Why does this still work?

Probably because the rules are so simple.

You don't need to know a complicated game, have special equipment, or even know the other players well. You can sit down at a table and, in just a few minutes, be participating with everyone else.

And it's also an excuse to meet neighbors, friends and family.

The Cyprus Mail, describing August life in Cypriot towns, mentioned bingo games alongside communal dinners, square dances and festivals as one of the permanent elements of the summer season.

And I guess that's where the whole phenomenon lies.

You don't need a big stage or a huge festival.

A few tables, cards with numbers and a moderator are enough to gather people in one place for a few hours.

So if one evening you hear numbers being called out monotonously in the square, don't be surprised.

This could just be another Cypriot tombola night.

Sources: Check In Cyprus, Cyprus Mail, PASYKAF, ARTos House, National Betting Authority.