During the late eighties and early nineties the number of bowling centres in the UK rose to over two hundred, higher than it had ever been in the sixties. With such growth there were bound to be a few casualties along the way but the numbers of centres is still climbing. The market has developed and now the trend is to build large entertainment complexes to attract people to many different activities. Bowling centres now tend to part of leisure developments that include multi-screen cinemas, restaurants and night clubs offering a huge choice in leisure entertainment and keeping them very popular indeed. There have been some other major improvements to bowling such as bumper bowling.
Bumpers are devices that stop the ball rolling off the lane into the gutters.
The introduction of bumpers has revolutionised junior bowling, encouraging youngsters to enjoy the game. Birthday parties have become a very popular choice for parents and children alike. The parents can take the children out to a clean safe environment and do not have to worry about organising the food and clearing up the mess and the kids just love it. Bowling centres have become great fun for the whole family. The centres generally also include state of the art video arcades, fast food, and bars or even micro breweries.