The Largest Bowling Centers in the World

Bowling is played around the world, and a few venues are large enough to be destinations in their own right. This article looks at the largest bowling centers in the world: the record holder in Japan and two tournament venues in the US that host major national championships.

The largest bowling center in the world: Inazawa Grand Bowl, Japan

According to Guinness World Records, the largest bowling alley in the world is Inazawa Grand Bowl in Inazawa, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It has 116 lanes, the building is 198.39 meters long, and it opened on 24 March 1972, during Japan's bowling boom of the early 1970s. More about the game in Japan is in our article on bowling in Japan.

National Bowling Stadium, Reno, USA (78 lanes)

The National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada, opened in February 1995 and was built for tournaments. It was designed with 80 lanes; the two center lanes were turned into an aisle, so 78 lanes remain in play. The facade features an aluminum geodesic dome shaped like a bowling ball, and when it opened the stadium had what was then the longest backlit video screen of its kind above the lanes.

The stadium regularly hosts the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Championships; in 2009 it set the record for the most USBC Championships hosted. It has also appeared in films, including Kingpin (1996).

South Point, Las Vegas, USA (64 and 60 lanes)

The South Point hotel and casino in Las Vegas has two bowling facilities. The original center with 64 lanes has hosted the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), including its PBA World Series of Bowling. In 2014 the Bowling Plaza was added: a tournament facility of around 8,400 square meters with 60 lanes and 720 lockers, used for USBC events.

Why tournament venues need so many lanes

National championships bring a large number of bowlers to one venue. The more lanes a venue has, the more squads can bowl at the same time. That is why the largest centers are often built for tournaments, or at least used for them regularly.

For everyday bowling, size matters less than the condition of the lanes, well-maintained equipment and an active league community. What to look for in a center near you is covered in our guide to choosing a bowling center.

Bowling in a large center

Whether you bowl on one of 116 lanes in Inazawa or at a tournament in Reno or Las Vegas, the basics stay the same: a consistent approach and a reliable slide. If you bowl regularly, your own bowling shoes give you the same slide on every lane, wherever you play.