History of Bingo

History of Bingo

Bingo is a popular game of chance that is enjoyed by millions of players around the world. The history of bingo dates back to as far as the 16^th century, when it was first played as a lottery game called “Il Giuoco del Lotto d’Italia” in Italy. Travelling from Italy to France and across Europe, the game had finally reached the American continent in the late 20^th century where it was re-discovered by a toymaker. Today, bingo is so popular that it can be played not only at bingo halls or public houses, but also online at home or any other place through the internet.

History of Bingo in the UK

The lotto game of “Il Giuoco del Lotto d’Italia”, from which bingo is said to be derived, had travelled to France as ‘Les Lotto’ in around the 1778, and had spread over all of Europe by the 1800s. In Germany, this game was more of an educational device and was used to teach mathematical tables, spelling and history to school students. In the early 1930s, free bingo cards were being offered along with movie tickets in cinemas in the UK, as a part of a marketing strategy, which popularized bingo even more.

Soon, this game had gained enough popularity and was being played at small bingo halls and public houses across the UK. In 1968, bingo was made a formal game in the UK and UK’s National Bingo game was legalized in 1986.

History of Bingo in the US

The game of bingo had actually entered the US as ‘Beano’, a carnival game, which was played using beans, numbered wooden discs, cardboards and rubber stamps. Although Beano was similar to bingo in many ways, players had used numbered cardboards instead of tickets, placed beans instead of marking numbers, and called out ‘beano’ instead of ‘bingo’ when they won. This game was discovered in Atlanta, in 1929, and made popular by one Edwin.S.Lowe, who had renamed it by chance as ‘bingo’ and sold the rights to bingo organizers across the US for just $1 per year. Very soon, more and more bingo games were being played and by 1940, the entire nation was playing bingo and trying their luck with it.

Bingo Halls

Bingo halls were small rooms where people of a particular community would come together and play the game of bingo. Earlier, a bingo hall was seen more as a place for recreation and socialization while playing this relaxing game, and less as a gambling hub. The popularity of bingo halls increased with the introduction of television, which led to closure of cinema halls, and with time, these bingo halls became much more than small rooms where people played the number game for a small sum.

Online Bingo

Thanks to the internet and advancing technology, people had moved from playing bingo in large crowded halls to playing it online from the comfort of their homes. Bingo is one of the most popular games that is played on the internet today and generates revenue of millions of pounds only in the UK. Besides the convenience factor, online bingo sites also offer attractive bonuses and jackpots which online players can take advantage of.

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