Bingo is a game of chance that is played all over the world where contestants test their luck by buying tickets with some numbers printed on them. A caller then proceeds to call out various numbers that are generated at random through some device and the first contestant to obtain some predetermined combination is considered the winner. This is the modern version of the game.
All historians of gambling are under the impression that the game of bingo had its genesis in the country of Italy during the years between 1530 to 1540 A.D. Its origin is from a similar game that was prominent during those times called ‘Lotto’ which literally means “fate or destiny” in Italian. The first recorded instant of the game was used to decide a muddled up election that was considered null and void. Hence in order to select the new leaders of the prince-state, the people came to the conclusion that numbers would be drawn at random and which ever lucky soul was also holding the same number, he or she would end up being crowned the new leader of that particular region.
The game then migrated from the country if Italy to the lands of the French, where it was rechristened as Le Lotto. This tradition has been continued and the game is still being honoured by being played every Saturday in a lot of villages in France. This game was played in a fashion that was observed to be extremely similar to modern Bingo that we know today. It is a game played with tokens, a playing card and live called numbers, where the called numbers are covered with the tokens. This type is most similar to the modern UK version of the game, called Housie.
By 1929, the game had invaded America and was called ‘Beano’ and was extremely popular in American carnivals. It is basically the same as the French version, but instead of using tokens, dried beans were used to cover the called numbers. In this form of the game, the word ‘Beano!’ was required to be shouted out loud whenever a player thought that he or she possessed a winning combination. A New Yorker, Edward Lowe finally came up with the concept of shouting Bingo instead of Beano and this was popularized a lot. By the 40’s, the game was played extensively throughout the country and also in Canada, mainly in social gathering places like parks and churches etc.
It was once reported in a weekly newsletter, called Bingo Beagle for Bingo enthusiasts that for every man or woman who goes to a casino or a gambling hall, ten go to a corresponding bingo hall, thus proving that the bingo business holds far more potential than even the entire gambling industry put together.
Thus Bingo is a game that is rapidly spreading with more than at least a million people a year becoming Bingo enthusiasts. In fact, lasts year recorded that more people played Bingo than those who went to watch soccer matches in all leagues of England.
Tags: bingo, bingo history, statistics
