History of the Game of Bingo
The game of bingo is currently experiencing a serious surge in popularity online. The Covid-19 pandemic has led many casino and sports betting lovers to try online bingo sites for the first time. Early information shows that these savvy players have well and truly seen the light!
With so much currently circulating around bingo as a game, we thought it would be interesting to take a look at the history of the game of bingo and how it led to the bingo sites of today. You can also read about this history here.
In this article, we will dive deep into the history of the game of bingo, making sure to look at its earliest origins and then its evolution to the modern age of new bingo sites.
So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the deepest roots of the game of bingo and see how it evolved to become online bingo as we know it today.
Lo Giuoco del Lotto d’Italia
All the way back in the 16th century, Italians would play a game called Lo Giuoco del Lotto d’Italia. This was a precursor to national lotteries that are still so popular across the globe today.
Essentially, the principle was that players would be given a set of numbers, each different to the next. Then, random numbers would be drawn and those players lucky enough to match theirs would receive cash prizes. The game proved enduringly popular and now we can begin to see clearly the roots of modern lotteries and, of course, bingo!
By the 18th century, French nobility were playing the game Le Lotto, which brought the concept into a single room and gave players the chance to win by matching a line of numbers drawn on a card with those called out by an MC. Sound familiar?
Bingo in the United States
An entrepreneur named Edwin S. Lowe adapted the game of bingo from one called beano that he witnessed being played at a country fair in the 1920s. It is Lowe’s savvy mind that gives us today’s modern online bingo sites.
Essentially, beano was much like the game played in 18th-century France and was so-called because the numbers were painted on beans. Players won by getting a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal line.
Now, Lowe was in charge of a failing toy company and, having seen the popularity of beano at the fair, decided to test if he could adapt it for a mass audience. He tested in on his friends and when the winner blurted out the word ‘bingo!’ instead of beano, he knew he was onto a winner! Thanks to this mistake, we now have the current game and new online bingo sites.
Bingo Spreads
Now, by 1934, just five years after Lowe adapted beano to become bingo, it was estimated that 10,000 games of bingo were being played every week in the USA.
By the 1960s the game has come to Britain where it found its true spiritual home and began to look more like the bingo we know today from UK online bingo sites. With 90 balls instead of the original 75 making for a longer game, UK players loved the excitement of an evening at the halls!
Modern Online Bingo Sites
These days, online bingo sites are an extremely popular way to enjoy the thrills of this great game in the comfort of your own home. From pocket change to enormous cash prizes, new online bingo sites were able to drive out brick and mortar halls with the promise of a range of winnings.
On top of this, players can now play bingo from anywhere with mobile bingo becoming more and more prevalent at online bingo sites.
Truly, the history of the game of bingo has been a curious one and, with the growth of UK online bingo sites, it only looks to become more interesting!
Photo by Drew Beamer on Unsplash
