All You Have To Know About The History of Bingo

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Posted: January 5, 2020

Updated: February 20, 2020

  • Bingo originated from Europe
  • Online bingo games dominate the market

Bingo is one of the most popular forms of gambling played today. With the history of bingo dated back to the 16th century’s Italy, it quickly became popular all around the world. However, nowadays the most popular type of bingo is online bingo games. 

Bingo is a popular game that is played for both cash and prizes. A person wins a bingo game when he matches numbers on their card with ones the caller draws randomly. The first person who completes a pattern yells “Bingo.” 

Where the history of bingo comes from?

The history of bingo began in 1530 in Italy. Every Saturday Italians played lottery Lo Giuoco del Lotto D’Italia lottery. In fact, Italians still play this game every Saturday. 

In the late 1770s, the game came to France, where it was called Le Lotto. The game was popular among wealthy Frenchmen. 

During the 1800s the Germans also started to play the version of bingo. Interestingly, they used it as a child’s game to help students learn math and history. 

Bingo hit the UK in the 1800s, about the same time as Germany. It very quickly became popular here and till today is one of the most popular gambling activities. Moreover, the Brits started the tradition of Bingo Lingo.

The game reached North America in 1929 with the name “beano.” People massively played it at local carnivals. During the game, the dealer would select numbered discs from a cigar box and players marked their cards with beans. When they won, players yelled “beano”.

New York toy salesman Edwin S. Lowe renamed the game “bingo” after he overheard someone call “bingo” instead of “beano”. 

Moreover, he hired a Columbia University math professor to help him increase the number of combinations in bingo cards. So, by 1930, Leffler had created 6,000 different bingo cards. Cards had fewer non-repeating number groups and conflicts when more than one person got Bingo at the same time.

Online bingo

The history of bingo
Image source: gnokii via Wikimedia Commons

The history of bingo on the Internet goes back to 1996. Since then, online bingo games have become more and more popular among gamblers. 

Nowadays, there are a variety of online bingo sites in the US available to play on the Internet from wherever you want. Indeed, according to the polls, 85% of all bingo players are playing their games online. 

A major jump in the growth of online bingo came with the help of Facebook in 2011. After Facebook launched a series of free-to-play bingo apps, the game started to reach new people. This sparked a boom in the number of real-money players.   

Unlike balls used in regular bingo halls, online bingo sites as Bingo Hall use a random number generator. One of the notable features of online bingo is the chat functionality. This brings a sense of community and interaction between players. 

Today, the online bingo industry is worth £80 million annually in the UK and more than $90 million in the US.

Don’t forget to check out the latest online bingo news in the US if you are interested in this game. 

Click here to visit Bingo Hall

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