The History of Online Bingo

Who ever has played the age-old, game of Bingo will tell you that it’s not about winning or losing, but the suspense, anticipation and excitement that goes along with the game that has thrilled millions of people since 1530. Like the many other traditional and popular games that have become hot favorites in video game parlors and casinos, it was only a matter of time before Bingo hit the information highway. Yes, you can now play this exciting game online and enjoy every minute just as you would offline. Here’s some information that traces the history and origins of traditional Bingo leading to the opportunity to play the thrilling game online.

The game of Bingo is believed to have derived from its 16th century forerunner, a lottery called ‘Lo Giuoco del Lotto D'Italia’ introduced in the year 1530. This lottery is still played to this day in Italy. In the late 1700s, the French developed their version of ‘Le Lotto’ (as it was then called) which was popular with the wealthy. The French version involved a caller who drew wooden discs numbered 1 to 90 from a bag and called out each number to participants of the game. Germany soon followed the French in embracing Bingo. However, they used it primarily as a tool for educational purposes to help students learn spelling, history and mathematics.

It was not until 1929 that the game of Bingo was introduced in North America, when Edwin S. Lowe accidentally came across the game of ‘Beano’ at a carnival near Atlanta, Georgia. The game, like its forerunner ‘Le Lotto’, also involved a caller who drew numbered wooden discs from a bag and shouted them out to the players. Each player had a card with numbered squares and each time a number (which they had) was called out, they would mark the corresponding numbered square with a bean. It is believed that during one such game, an excited female player shouted ‘Bingo’ instead of ‘Beano’ to announce that she had won. The name sounded attractive and Lowe teamed up with Carl Leffler and proceeded to redevelop and rename the game of ‘Beano’. They then introduced the first commercialized version of the game of Bingo that we know today.

According to the recorded history of the game, Lowe was approached by a Catholic priest who enquired whether Bingo could be used as a means to raise funds for the church. Very soon Bingo was played in several churches and became so popular that an estimated 10,000 Bingo games were played weekly during 1934. Today, almost $100 million is spent on Bingo every week in North America. Due to the popularity of the Bingo game and the phenomenal number of internet users, Bingo was made available to play online in the year 2003 in the UK. Today there are several exclusive online Bingo sites and more than 3 million people regularly play the game online and offline. Whether you play Bingo at home, a club or online, the thrills, suspense and anticipation of hearing or seeing that winning number are the same.

About The Author

Dan Kelly is the owner of Aboutbingo, a UK based online bingo review site primarily focused on providing the latest bingo news and current online promotions from the UK & Ireland. Please visit http://www.aboutbingo.co.uk for more information.