Bingo History

Many people believe that Bingo is a twentieth century game, and in a sense, they’re right, since this is when the game became popular in the United States. What most people don’t know is that Bingo can be traced back to 1530, when it began in its early form as a state-run lottery in Italy.

By 1778 the game, still in its lottery format, had spread to France where the educated classes quickly adopted it. By the 1800s the game had became something of a craze throughout Europe, where it was even used as an educational tool for children.

Until the early twentieth century, the game was played in a variety of different formats, and might have languished in obscurity forever had it not been spotted by a traveling salesman named Edwin Lowe, who happened upon a game one night and saw its immense appeal. Interestingly, the game that Lowe saw that evening was called ‘Beano’, so named because its players marked their numbers with dried beans.

He took the game back with him to America, created his own version and changed its name when one of the players he had invited round to try it blurted out, ‘Bingo!’ in her excitement instead of the usual cry.

It was a priest named Wilkes-Barre from Pennsylvania, USA, who took the next step in popularising the game. One of his parishioners came up with the idea of using Bingo as a way to raise money for the church. However with only 24 individual cards to play with, there were far too many winners for each game.

Lowe was contacted to produce a larger number of combinations for the cards. Recognising the financial potential of the game, Lowe contacted a professor of mathematics at Columbia University who increased the number of Bingo cards, thereby making the fundraising effort a huge success in Bingo history.

‘Lowe’s Bingo’ became a sweeping success, and by the mid 1930s, Bingo games were popping up all over the country. Today, Bingo is played internationally around the world. Games range from small enough to fit into a church to large enough to pack a 1,800-seat hall. You can play Bingo with a pen and paper, via the Internet or with an electronic machine.

You don’t have to fit a profile either. In Bingo history, players have come from all walks of life, and include young and old, male and female. Most like to socialise, which is why they love Bingo, Players often arrive two hours before the game starts, to enjoy a meal or chat with friends. In fact, more than two in three people go to Bingo for social rather than financial reasons.

Play on-line Bingo games now with William Hill!