Bingo began to achieve widespread popularity in the United States beginning as far back as the early twentieth century. What most people don’t realize however is that the game was actually played in Italy long before that. It was in 1530 when an early form of the game known as “Lo Gioco del Lotto d’Italia” began to make the rounds in that country. The game was subsequently adopted in France in the latter part of the 18th century, and cards with nine columns and three rows were utilized. In this form of the game, a caller drew out wooden chips from a bag, each of them bearing a number from 1 to 90. The winner of the game was the first player that managed to mark out a whole row. It wasn’t long before this game took off like wildfire all over the European continent.

The introduction of the game in the United States was largely due to the efforts of a toy salesman named Edwin S. Lowe. Lowe witnessed the popularity of a game known as “Beano” in a carnival in Georgia, which involved players using beans in order to mark out the numbers on the card as they were called. It was the use of these beans that gave rise to the name “Beano”, and that was exactly what players called out upon completing a line of numbers.

Lowe was so impressed with the game and its apparent popularity that he later taught his friends back home how to play it. In the course of one game, a player was so excited at the prospect of winning that she shouted out “Bingo!” instead of the customary word, and the game had a new name.

Bingo then became a huge success in Lowe’s hometown, and it rapidly grew in popularity until it spread out all over the country during the 1930s. Churches and social clubs in particular took to the game in a big way, and they quickly saw the potential for holding bingo events as a way to raise funds for various causes.

Today, almost all the states in the US hold high profile bingo games on a regular basis, with games ranging in size from the fairly small and informal to huge multi-thousand seat tournaments. Some of the bigger games offer considerable cash prizes, although many smaller ones offer lower prizes, or simply give out modestly priced gifts in place of cash.

Bingo players are a wide and varied lot, comprised of everyone from young children to older players, and from all types of social backgrounds. While most people would think of the typical bingo player as being a senior citizen, the game has managed to transcend all boundaries and its player base is currently made up of all types of people. It is largely viewed as a social event by many people, and is a good way to spend a few hours in a fun pursuit with friends and family. Other games may come and go but it appears that bingo is here to stay for the foreseeable future.

Author Bio: Nicklas Johansson is writing for bingorama.se, Sweden’s biggest bingo guide

Category: Entertainment
Keywords: bingo,gambling,fun,recreation,entertainment