When you sit down to enjoy a bingo you may not realise that you’re playing a game that goes back at least 500 years to 16th century Italy. But there’s strong evidence to suggest that the game was introduced as a way to raise money for the government – very like the lotteries of today.
But the bingo we know, and love has its origins in depression-era America when a travelling salesman called Edwin Lowe saw a game called “beano” being played at travelling fairs in Georgia. He saw its potential and soon rebranded it as “bingo” – and the modern game was born.
Soon bingo halls started to spring up all across America and proved to be very popular places not just to play the game, but for socializing with friends in a fun and friendly atmosphere. Its popularity also crossed the Atlantic to the UK where, by the 1950s there were bingo halls all across the country.
The 1970s and 80s saw a steady decline in the number of bingo halls across the world but it continued to be a reasonably popular pastime, nonetheless.
Bingo around the world
Over the decades, different countries have introduced their own particular variations and nuances to the game. For example, in the UK the most commonly played version has 90 balls while in the US the 75-ball game prevails. The reasons for this are not totally clear but it may be that American players have always wanted a faster-moving game than the Brits.
Other countries where the 75-ball game dominates include Sweden, Japan and Brazil. A particularly interesting example is the former where the Scandinavian style of the game includes no less than five different ways to win. The Swedes have also started a craze for drive-in bingo as a way to bring many of the country’s disparate communities together for a fun time in the beautiful countryside.
In Russia, on the other hand, it brings the nation together around the TV screen for televised bingo games held at weekends. Similar to many other lottery-style games, if there aren’t any winners of the main prize, it rolls over into the next week gradually growing in value.
Meanwhile, in Ireland, the country has embraced many different methods of play and it’s also become a regular part of the pub and bar culture in the country.
Bingo is a popular game in many countries across the world, with a lot putting their own twist on the game.
A good idea for good causes
Many of these games are designed to raise money for both local and national good causes, something that bingo is ideally suited for. Because of its communal nature, and the requirement to pay to play, it makes it a fun way for charities to get people involved while collecting funds too.
It’s also led to some very unusual manifestations of the game in the past. One of the most popular of these has been drag bingo. Originally dreamt up by a charity fundraiser in Seattle called Judy Werle, its story is and interesting one. In the early 1990s Judy was thinking of ways to get donations for AIDS charities when she hit on the idea. The combination of camp and fun seemed like the perfect match, and a true phenomenon was born. Its popularity spread first eastwards across America and then to the rest of the world. So today, some 30 years after the first drag queen called out the numbers, you’ll still find it being played everywhere from Amsterdam to Sydney.
The move online
No examination of the diversification of bingo would be complete without a mention of the online game. This has grown up alongside the online casino sector and today there are many sites like Wink Bingo that have attracted a whole new generation of players to the game.
The sites have taken the intrinsic appeal of bingo and made it a fast-moving, exciting activity that’s easy to play both on PCs and on mobile devices too. With many different games to play it’s got something for everyone. There’s even the sociability of the old bingo hall game, thanks to the chat rooms that feature on all of the leading sites. So, it’s not unusual to find that groups of friends get together to play alongside each other, remotely, to enjoy an evening of drinks, bingo and, with any luck, a win or two as well.
Bingo is a game that is now popularly played online – It can be accessed on many different devices such as PC’s and handheld devices to play on-the-go.
Bingo nights reborn
The growing popularity of the online game has also breathed new life into “live” bingo too. Not only are the remaining bingo halls reporting a rise in attendances, many nightclubs are also starting to put on bingo nights too.
These are action packed affairs that can involve everything from karaoke contests and dance offs as well as the bingo games themselves. To add to the fun, there are also lots of different sorts of prizes to be won as well as traditional cash.
In the UK, one of the leading names in these club nights is Bongo’s Bingo. It originally began in just one Liverpool nightclub to encourage more people to visit mid-week. But its popularity grew so quickly that his has now expanded across the country, and across the world. Yet another sign of how the game can be re-invented and embraced by whole new audiences.
So, as we move through the 21st century, bingo is in very good health indeed with new ways to play constantly being invented. It’s also maintained its global reach with new generations discovering its appeal – so its future seems to be assured.
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