The History of Bingo

Bingo History

Bingo history is something that is not often publicised but yet it is something that will readily help people to understand the game and just how much it has come on in recent years. It has indeed come a long way since it was first played in the 16th Century. In fact, it goes all the way back to 1530 and a lottery that was known as Lo Giuoco del Lotto D’Italia. Originally Italian, it has come a long way and changed a huge amount so bingo history is absolutely fascinating.

Bingo in Europe

It is fair to say that bingo history can be traced all over Europe in days gone by. For example, it was played in France in the 1770s as Le Lotto and Germany in the 1800s, but for a completely different purpose. Instead of being used as a lottery or similar game, bingo history shows it as being used in the classroom to teach children. It was a popular way of encouraging them to learn about history, maths and languages. With the latter, it taught children how to spell. Its use as a classroom tool seems to be limited to Germany but it did not really become the game it is today until it was taken to the United States.

Bingo in USA

Bingo history shows that the game arrived on American shores with the Italian in 1929 as part of a travelling carnival. As a country fair game, people would attend, choose a ticket and sit down to mark it as the caller would pick numbered discs from a box. He would call the numbers, the players would mark them off and the word “beano” would be shouted when a card was full. It was a massive draw at the carnivals and soon became one of the most popular games there, especially when it began to be used as a way of raising charitable donations.

Development of Bingo

The turning point in bingo history came when bingo started to be marketed as a toy by Edwin Lowe and Carl Leffler. In the 1930s, the two had made a fantastic version of the game and were ready to sell it via toy stores so everyone could own a copy of it if they so wished. After that, it became incredibly popular in homes across the United States and soon began to be a fixture of clubs and venues as well. It is still popular in the United States to this day but the United Kingdom seems to have taken over the bingo craze since its introduction in the 1960s.

In the 1960s, the British government passed a law that was to change the course of bingo history by providing legal precedent for playing bingo in official halls. It was to be members only but it provided a place to gamble and win money for yourself rather than for charity. It was these changes that actually paved the way for the changes that were to be made with the introduction of the Internet and online gambling. Online bingo clubs are still members only but make the game available for every individual from the comfort of their own homes. As such, a whole new era in bingo history has now begun!