All types of gambling have a surprisingly rich history. Origins of some forms of it date back to the ancient Greeks and gambling thrived in such civilizations even though it was illegal. Although the history of bingo does not date back that far, the concept of the game still developed over centuries and it continues to change to this very day at BarbadosBingo.com.
The Game Connection
Italy is the birthplace of the origins of bingo and it is in fact the lottery that created bingo. This seems logical as the lottery pre-dates bingo and they are both similar number based games. This aspect of bingo has been long forgotten but the reality is that if the lottery didn’t exist nor would bingo. Bingo origins can be traced back to a form of a national lottery that was played in Italy in 1530. It was called Lo Giuoco Lotto Italia. This form of lotto can still be seen in 90-ball bingo that we play today as both games have similarities. Even back then in Italy, the format included cards with rows. Numbers were chosen and those that matched the corresponding picked numbers won. The popularity of this game meant that it could not be contained within the country and by the late 1770s the lotto game began to cross borders and was especially popular in France, where it was named ‘Le Lotto.’
The French Shaping Of The Game
The French are major players when it comes to how gambling games look now. They took the game of Lo Giuoco Lotto Italia and modified the cards into standard 3 rows and 9 verticals much like a modern 90-ball bingo card.
Bingo and The UK
Bingo landed on UK shores and was a huge hit amongst the gambling loving UK public. However, the British didn’t alter the game like the French did, they left the format as it was but they created what’s known as bingo lingo instead.
Bingo The American Way
Bingo hit the US in 1929 but was known as beano. It was especially popular in Atlanta Georgia. Something important happened here that changed the name from beano to bingo and this is how the game is now known worldwide. A toy salesman named Edwin Lowe overheard a player shout ‘bingo’ instead of beano. Lowe thought that bingo was a more memorable word and would be more successful in the marketing of the game than beano. This is how bingo got its name, completely by accident and Lowe mass- produced and marketed the game as bingo even though it was already called bingo everywhere else.
Modern Day Bingo
1996 saw the introduction of the first online bingo site called Cyberbingo.com. However, online bingo had to wait until 2003 before it really took off. In 2015 the popularity of online bingo was further fueled when the game went mobile. Now Bingo is a global game enjoyed in bingo halls and online by millions. It is still developing and changing to suit a cliental that is constantly changing too.