History of Bingo

History of Bingo

Bingo is a game that has been around for years but where did it come from?  Who actually sat down and thought it would be a good idea for everyone to have cards with numbers on and someone calling those numbers out, the object being to be the first person to get a line, 2 lines or a full hous

There are lots of theories about where the game of bingo originated. In the UK bingo has been around for many decades and is now popular in other countries including the states where the popularity of playing bingo has caught on.

The game of bingo is actually from an Italian lottery, which was played in Italy against the wishes of the church.  The game then showed up in stylish France where they gave it the name Le Lotto.  The French lottery was also against the wishes of the church in France and it was this controversy which helped to build a frenzy about the game.

This public interest soon made the game of bingo spread around Europe to other countries. It was seen as an exciting and different game to play.

It was during this period that the game of bingo as we know it was started in the UK.  Cards with numbers were divided into 27 different boxes with 3 rows and 9 columns.  Numbers were randomly placed on the cards from 1-90.  This traditional game of 90 ball bingo is still one of the most popular bingo games played today, both in bingo halls and clubs around the country and also on the internet via online bingo websites.

Nowadays, the game of bingo is huge and has spread all over the world.  Prizes have become bigger and bigger over time and bingo itself has grown from small companies running games in church halls and workmen's clubs to big business for companies who have made millions such as Gala Bingo and Mecca Bingo.  As a general rule, the bigger the company the bigger the prizes seem to be.