The History of Bingo
Bingo began life as an Italian lottery in 1530. They still play it on regular occasions; usually on Saturdays. In the 1770’s it was taken up by wealthy and bored French aristocrats. The Germans, ever practical, took it up in the 1800’s as an educational tool to help students with spelling and history. In North America in the 1920’s, it was originally known as Beano. It was always popular in fairs and events, but really took off when churches began using it as a way to raise funds.
Bingo is essentially a game of chance. Each player has a card marked with five columns (labelled B, I, N, G and O), each of which contains five squares. Each square, apart from the middle so-called free space square, has a number. The Caller reads out numbers selected from a lottery-style blower machine, and as they match the numbers on the cards they are ticked off. The winner is the first player to complete a prearranged pattern on his or her card. The particular pattern used in a game is determined by the Caller before commencement. The most common patterns used are ‘straight-line’ and ‘blackout’.
Players these days use an ink stamp called a dauber to mark their cards as it is quick and permanent. Prizes are usually in cash and there are limits on how much can be paid out, although in some American casinos you can win up to a million dollars.
Satellite bingo is becoming increasingly popular with an independent company linking up a number of halls across the country.