The History Of Bingo
Bingo is actually a type of lottery. The game is a direct descendant of the Lo Guioco del d’ Italia. The country of Italy united in 1530 and developed the Italy United National Lottery. Since created, it has been held almost without interruption at weekly intervals. Since then, various forms have been created. American Bingo got its start after Edwin S. Lowe, an enterprising toy salesman observed a carnival game in Atlanta, Georgia where the players used dried beans to mark their cards. The player then yelled, “Beano” when a line of numbers was completed. Shocked at the game’s popularity, Lowe went home to New York and developed the game, “Bingo.” Interestingly, after Bingo was on the market for several months, Lowe was approached by a priest from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania who was looking to raise funds for his ailing parish. Immediately, it became apparent that there were too many winners for individual games. Lowe sought the services of Carl Leffler, a professor of mathematics at Columbia University. He devised 6,000 BINGO cards with non-repeating numbers!
In the United States, the goal is to cover five squares in a vertical, horizontal or diagonal row. These cards are five rows by five rows with a letter from the word BINGO written above each vertical row. In Great Britain or Austalian Bingo, the goal is to fill one, two or all three lines on the card. These cards are three squares by nine squares. Each player has at least one card, and some players have many! The caller, than selects balls with numbers and letters written on them and calls them out. Once you get five in a row, you shout “Bingo”. Be aware, you must shout out “Bingo” prior to the next number set being called out. The numbers are then clarified with the caller.
Bingo, because of its ease of play and availability, is a game enjoyed by those from all walks of life.