History of Bingo

You probably played bingo in your childhood days and sung that famous song about a farmer and his dog named bingo. Unknown to many, bingo is one of the oldest games on earth. The game also boasts a very rich history. This explains why the game is very popular with the old as it is something they grew up playing and just can’t let go off it.

The game of bingo originated from an Italian lottery called Lo Quoco del Lotto D’ Italia. The history of the game can be traced to the 1530s where it was played every Saturday. In the 1770s the game became popular in France. Le Lotto as it became to be popularly known was played by wealthy Frenchmen. The game became popular in Germany in 1800.In Germany however the game was used as an aid to help students learn spelling, math and history.

The game became popular in North America and was known as “beano”. In North America, the game was played for the first time at a carnival near Atlanta Georgia. On arrival in New York the name beano changed to Bingo. The change in name is attributed to Edwin S. Lowe a New York toy salesperson who overheard someone shout bingo instead of beano. Lowe hired the services of Carl Leffler a Columbia University math professor to help him increase the number of combinations on bingo cards. By 1930, the math professor had invented over 6000 bingo cards. (It is said that Leffler then went insane).

The game then took a religious angle when in 1934 a Pennsylvanian catholic priest requested permission to use the game as a means to raise funds for the church. After hitting churches, the games popularity increased immensely. Statistics from 1934 show that during this year over 10000 games were played weekly.

The popularity of bingo has been quickly rising. The game has undergone various modifications due to the many technological changes. It is now available online and also in many casinos around the world. Today the game fetches over $90 million dollars a week in North America alone.