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The history of bingo

Among the games of chance that can be found in a casino, bingo is one of the most popular. It is played all over the world, and today it is possible to play it both in person and virtually. Bingo has long since positioned itself as one of the most popular games of chance worldwide; in fact, places such as Las Vegas bingo halls or bingo new jersey attract millions of tourists every year.

Whether played for recreation or to win money, bingo always offers hours of guaranteed fun. Bingo fans can spend several hours at a time playing card after card without getting tired, as it is a very entertaining and agile game.

Bingo!

Bingo is really a very simple game; so, if you have never played before, it won’t be difficult to learn. It requires a ball cage in which ninety balls with numbers are placed, which will come out randomly one by one, as the cage is rotated. Cards with fifteen random numbers are distributed among the players. These numbers are distributed in three rows and nine columns, interspersed between blanks. There are five numbers per row.
One person is in charge of spinning the ball cage and removing one ball at a time, announcing aloud the number that has been drawn. The rest of the players must mark on their cards the numbers that come up, if they appear on it. 


If a player succeeds in marking an entire row, he or she must say so aloud, announcing that they have made a line, for which they are awarded a cash prize. The ultimate winner of the game is the first player to complete the entire card, and must shout bingo! 
As you can see, it is a very simple game of chance and, above all, a lot of fun. Moreover, it can be played by people of all ages; although children, of course, should play it for fun rather than for money, as adults do.

Its history

The origin of bingo is confusing and there is no single unified account of it. Some people claim that it started in Italy in the 16th century, from the lotto game, and others believe that it dates back to the barbarian peoples.

What is certain is that the person who popularized this game worldwide was the American Edwin Lowe, a toy manufacturer from Brooklyn who, after seeing his company go bankrupt, decided to try his luck with this now famous game.

  • Lotto, its predecessor

Although there is no agreement on the origin of bingo, the truth is that the game of lotto existed before and, given its similarities, lotto can be thought of as the predecessor of bingo.

Lotto originated in Italy, although in 1770 it became popular in France as a game for the aristocracy. 

On a trip to Georgia, Edwin Lowe saw a group of people enthusiastically playing their own version of lotto. When he observed them playing lotto, using beans to mark the numbers on the cards and shouting “bean!” to announce that they had won, he was fascinated and on his return to Brooklyn introduced it to his friends.

  • Why is it called Bingo?

One of the theories, although unprovable, holds that one day while Edwin was playing with his friends, one of them got confused and instead of shouting “bean!” she shouted “bingo!”, because of the excitement of having won.

For Edwin that word was much more musical and catchy than the word bean, so he decided it would be the ideal name for the game. Hence the name Bingo.

  • The expansion of bingo

After all this series of anecdotes, Edwin, observing the fascination that this game awakened in people, decided to start marketing it. Within a few years, thousands of bingo sets were sold to be played at home. 

Today, bingo continues to be one of the most popular games of chance all over the world. In many countries you can find Bingo houses where this game is played exclusively, such as bingo new jersey; and you can also play it in online casinos or in physical casinos. Bingo is undoubtedly one of the favorite games of many people. It is fun, agile and simple, and in many cases you can win interesting prizes. Shout “Bingo!” and have fun with this ancient and