The History Behind BINGO!

It’s time to talk about Bingo! One of the most popular American pastimes, many believe that the game of Bingo was created in Great Britain and then imported to the USA from across the pond, but that is not quite the case. Although Bingo is now a worldwide phenomenon with online Bingo played by millions of people worldwide, the game ventured through various countries under different names before it arrived on American soil. Here is our undisputed guide to the history behind Bingo.

Roots in Italian Lotto

It is widely thought that Bingo has its roots in Italy during the 16th century through the Italian lottery Gioco del Lotto d’Italia. Of course, the Italian version was not the finely finished version of Bingo which we play today, but its roots certainly came from Italy. The modern version of the game remains popular among Italians in 2021 and although the game travelled through Germany (the game was used as an education tool in Germany to help children learn times tables, spelling and history) and France before it ended up on British shores in the 18th century, it was not long before Bingo found its way to North America and the United States.

Modern Bingo

It is unclear where the game took its name from although some believe it to be a British customs officer term where, upon a successful search, the officers would shout ‘Bingo’ in the same vein as Archimedes shouting ‘Eureka’. Others claim that a Beano player (more on Beano shortly) mistakenly yelled ‘Bingo’.
It was in the 1920s when the first modern version of Bingo appeared at American fairs and carnivals thanks to an American businessman named Hugh J. Ward. At this point, the game was known as Beano rather than Bingo. Ward went on to create the first ever rule book dedicated to the game in 1933 which is still available today. It was an entrepreneur named Edwin S. Lowe who continued where Ward had begun. Lowe witnessed people near Atlanta playing Beano using dried beans, a rubber stamp and cardboard sheets. Winners were rumoured to shout ‘Beano’ when they believed they had won. This turned out to be an epiphany for Lowe who later won the patent for the modern Bingo card design in 1942 and since then, Bingo boomed across North America.
Bingo halls were built across the land with commercial Bingo games offered in Las Vegas by casinos. In 2021, there are now several different variations of Bingo with online Bingo by far and away the most popular form of Bingo worldwide.

Online Bingo

The birth of online casinos ensured that accessing and playing your very own Bingo game has never been easier. At SlotsandCasino, we offer no less than seven Bingo games for you to pick from which we have outlined for you below:

• Amazonia Bingo – Play Bingo in the rainforest! Features include a progressive jackpot, extra balls feature and a wild bonus round.
• Bingo Goal – Bingo with a soccer theme! Trigger the progressive jackpot by claiming a Bingo on the first 30 balls.
• Bingo Ribeirinhos – Journey to South America in this Bingo casino game. Features include an Extra Ball feature and a bonus round.
• Cataratas Bingo – Qora Gaming has provided us with a unique Bingo game. Take advantage of the Extra Ball feature as well as a Wheel of Fortune feature.
• Go-Go Bingo – This is one of our favourites. The Extra Balls feature allows you the option of buying up to nine extra balls, giving you more chance of winning that epic payout!
• Pesca Bingo – Ever wanted to play Bingo under the sea? Now is your chance. Pesca Bingo gives you the opportunity to win $15,000! As well as a huge payout potential, you also get access to a fun bonus round whereby you must reel in fish on a fishing trip!
• Tribo Bingo – Don’t like your Bingo numbers? In Tribo Bingo, you can simply change them using the Change Cards feature.

The extra features offered on online Bingo games means that playing Bingo online is much more exciting when compared with playing in your local Bingo hall. Don’t believe us? Just try out one of our games and you will discover how fun shouting "BINGO!" online, can be!