You might not believe it, but the game we know as Bingo has been around for hundreds of years now. What started out in one European country has spread worldwide, growing in popularity everywhere it goes.
Join us as we take a look at the way that Bingo has evolved over the centuries, from the ballrooms of French aristocrats to the online Bingo rooms of today.
Bingo by another name
There’s some debate about just how far back the roots of Bingo can be traced. However, generally people do agree that one of its earliest forms was created in Italy in the 16th century.
The game known as Il Gioco del Lotto d'Italia was, as the name implies, a form of lottery. It was missing some of the core features that we all associate with Bingo today, but it still shares its DNA.
From Italy the game spread across the Alps to France, becoming a big hit with the aristocracy of the time.
The French are believed to have added the idea of players having to fill out a grid of numbers, the predecessor of the modern Bingo card.
While in Italy the idea was to match just one number pulled out of a drum, Le Lotto pioneered the goal of completing rows of numbers on a player’s personal card.
This version of the game was the one that continued to spread across the continent, before eventually making the leap across the Atlantic.
Unsurprisingly, it was in the USA that Bingo got the name we know it by today and the 5x5 grid cards that many players are familiar with.
Rise of the Bingo halls
Bingo didn’t really start to take off in the UK until the 1960s, thanks to a relaxation in gambling laws that allowed players to win cash prizes.
Unlike the USA, though, the Brits preferred to play with a higher ball count closer to the older European versions of the game.
90-ball Bingo is also famously known for the ‘Bingo lingo’ which callers use to announce each ball that they draw.
In typical Cockney style, Brits refer to each of the 90 numbers with their own rhyming slang or easy reference, from ‘one little duck’ to ‘top of the shop’.
Of course, these days the number of physical Bingo halls up and down the country has dropped as many players have moved online.
Bingo goes digital
The advent of the Internet offered Bingo another leap forward, just like so many other classic games.
Going online gave Bingo the chance to evolve again, taking advantage of the new technology to incorporate extra features and theming into games.
Online offerings also allowed players from around the world to try out the different variations than they’d normally find, giving US players a taste of 90-ball Bingo.
Fusion games such as Slingo followed, which take the basic core of the classic Bingo card and add in elements of Slots to create a fresh experience.
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As developers continue to innovate there are sure to be even more changes to come for the game. No matter what extra rules or features get added, though, Bingo looks set to remain a gaming fixture for many years to come.