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What is Bingo?
Bingo is a game of chance played with randomly drawn numbers which players match against numbers that have been pre-printed on 5×5 matrices. The matrices may be printed on paper, card stock or electronically represented and are referred to as cards. Many versions conclude the game when the first person to achieve a specified pattern from the drawn numbers. The winner is usually required to call out the word “Bingo!”, which alerts the other players and caller of a possible win. All wins are checked for accuracy before the win is officially confirmed at which time the prize is secured and a new game is begun. In this version of bingo, players compete against one another for the prize or jackpot.
Bingo – A Brief History
The history of bingo can be traced to around 1530. “Lo Giuoco del Lotto d’Italia” which translates to “The Clearance of The Lot of Italy”, was (and still is) a popular gambling game which evolved over the centuries into various games of chance including “Bingo”.
By the 1700s the game was spreading across Europe. Playing cards, tokens and the reading out of numbers became a part of the game. The origin of word “Bingo” can be traced to England around 1776.
During the 1800s the game was a popular way to teach children spelling, multiplication tables, and vocabulary in Germany.
From Beano to Bingo
In 1929, at a carnival in Georgia, USA; a travelling salesman named Edwin Lowe discovered Beano. It was played with cardboard sheets, dried beans and a rubber stamp. The game was so popular with the carnvival crowd that he brought the idea home with him to New York.
Lowe introduced Beano to friends, and conducted his own games with sheets, dried beans, and rubber stamps. History is said to have been made when one of his friends shouted “Bingo” instead of “Beano”. Lowe knew he had something great and decided to brand the game as “Bingo”.
Bingo Variations
U-Pick’Em bingo
A common form of bingo that allows players to select the numbers they wish to mark and monitor for a win. While this game closely resembles Keno, a game which was invented by the Chinese and predates the Han Dynasty, it is recognized as a variant of bingo and permitted in almost all jurisdictions.
Quick Shot bingo
A game where numbers are pre-drawn and players purchase sealed bingo cards which are then matched against the pre-drawn numbers. If a specified pattern is achieved, then the player usually wins a prize according to a prize table. Some versions are played until a player achieves a top level prize and then new numbers are drawn and the game begins anew. This type of bingo may be played over days, weeks or months depending on the difficulty of achieving a top level prize.
Bonanza bingo
Typically 43 numbers are pre-drawn at the beginning of a bingo session. Players purchase sealed cards which are then matched against the predrawn numbers. At a designated time, the caller asks if anyone has bingo. If no one does, the caller then draws one more ball. This game is commonly played as a “progressive” game, where the jackpot increases as more cards are sold. If no one has achieved bingo after the single ball has been drawn, players then hold their cards for the next session of bingo which may take place the following day or following week. Thereafter, each session a single ball is drawn and players may continue to purchase additional sealed cards until someone aceives a cover-all. This version of bingo awards prizes to players who do not have a single number matched from the initial 42 numbers drawn.
Horse Racing bingo
Up to 15 players are randomly issued a number from 1 to 15 which corresponds with the top row of the bingo flashboard. Numbers are then drawn and the first person to have all five numbers in their column be drawn wins. This is a fast paced and exciting form of bingo typically played in fraternal organizations.
Table Bingo
With the expansion of Tribal gaming across the US, there are numerous versions of bingo which now emulate the fast action of casino like table games but utilize the principals of bingo where players mark and monitor matrices cards with chips. Casino games like Roulette, Acey Duecy and Money Wheel have bingo counterparts which are permitted to be played under bingo licenses in many parts of the country.
Electronic bingo
The advent of computer technology in bingo has blurred the lines between traditional slot machines and bingo slot machines. To the average person, bingo-based slot machines are physically indistinguishable from an RNG based slot machine typically seen in Atlantic City or Las Vegas.