A History of Bingo
Filed Under (General Thoughts) by admin on 14-01-2009
The game of bingo has its origins in mid-16th century Italy. It began as an Italian lottery, called “Lo Giuoco del Lotto D’Italia.” This game is still played in much its original form even today. From Italy, it moved to France in the late 18th century.
Of course, in the United States, bingo started out as a game called “Beano”. It was a game played at carnivals and numbered discs were selected from a small box, and players would cover their cards with beans. When a player won, they called out “beano!”
The first known instance of “beano” in the United States was in Georgia just prior to the Great Depression. A toy salesman from New York saw it being played and contacted a math professor to assist him in developing the new bingo cards. Nearly 6,000 permutations were created, and modern bingo was born. Because of the nearly instant success of the bingo franchise, its popularity exploded across the country. From these meager origins came interest from the Catholic Church about using bingo as a church fundraiser. By mid-1934, nearly 10,000 games of bingo were played each week. Bingo in the United States is now a 5 billion dollar annual industry, and it is still used as a major fundraiser by churches around the country. Bingo is a fast-paced, social game; many people play as often as 3 times a week.
