The Weird History of Bingo

Bingo. It’s your grandma’s favorite pastime. It has thousands of variations covering every possible topic. But what do you actually know about it?

While I’m sure you know how to play bingo, you’ve probably never thought about where the popular activity came from.

From the origins to the history of the game’s development, to the many different variations that exist around the world today, we’ll take you deep into the strange history of bingo.

The Origins of Bingo

To tell you about the origins of the game now known as bingo, we have to take you back to the 16th century. When Italy united as a country in 1530, one of the organizations that was created was the Italian National Lottery. Known as Lo Giuoco del Lotto D’Italia, this game is still held nearly every Saturday in Italy and is the earliest known origins of what we now know as bingo.

In the late 1700s, the game was introduced to France, where the game was altered a little, and the name became Le Lotto. In this version, the cards were numbered in three rows and nine columns, with a total of 90 numbers that were drawn at random from a bag. In this French version, the winner had to cover an entire horizontal row, which would mean matching nine numbers to their card.

Fast forward to the 1800s, and these bingo-like games were being used across Europe, and for multiple purposes. In Germany, these numbered card games were being used to teach everything from multiplication to spelling.

The History of Bingo in The United States

The history of how bingo came to The United States and became the game we now know as bingo is an interesting one. As the game progressed in Europe, it went from use in lottery and education to a popular carnival game. As Americans tend to do, when something can be used to make money, we run with it.

A carnival worker had come across the game while working in Germany, and upon seeing its popularity, decided to bring it to The United States. The game was altered a bit and coined Beano.

The discoverer of what is now known as bingo was a New York toy salesman by the name of Edwin S. Lowe. While driving through rural Georgia, Lowe noticed a country carnival going on, and decided to stop and check it out.

He was immediately drawn to a game called beano. In this game, similar to the lottery games in Europe, numbers were drawn out of a cigar box, and the players had to match the numbers to their cards. The cards were marked using beans, hence the name beano. When a player matched an entire line, either vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, the player yelled “beano!”. Sound familiar?

Lowe took this idea back to New York, and started playing the game out of his apartment, using the exact same rules as the carnival. During one particularly tense match, one of the players grew increasingly excited as she drew closer and closer to winning. As her final number was called, she exclaimed “BINGO!” instead of beano, and the game we know and love was born.

The Development of Bingo in The United States

Edwin Lowe now had a name for his game, and he decided to start producing the game as something more than a carnival activity. He hired a math professor by the name of Carl Leffler to develop thousands of number combinations for the cards. Lowe started producing the cards and selling them in sets of 12 and 24, and bingo immediately took off.

Bingo first gained widespread popularity throughout America thanks to a priest from Pennsylvania, who wanted to use the game to raise funds. Once other churches got word of the game, it exploded in popularity. Bingo, which was first produced in 1930, was being played over 10,000 times weekly around the country by 1934.

The success of bingo launched Edwin Lowe and his company E.S. Lowe into massive success. In addition to bingo, Lowe also developed Yahtzee, which he discovered from a couple on a yacht and bought the rights from. He sold his company in 1973 to a game manufacturer that you may have heard of by the name of Milton Bradley.

Bingo In The Present Day

Bingo is currently one of the most popular games in the country. In many places, even where gambling is illegal, bingo is still allowed as a way for churches and non profit groups to raise money.

Many bars or restaurants will hold bingo nights as a way to drum up business. Offering free entry and small prizes, this is a way to get around any gambling laws while still offering an incentive to come in and play the game.

In nursing homes, bingo is one of the most popular games. Even as bingo loses popularity amongst our current generation, those old enough to remember the days of playing bingo at church still cherish those memories. It’s a wonderful way to bring together younger and older generations, and maybe win some fun prizes doing it.

In casinos, bingo is still a popular and highly competitive game. Players develop highly advanced strategies in order to increase their chances of winning this game, which is primarily driven by luck.

Bingo is also becoming increasingly popular online. As more people choose to sit at their laptops or on their phones instead of gathering in a room full of people, some of the top bingo sites offer people a chance to play against people from all over the world.

What Else Do You Need To Know?

Honestly, that covers pretty much everything you need to know about the history of bingo. However, if you’re looking for more weird and interesting topics to learn about, you’ve come to the right place. From crazy soccer videos to weird facts about socks, weed, and even sex positions, we’ve got you covered on a variety of topics. Keep reading, and stay weird!

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