The History of Bingo


Bingo history can be traced right back to 1500’s during which it was an Italian lottery called “Lo Giuoco del Lotto D’Italia,” The game systematically found its way to France by 1770, encompassing a new name “Le Lotto”. This then developed into a child’s game to help students learn math, spelling and history by the 1800’s. It finally reached North America in 1929, which was later to became known as “beano”

It was here that the game we know to be Bingo was formed. An enthusiast, namely a New York toy salesman Edwin S. Lowe , was spellbound by the “beano” game while witnessing it in Atlanta Georgia so he bought it back with him to New York. The game was soon renamed to “bingo” after Edwin Lowe overheard someone accidentally yell “bingo” instead of “beano”.

Enthralled by the game Edwin Lowe then hired a Columbia University math professor, Carl Leffler, to help him increase the number of combinations in bingo cards. By 1930, Leffler had invented 6,000 different bingo cards. History proclaims that Carl Leffler then went insane.

By the mid-1930s, bingo games were popping up all over the country, in part because churches and social clubs quickly realised the fund-raising potential. This was when Bingo became a legal form of gambling.

Modern bingo has evolved into multiple variations, with each jurisdiction’s gambling laws regulating how the game is played. There are also nearly unlimited patterns that may be specified for play. Some patterns only require one number to be matched, up to cover-all games which award the jackpot for covering an entire card and certain games award prizes to players for matching no numbers or achieving no pattern.

Bingo has now formed with regards to locations, not only is there venues built specifically for Bingo but bingo has gone global and world wide, connecting players over the internet.

With technological advancements and developments of the game it will surely continue in development and thus continue to create history!!