As is typical when it comes to games of chance, there are a few different opinions on when exactly bingo, or the roots of what we know as bingo today, first got started. Opinions vary from historian to historian, but one of the most popular theories is that bingo started arounbd 600 years ago in the nation of Italy. In this country, it was a lottery style game that was known as Lo Giuoco del Lotto d’Italia which literally translates out to ‘the casting of the lots of Italy’. This was essentially a way for the state to raise money by having the people invest in a chance to win a huge prize. It did so well that it is still being played in that part of Italy today and is immensely popular in the country. Then, after that it would be altered and travel up over the Alps range into France where it would be altered by the French into a unique interpretation of the game and also it moved east into Germany where it was also customized. In Germany, the game was used to teach school children about a variety of different topics ranging from the bnames of different animals to the numbers and letters that they needed to learn in school. This practice also later became popular in the United States and the United Kingdom where the learning value was prized.
The real break through would actually come from a traveling sales man known as Edwin Lowe who would discover a little carnival game called Beano that was being played at a booth in a fair just outside of Atlanta, Georgia in the US. Although he was originally from New York City, Lowe had been on vacation when he spotted Beano being played and instantly believed he had comne across a game that would keep people entrhalled for hours. This made him go back home and try to make a version of the game for himself, making it a bit more mathematical in the process and developing his own cards on which it could be played. He would then sell these cards to those who wanted to be able to play the game in a hall or even in their homes. He built himself a small empire doing t5his and it was Lowe who really got the game popular on a broad scale. Because of his passion, it quickly spread across the US and the UK, as well, becoming a hugely popular past time for those who wanted to get out of the house in the days where TV in the family room was the main form of activity. Because TV made it more convenient and cheaper than going to the cinema, many people would watch for hours, but it wasd not a aoscial activity the way bingo is and that is whay lead people to this game. After the 1960’s, bingo had such a huge following that there were halls and casinos offering it all across the world. Today, the game has moved online and become even bigger.
