Bingo has been an extremely popular form of gambling for many years and decades. Betting on the famous bingo card reached its peak in the UK in the 1970s and then after a slight dip in popularity, it is now experiencing a mini renaissance.

Online gambling has heralded the introduction of the online bingo casino. Sites devoted to what has often been seen as one of the “lighter” gambling games, offer the clients a world of online bingo along with special competitions, games and a unique social atmosphere.

This social atmosphere is what is critical. One’s image of gambling does indeed comprise of elderly ladies crowded into a bingo hall with their slippers each week and playing for pitifully low amounts of cash. Today, however the bingo world is changing. It is becoming more and more popular with the younger generation, although it should be said that the most predominant group of bingo players tend to be single, middle-aged women.

That aside, the game is great fun for all ages. However, people should not fall into the trap of thinking that playing and winning a game of bingo is dull. If you have several cards in front of you, a study in the UK has shown that the actions of checking all the numbers on your cards with the corresponding ones called and in the time before the next call is made can improve your reflexes and help keep your mind active and strong.

Betting on bingo is wrongly often seen as a safe way to gamble. On the contrary, there is no such thing, unless limits are set and respected. Your can lose just as much money playing bingo for long enough as on any other game. A bingo gambling hall is no more of an easier place to have to pay a gambling debt than a ritzy Las Vegas casino. It is the same for playing bingo online. Whereas, like other online gambling games, casinos will often offer you the option of playing bingo for free, just to familiarise yourself with the game, when you pay money you are accepting the element of risk and the possibility, if not likelihood that you may lose.

The true origin of bingo dates back as far as the mid 16th century and is connected, strangely enough to the unification of Italy in 1530. This unification saw the introduction of a National lottery system, known as “Lo Giuoco del Lotto d’Italia” held each week. Interestingly, this lottery is today a major source of income to the government, contributing over 75 million dollars each year to the budget.

It was the French who developed a passion for “Le Lotto”, as it became known and they adapted their own version of the game that strikes a strong resemblance with today’s version of bingo. Three horizontal and nine vertical rows formed the basis of the card and players would cover their numbers as they were drawn until an entire horizontal row was covered – hence the winner.

Picture the scene. It’s 1929 and a weary and stressed toy salesman by the name of Edwin S. Lowe is driving to Jacksonville, Georgia to prepare for some appointments. Soon after starting his own toy company a year earlier, the market crashed and Mr Lowe’s prospects were looking very bleak indeed.

Before arriving in Jacksonville, Lowe decided to cheer himself up by stopping off at a country carnival, being a night early for his appointments. Only one carnival booth was open and very crowded. The excitement seemed to be generated by a game that was a variation of Lotto, known as Beano. A horseshoe table was covered with numbered cards and beans. Every time a pitchman pulled a wooden disk from an old cigar box and called the number on it, the players reached for a bean and covered the corresponding number on their card, if they had it. When they had totally covered a line, either diagonally, vertically or horizontally, they had to shout Beano! They then received a doll.

Lowe wanted to play, but the game was too popular and no seats were available. What he did notice though was that all the players seemed to be addicted to the game. The pitchman was not able to close and had to eventually chase the players away at 3:00am. The pitchman had apparently picked the game of Lotto in Germany and decided to adapt and bring it to the United States and to rename it Beano. The success of the game on the carnival circuit proved to be highly lucrative.

Back in New York, Lowe invited some friends to his apartment and introduced them to the game. The tension seemed palpable. One time, a player became close to winning and was getting more and more excited. When her final number was called she jumped up in a fit of ecstasy and in all her excitement got herself tongue-tied. Instead of shouting Beano she spat out “Bingo!” Lowe would later describe the “sense of elation” he experienced when he heard her cry. He knew from that moment he was going to introduce this game to the public and name it “Bingo”.