Lotto hit America around 1929 and was subsequently renamed Beano before becoming Bingo as we know it today. Players would check their cards and call ‘beano” when they had marked off the numbers on their card. One day someone accidentally hollered out ‘bingo’ rather than beano. This simple mistake has lead to a big business.
Played in clubs Bingo, as it was then known, is a game which combines several of the elements of several of the other games together in what is known as a bingo game. The basics of the game are this. Each player must mark off the numbers on their card as they are drawn. The first player to do so wins the game. There are more intricate versions of the game that involve more cards, cards with numbers, different ways of marking off the numbers and so on. The end result is that the first player to achieve five lines of five numbers wins the Dewavegas.
In the transition from beano to Bingo, a few changes were made. The boxes, or cards, used to keep track of the numbers were replaced with the numbers themselves. The random number generator was the key to making the gamesasingly dynamic. Most turnover in the casinos came from selling tickets rather than playing the game. Most of the casinos also had betting tables where players could bet on the outcome of the game, rather than on the number of lines won. Bingo therefore remained a very popular casino game, popular among the wealthy and not so accessible to the masses.
Over the years, several changes were made to the way in which the game was played. The cards were replaced with today’s stamps, and the scoring system became more sophisticated. Although the basic game of bingo, the objective of which was to mark off the numbers on a card to attain a certain pattern, has remained the same, the scoring systems have evolved and there are now many variants of bingo games available.
In the UK, Bingo is known as the game of ninety numbers or less, in the US, 75 numbers or more, but generally in the UK and US, there’s a bingo game that will be played between two players, there’s a 75 number or more bingo game in most American casinos, and a game between a single player and the house, in which the player must cover all of the numbers on the card in order to win.
In Australia and parts of Asia, the game is known as Housie, and is played with two decks, six cards per deck, in most cases. The six deck game is played in many casinos in New Zealand. In Asia, the card is dealt by a player to an on-looker.
In South America, the game is known as Poker, and has a different set of rules used in place of the American 75 numbered card game.
One of the things that has made Bingo so popular is that it’s slow. When playing online, one can get up to 45 or more cards each hour. When playing in the clubs, the game can take anywhere from two to four hours, with breaks only being a few minutes apart. So for the planner who likes to play every day, the cost can be excellent.
However, the biggest draw to the game is the social aspect. Bingo clubs are usually full of players. Players will be able to meet people from all over the world, and even communicate if they choose to. The game can spur friendships that would not have otherwise been met.
Bingo is more than just a game. Players who learn how to play Bingo can find themselves winning generous prizes, prizes that can include big jackpots. In the US, some states allow the game only to those above the age of 18, other states and countries have no age restrictions. The game does not discriminate based on sex, age or ability.
In the US, most big chain stores and large chain hotels have bingo sections. Often these sections are surrounded by other games, like ticket games, scratch cards and the like. The chain stores are quite happy to leave the game sections alone, and the hotels are quite happy to have lots of little prizes in exchange for playing the game.
Online, the game is still very popular. There are hundreds of different websites that host the game, and the Internet is far cheaper for the host than the player. A game on the World Wide Web can be exciting and fun, but the fact that the game is played online means that the players can be anywhere in the world, and any time. Playing online is especially convenient for those who live in cities that do not have a big bingo hall, or for students who have to work during school hours.