How were bingo games first created?
In the UK especially there are very few games that can stake a claim to be as popular as bingo, something that became a real part of British cultural identity in the post WWII period, leading to hundreds of bingo halls being built in just a few years in the mid 20th century.
Whilst the insane popularity of bingo halls has decreased over the last few decades, it definitely doesn’t mean that the game has got less popular in general. In fact, the only reason bingo halls are closing is that many people have moved online – visit www.barbadosbingo.com!
Oh yes, after several centuries of existence in some shape or form, bingo is definitely here to stay, there is no argument with that. Not only does bingo bring the excitement of other gambling games, but it also has a highly social element too. You just cannot beat it! Have you ever wondered how bingo games were first created? If so keep reading, because we’re going to go through the history of bingo!
Bingo history: A basic timeline
It is always pretty interesting finding out how various gambling games were created, and the case of bingo is no different! In fact, bingo actually has a far more complex and interesting history than most other gambling games, take a look at a quick timeline below:
1. 16th century Italy: As most bingo historians will tell you, the roots of the game can be found in 16th century Italy, with a lottery style competition called Il Gioco della Lotto d’Italia. This set the seeds for the game of bingo, and was an extremely important event.
2. 18th century France: The next pit-stop in the history of bingo is in 18th century France, where wealthy businessmen had their own version of the game called Le Lotto. This was important because it was the first time bingo had been altered to be played in slightly smaller groups.
3. 19th century Germany: By the 19th century simplistic forms of bingo were being played all over Europe, and in Germany it was being used in schools to teach kids in the 19th century. The influence of this still lives on today, with school children regularly given the chance to play bingo in order to learn stuff. This is also a big reason behind bingo’s popularity – most people know how to play it because of its presence in schools.
4. 20th century America: In the 20th century bingo was being played all around the world, however it still hadn’t been centralised into one universal game. This is where a particularly important chap called Erwin S. Lowe comes into the equation. He created a set of universal scorecards and gave bingo the name we all know today, something that almost immediately resulted in huge commercial success.5. 21st century: The crowning moment in the history of bingo came just over a decade ago, when online bingo finally became a popular choice.
