History of Bingo
A short history of bingo
Bingo is a game that is believed to have originated with an Italian version of the lottery called Lo Giuoco del Lotto d’Itallia which came into existence in 1530 and is still being played today! Following on from this game bingo has, in many different formats which have varied by place and time, been alive in some form or another. However, what is certain is that the modern version of the game which is played around the world today is directly related to a game called ‘Beno’.
Beno was a game that was principally played at carnivals during the early 20th century in Europe. The game involved players getting a set of cards with numbers on them which were marked with beans, and hence the player needing to shout ‘Beno’ when they won the game.
In 1929 a toy manufacturer called Ed Lowe heard about the game and after seeing the excitement that it generated amongst players decided to set up a game of Beno at his home with his friends and family. As the story goes, the game produced immense excitement and at one point a player, after having won the round, shouted ‘bingo!’ instead of Beno. Lowe decided that this name was an improvement on Beno and it stuck!
Lowe promoted the game heavily and although he was unable to get a patent for the game it still brought him immense wealth after he made his competitors who used the game pay a dollar for using the name ‘bingo’. The modern version of bingo had been born and would become increasingly popular until it became, and remains, one of the most popular pastimes in the world.
The internet has revolutionized bingo in the past decade with players able to now play from their homes at any time they please. Dream Bingo has become one of the most popular of such online bingo sites and offers amazing software, graphics, range of games, helpful support services and more promotions than you’ve had hot dinners! What would Ed Lowe have thought about that?!
