Sep 08
Two things used to come to mind when I hear the word bingo. The time I joined my grandmother and her friends for a game of bingo at a local church hall (for less than impressive prizes) and a song my mum used to sing to me. You know the one… “There was a farmer had a dog and bingo was his name-o B.I.N.G.O, B.I.N.G.O, B.I.N.G.O and… Bingo was his name-o”. While I quite enjoyed the song, the purple-haired biddies put me off a little. Needless to say I never really considered bingo to be my game of choice. That is of course till I discovered online bingo – a mix of competitive thrills; friendly chat sessions, luck of the draw and of course… excellent winnings.
Bingo’s Beginnings
Bingo originated in Italy in the 1500s its precursor the Italian National Lottery. This lottery styled game spread quickly throughout Europe and reached America in 1929 in the form of a game called Beano. The first time the game was played was at a carnival where a man by the name of Edwin Lowe became enthralled by this simple game played with beans and cards. After creating a homemade version Lowe began holding beano evenings at home which were a great success. One night one of the players who had successfully completed their card jumped up in such excitement that they screamed bingo instead of beano … and the name stuck. Lowe successfully marketed the game and that is how it all started.
The Ins and Outs of the Game
Essentially each player has a card (5X5 grid) or several cards depending on their skill level. Each of the 5 columns on the card is marked by one of the letters that make up the word bingo. There are 5 numbers under each letter and as the caller draws numbers the aim is for the player to cover each of the numbers on their card to win.
There are so many card combinations (somewhere between six and nine thousand) so it’s near impossible to cheat. Legend has it that the mathematician who developed the number combinations eventually drove himself insane. Players have to keep their wits about them as things move relatively fast and it is easy to miss out on the letter/number combination called out. Missing one could cost the player the game. Once a line or the entire card (depending on the rules being played) the player must shout bingo.
The prize is awarded to the first player to shout bingo (once their card has been checked of course) and the next round begins.
Online Bingo
Bingo was a hit at church fundraisers all around America and soon commercial bingo halls started popping up all over the States and later the UK. When bingo recently moved online the game took on a new slant entirely. Virtual bingo halls are a hive of activity; rather than spinning balls and a caller a random number generator will decide whether players enjoy success or not. A fun feature of online bingo is that
players can chat with one another
while they play, which is not accepted at land based bingo halls – it really is a very social game. Bingo has become the game of choice amongst online gamers that don’t want to take their games too seriously.
It’s fun and that’s why they play
– the winnings aren’t too shabby either!
Gone are the days when bingo was reserved for small scale charity events, our grannies or school fundraisers – Today bingo is the game of choice for countless people around the world. Online bingo spurred on a revival of an old favorite that is now enjoyed by young and old both online and off. It is such a great game because it has managed to retain its social nature – there’s no scheming or strategizing, just good, clean fun and of course the luck of the draw.
By: Sarah Manners
Tagged with: Beano • Biddies • Bingo • Bingo Was His Name • Card Combinations • Carnival • Evenings • Friendly Chat • Grandmother • Ins And Outs • Local Church • Lowe • Luck Of The Draw • Mathematician • National Lottery • Number Combinations • Online Bingo • Precursor • Simple Game • Skill Level
Jul 05
The game of bingo, or Housie as it is known in Australia and New Zealand, started life back in the 16th century. It is thought to have first been played in Italy as a national lottery, before the idea spread around Europe. It was even used in Germany in the 19th century as a teaching aid for maths and multiplication.
Bingo as we know it today really started in America, and was used there as a means of raising funds for charities. In America the game was played with beans and the Americans originally called it ‘Bean-Go’ which was eventually shortened to ‘Beano’. A New York businessman saw a business opportunity in the game and hired Carl Leffler, a mathematician to formulate more bingo cards. Leffler is said to have gone insane creating 6000 different cards – not surprising considering this was in the days before computers, but the result was that there was just now just one winner per bingo game – prior to Leffler’s involvement bingo cards could produce numerous winners.
Eric Morley brought the game of bingo back across the Atlantic in the 1960s. Morley had presided over the Miss World pageant, and saw that bingo would be a great way to fill the British theatres and dance halls that had been abandoned since the rise of television. Bingo was seen as a great way of getting people back out of their homes again to socialise, and the cause was greatly aided by the relaxation of gambling laws. Eric Morley’s bingo company was called Mecca and it led the bingo craze that swept the nation (and is still sweeping today!)
Mecca Bingo became more and more sophisticated with random number generating machines and bingo vocabulary was born! Competitions are still held annually to find the best bingo caller in the country. While a lot of the larger halls do not use the old bingo vocabulary anymore, it is still used in social clubs and holiday resorts. The 1980s saw a new era for bingo, with purpose built modern bingo halls springing up around the country, and the popularity of the game just keeps on spreading – so much so that in 2004 more people in the UK went to bingo halls than to football matches.
Online bingo is the newest version of the game and has taken the internet by storm, and the UK is enjoying the fastest growing online bingo market! Mecca bingo is an amazing bingo website, and being trusted as the original bingo company in the UK, it has attracted many players. There are simply loads of games on offer, with seven main 90 ball bingo rooms – Three Little Ducks, Key to the Door, Lucky for Some, Turbo 90, Clickety Click, Legs Eleven and Dancing Queen. There are also three 75 ball bingo rooms – Jump and Jive, Sunset Strip and Lucky 7 where you have five chances to win on every game you play.
There are 50 slots games available as well as 24 numbers games, plus casino and keno games including craps, roulette, dice and blackjack. Mecca bingo on line is pretty much everything you could ask for, including a friendly online community and moderators to help you with anything you might need!
Registration is really easy, and the webpages are bright and appealing. You can play demos of most of the games, you can have Big Brothers Brian Dowling as your bingo caller (if you so wish), there are clear instructions on how to play each game by simply pressing on the question mark symbol and there is the opportunity to get a 200% sign up bonus! Simply register, place your deposit and you receive 200% bonus back. Almost sounds too good to be true! But it’s not!
By: Darren W Chow
Tagged with: Australia And New Zealand • Bingo Caller • Bingo Cards • Bingo Club • Bingo Game • Bingo Halls • Dance Halls • Holiday Resorts • Housie • Leffler • Mathematician • Mecca • Mecca Bingo • Miss World Pageant • Morley • National Lottery • Random Number • Social Clubs • Teaching Aid • York Businessman
