Bingo has a long history as one of the most beloved gambling games in the world. Though often linked with senior citizens and their competitive matches, bingo is the perfect game for all age groups. It’s also one of the few gambling-style games legal throughout the world.
Though you don’t have to play the game competitively or even for cash, it’s important to know the rules and strategies of this lucky lottery-style game. Prepare for the next Bingo tournament inside an online casino for Indian users or a casual match for charity at your local community center.
Here’s a quick overview of all you need to know before your next bingo match.
Quick Bingo History
Bingo has a long and colourful history, dating back to the early 1500s as ‘Lo Giuoco del Lotto d’Italia’ in Italy. As it moved around the world and gained popularity, the game changed names and play styles. Its 1700’s European variant, ‘Le Lotto’, was played on 27 squares in a three-by-nine collum.
Bingo went through several phases of questionable legality and was even absorbed into the church under the name ‘Tombola’ at one point. Yet Bingo, as we know it today, started out as ‘Beano’ in the U.S. After mishearing the game’s name in 1929, Edwin S.Lowe renamed it bingo and made it his own.
Lowe teamed up with a Math Professor to create unique bingo cards with 6,000 different possible combinations. Lowe was also credited for the invention of Yahtzee in later years, though the game wasn’t as popular as bingo.
While the world fought over gambling law, the consensus showed that Bingo is entirely legal when used for charity purposes. Marketed as sweepstakes with all proceeds going to charity, bingo has become one of the most well-known casino games to the public. Played as a fun pastime or a competitive tournament, this game is ready to bring your community together and shout ‘Bingo!’.
Beginners Basics
The basics of bingo can change slightly depending on where you play it. The general premise will have you purchase an admissions packet containing several cards inside or a single virtual packet for online matches. The cards feature the signature bingo across the top and are divided into a five-by-five collum. More extreme matches of bingo can have cards totaling up to 90 spaces, but the five-by-five is the standard.
The caller is in charge of the bingo balls and will announce the numbers to the crowd as they drop. Some bingo halls will have a bingo board where numbers called are displayed for everyone to see. When a caller picks a number on your bingo card, you can block it off with a dauber or token. You win when an entire row, or card in some variants, is blacked out from matching numbers.
Shout out ‘Bingo!’ when your card is completed and collect your prize. Though it’s a game of luck, it takes a keen eye and a pristine memory to track all the numbers called across every card. You must be quick on the draw, as being too late to call bingo can cost you the match.
Final Tips
Whether playing solo or with a crowd, bingo is ready to entertain and amuse for hours on end. Play locally inside bingo halls or find a participating online casino to enjoy bingo virtually on the go. You can play for fun, for prizes or for charity and support those in need with every bingo ball called.
So get your bingo cards and daubers ready and start playing like a pro in no time.
