BINGO is such a classic favourite for many and there’s no surprise, as its gameplay is so simple. However, the history surrounding the game is extensive, as it originated during the 1500s!
There’s so much to learn about Bingo and here is a great place to begin your Bingo learning journey. See if there’s anything new you can find out about one of the most famous games…
Bingo and its origins
You may be shocked to find out that the origins of Bingo began in Italy, potentially dating back to the 16th century. However, at this point it wasn’t known as Bingo – instead its derivations came from the Italian lottery ‘Il Gioco del Lotto d’Italia’.
It travelled around Europe, to France and then the UK during the 18th century, but the game became most popular in the 20thcentury. Even the term began to be used in British slang, as a celebration at the end of a successful search – “Bingo!”
There’s much more to the history of Bingo, so find out where else the game travelled to!
It wasn’t always known as Bingo
Edwin S. Lowe, an American toy manufacturer, invented a toy called beano, where numbers were covered with beans – similar to how you mark off numbers on a Bingo card.
When trialling out the early version of beano with his family, someone got so into the game that they shouted “Bingo!” by accident, but the word just stuck! So, all American Bingo players thank Edwin and his family for the name Bingo many know and love today.
What about its name in the UK?
Beano was the previous name of Bingo in the US, but the UK also used a different term. Bingo was called Housey-Housey, due to the exclamation of “house!” when achieving a full house during the game.
Isn’t it interesting to find out how many names for Bingo there were – why not see if there are any more? Some may even still exist today…
The most called Bingo number
It has been claimed that number six is the most called out number, followed by the number four, but this doesn’t mean that every time you have a six, you’ll be successful.
On the other hand, 13 is the least called out Bingo number – in Western culture this is seen as “unlucky”. However, this isn’t the case – there is no luck in these games. Bingo is a chance-based game, so you can never be sure of what will be called out next.
Find out if the number six will be called out in your next Bingo game…
The most common winner’s name
A strange fact to learn is that Margaret is the most common name for female Bingo winners.
If you’re called Margaret be aware that this doesn’t mean that you’re due for a definite win in this chance-based game.
With these five Bingo facts, which ones interested you the most? And now you know these facts, it’s time to play!
