Understanding the history of Bingo

Did you know that Bingo is a game that dates back hundreds of years? It’s not uncommon to assume that the game is a more recent invention thanks to its name and modern design, but actually it got its start in 16th century Italy.

So, let’s take a look at how the history of Bingo unfolded and how this popular game got from the town squares of Italy to the online Bingo rooms of today.

The earliest forms of Bingo

As we said, the game that we now know as Bingo can trace its roots back to Italy in the 16th century and a game known as Il Gioco del Lotto d’Italia. You might guess from the name, but this was a form of lottery game, and it actually still sees play in Italy to this day.

Just like other lotteries, the game involved drawing a number from a set pool and anyone with a ticket matching that number winning. Beyond that, the similarities to the modern form of Bingo were fairly minimal, but it still laid the necessary foundations for the game.

The Italian lottery proved itself successful and so the format naturally spread to other countries. By the late 1770s it had arrived in France, where it underwent something of a transformation.

Le Lotto was still clearly patterned on its inspiration, but now players were given cards printed with multiple numbers to play with. The card was similar in style to the Bingo cards seen in the UK today, retaining the clear European influence.

Players aimed to be the first to mark off a row of numbers, bringing it far closer to the modern form of Bingo.

Bingo goes to America

After solidifying its core gameplay and principles in France, the game continued to spread to new territories. But it was in the US that the biggest changes came.

During the early 20th century, the game circulated in country fairs and travelling carnivals under the name of Beano. This was in reference to the beans which players would use to mark off their numbers on their cards, allowing for them to be reused in later games.

It was in a country fair that a New York toy salesman by the name of Edwin Lowe discovered the game. Lowe went on to make a commercial set, rebranded as Bingo, which proved to be a major hit with families across the country.

Bingo in the modern-day

Throughout the 20th century Bingo gained in popularity, with many dedicated venues springing up in both the US and UK. But the next big step in the history of Bingo came with the advent of the internet and online play.

Online casinos began to offer digital Bingo games to players, on their own websites and even on dedicated apps once mobile options took off. This spread the game to an even wider playerbase, as well as allowing players to choose from a wider variety of Bingo games when playing online.

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Bingo has come a long way from its humble roots as a regional lottery to the online Bingo rooms of now. As technology evolves further, could we see this classic game continue to adapt?