A Brief Introduction to Bingo

History of Bingo
The game of Bingo has been popular for years, indeed some even trace it back to the 16th century. Historically some say that it can be linked back to the unification of Italy in 1530 which witnessed the beginning of a National lottery system (called Lo Giuocco del Lotto dItalia). Bingo gained real popularity in the 1930s by which time there were approximately 10,000 games a week taking place in churches and recreation centers throughout America. Interestingly, the Italian lottery still exists today, annually providing a staggering 75 million dollars to the governments budget. Traditionally especially before Bingo became popular on line it seemed to have earned the reputation of being a popular gambling game for more senior citizens. Today, according to some statistics, only 30% of all Bingo players are under the age of 35.

Popularity of Bingo Bingo seems to be a very popular game among women, who often use it also as a form of socializing and friendship. When playing on line, this can still be done with Bingo chat forums. When questioned in a survey, Bingo players seemed to concede that the main reason for playing the game was for enjoyment and pleasure; winning money was way down on the list at number 5.

Off-line it is usually played in large halls and participants must buy Bingo cards ahead of time. The cards are 5 x 5 grids with numbers on them, corresponding to the 5 letters in the word BINGO. A caller then reads out random numbers picked out from a box and a number he or she would read would be something like I-5 or G-22. In US bingo there are 75 different combinations; UK and Australian, 90. The game ends when one player gets a BINGO line which means crossing off 5 numbers in either a vertical, horizontal or diagonal row on one of their cards. Sometimes more than one prize can be handed out. A player can cross of: (i) the inside square; (ii) the outside square; (iii) the full card.

Online Bingo
The game of Bingo pretty much like all gambling games is a game of chance. Today, Bingo is extremely popular on line too. One can choose to play Bingo against the computer or other players, perhaps in a multiplayer environment with a whole slew of other real, live participants. Players even often like to join Bingo forums, whereby they can chat to other Bingo players and exchange tips and strategies.