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Bingo is a popular game and often enjoyed as a community pastime. The game uses a set of numbered balls or chips drawn randomly and called out to players with several game cards that have printed number matrices on them. The players mark the number called if it’s available on his/her card. The object of the game is to form designated patterns on the game cards using the called out numbers. The first player that forms the pattern wins the prize.

History

The game originated from the 16th century Italian lottery game called Lo Giuoco del Lotto d’Italia. The French later modified this game using a lottery ticket with ninety numbers in a nine by ten matrix. The winner is the first to cover a complete row which is very similar to today’s game. Later, in 1929, the modern form of the game evolved from a game called Beano through the efforts of salesman Edwin Lowe. Beano is similar to today’s modern bingo where the numbers are marked using beans, hence the name. Lowe took the game home, played it with friends and renamed the game to Bingo after someone accidentally yelled the word during the game. He sold the game under its current name with a fixed set of cards and it later became very popular. He expanded the number of cards and combinations of numbers because for every set used in a mass game, the same number of players won.

In Detail

Bingo is a social game that can be played by a minimum of three players to several thousand. The game can be played at home by family and friends, in community centers like churches and in commercial halls or casinos where players can number in the hundreds. Jumbo sessions can combine several halls together to combine thousands of players in one game.

Bingo uses game cards with the letters B I N G O on top and five numbers below each letter. The numbers 1 to 15 for the letter B, 16 to 30 for the letter I, 31 to 45 for N, 46 to 60 for G and 61 to 75 for O. These combinations of letters and numbers are marked on chips or balls that are randomly drawn and called out to the players. Commercial halls draw their numbers mechanically by blowing marked ping pong balls through a cage while manual drawing using balls or chips is done in smaller settings.

There are millions of arrangements possible per card so owning several may not necessarily guarantee a win. Some players make use of up to 20 cards in a single game and these cards can be played several times depending on house rules. The players then mark their cards by crossing out the numbers, marking them with chips, beans or pebbles or by daubing them with ink.

To win the game, a pattern or a specific set of patterns for the game must be formed by the players. The first player who forms the designated pattern yells out the word ‘bingo’ to get the attention of the host or caller as well as the other players. The game stops while the caller verifies the win. The traditional pattern is a simple straight or diagonal line that includes all the letters B, I, N, G and O. More complex patterns can be played for higher stakes. The pattern can be any shape, letter or symbol. Some games require covering the whole card known as blackout. Common patterns are the letter L, letter X, four corners, picture frame and blackout.

Variants

Thanks to technology, bingo now has many variants. Some of these are:

• Online Bingo – is a variant played over the internet where players purchase virtual cards which are played on real time when there is a game online.

• Quick Shot Bingo – players purchase sealed cards that are matched against pre-drawn numbers

• Electronic Bingo – similar to slot machines

• Bonanza Bingo – similar to Quick shot where players match sealed cards with 43 pre –drawn numbers. Cards may be valid for more than one session if the jackpot is not won after the caller draws another number. The jackpot progressively increases after each no-win session.