Sitting poised with a pen and a bingo card, waiting to hear the next number… that’s one of the great excitements of any game anywhere. And then, when the number is called and it’s exactly the right one to complete the card – well that’s surely one of the best feelings in the world of gaming.
Sometimes it feels as if bingo has been around forever. It’s such a brilliantly simple game that has been popular for generations – it’s like it has always been there.
And today it’s being played even more than ever, thanks to the boom in leading online sites like redbus bingo.
It may be the latest internet success story – but bingo has an unexpected and fascinating history too. It often seems such a part of the British culture that most fans would guess that the game originated here.
The history behind bingo
But did you know it began hundreds of years ago – in the gaming rooms of Italian high society? It’s not quite known when Italian gentlemen created a game called lotto – to entertain themselves away from the ladies.
For years ‘Lo Giuoco del Lotto D’Italia’ was a little-known speciality of the grand houses and gaming parlours of this Mediterranean country. Eventually it seems that travelling gentlemen carried the Italian game further afield.
The next development was that the French aristocracy became big fans. Bingo was a hit in the salons and chateaux of the wealthiest parts of Gallic society.
But as time passed, Italian lotto became more simplified and grew in popularity. Soon it was spreading among other western countries.
The game became known as bingo sometime after it reached the shores of Great Britain in the 19th century. Soon its simple entertaining formula became a success in Victorian England.
Historians think that the game was originally called ‘beano’ when it arrived in Britain. One legend suggests that an excited player shouted ‘bingo’ instead of ‘beano’ at the climax of one particularly thrilling game – and the new name stuck.
Whatever its name was, bingo was still originally played in more prestigious society gatherings though. During and after the Second World War bingo suddenly seemed to be adopted by all classes – and that’s when it really took off.
How bingo became popular
In the booming British economy of the 1960s the jackpots being offered by bingo grew, attracting more and more players to try their luck. Specific bingo venues started opening and these quickly grew in size and popularity.
The game started becoming a regular part of many people’s lives. In many towns bingo operators took over cinemas and theatres that had lost audiences due to the new attraction of television.
Bingo became one of the most popular pastimes in urban Britain. It combined the thrill of playing a game with a possible big cash prize plus a great social night out, often complete with food and drinks.
Bingo became a popular activity for many in the UK in the 1960’s and 1970’s.
The rise of technology and the internet
The peak of physical bingo came just before the internet revolution. In the 1990s experts estimate that around half a million British players enjoyed bingo every day.
As the digital revolution took over most parts of modern society it seemed that the classic old pen-and-paper game might become lost forever. Online gaming started booming and bingo halls began to close.
Strict regulation of gaming operators, higher taxes and indoor smoking bans also hit real-life bingo audiences. The big old venues suddenly seemed old-fashioned in the glossy dot-com era.
That’s when a few bingo operators tried switching the game to an online format. The result was a surprising success to everyone.
The rise of the internet encouraged bingo providers to start up and operate online.
Online players loved the simple, fun formula. It was now a game that could be played anytime, anywhere.
Some players could enjoy a quick game while commuting to work or waiting for an appointment. It doesn’t require silence or solitude; online bingo can be played in a crowded train or while walking down a street.
Players are now able to enjoy the game in short bursts – or choose to settle down for a big session at home or with friends. Bingo can be played on a wide range of portable internet devices like smartphones, laptops and pads.
Bingo’s surprise online success encouraged operators to experiment with different versions and styles of the classic game. Jackpots were boosted, styles varied and extra features added.
A game that had previously been linked to an older generation now became seen as a young trendy pastime. Bingo was now featuring on TV, radio and net shows.
Online operators also recognised the way bingo used to have an important social role in many communities. They tried introducing chat rooms and forums that would enable players to meet and mix online.
The bingo world became more sociable than ever before. It offered women in particular a safe and fun way of meeting and chatting.
Unlike the old physical bingo halls, online bingo operators could offer players access to all sorts of other games too. Bingo was not an isolated pastime anymore – it was part of all the fun of the internet.
The real-life bingo venues still exist of course. They have modernised and become more popular again.
Bingo fans now have a great choice of face-to-face games in a traditional venue – or portable playing whenever and wherever they want thanks to online bingo.
Wherever they play the thrills are still the same though. It’s the same old excitement – waiting to hear what that next number is going to be.
