Bingo was replica of the Italian lottery “Lo Giuoco del Lotto d’Italia”, that’s why; Italians are credited for its invention. Its history can be traced back to 1530. Even today, it has been played every Saturday. Today the Italian State lottery has become very crucial for the government’s finances, contributing almost 75 million dollars every year. Beginning with Italy, the game moved to France in the 1770’s, it was quiet popular among wealthy Frenchmen, at that time, game was identified as “Le Lotto”. In 1800’s Germany, developed its version of Bingo, they used it as a child’s game, to help students in learning math, history and spelling. During this period the popular version of the lottery was born. Cards were divided into nine vertical columns and three horizontal rows in the classic version of Bingo. One to ninety numbers on wooden chips were placed in a bag and they were drawn out one at a time. The first person, who completes the horizontal row, was considered as a winner.

It was in the 1800s, the Italian lottery game, spread through out Europe. From there the game was brought to America via a carnival pitchman, who was touring Germany. He changed its name to Beano and modified the game a little bit. With this customized game, now, players were allowed to complete a row vertically, horizontally or diagonally to win the game. It was in 1929, one night he was working at the carnival near Atlanta, when Edwin S. Lowe, a traveling toy sales man, came by and decided to stop at the carnival. He stopped at the Beano tent, but he could not play the game because it was extremely crowded with people. He witnessed all the excitement and thrill of the crowd, for the lottery game and immediately recognized its potential appeal, in making money.

On his return to his home in New York, Lowe procured some beans, cardboard and a rubber numbering stamps. He invited few of his friends, to find out their attitude, towards the game. He saw the same excitement and tension among his friends that he had witnessed in the carnival. During one session, a player who was really close to winning accidentally yelled out “Bingo” instead of “Beano”. And a slip of tongue instigated its name “BINGO”. This is how Lowe created the game bingo.

A priest, from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, came up with the idea, to use bingo as a fund raiser, for his financially ailing church. But immediately problems developed because with only 24 unique cards, each game produced dozen or half dozen winners. The priest showed his concern to Lowe and asked him to produce, a large number of exclusive number combinations for cards. Lowe was aware, of the fund raising potential of bingo. So he enrolled the help of Carl Leffler, a professor of mathematics, at Columbian University. He was specified to create 6,000 new bingo cards. When he ended his task, he was paid $ 100 per card. But finally the church was saved, as the game had the sound potential for raising funds.

Present Bingo is quit different from the classic bingo. But one thing remains the same, is, that it is a purely a game of chance and luck.