|
When it comes to gambling, Bingo is
amongst the most popular gambling games to be played. But
did you know that bingo game was originally a form of
lottery?
Slowly, by the 1700’s, this lottery or
Lotto game started catching the attention of intellectuals
too. The classic Lotto game was mainly played with a card
that was divided into three horizontal and nine vertical
rows. Each horizontal row had five numbered and four blank
squares in a random arrangement, with the numbers ranging
randomly from 1 to 90. All the Lotto cards were different
from one another. Players would be given one lotto card
each, and someone would draw the numbered chips, marked from
1 to 90, from a bag and read out the numbers. Players ticked
the particular numbers on their cards, when they were read.
The first player to cover a complete horizontal row was the
winner. Till today, games, similar to this one, are very
much popular and in demand, in the toy and game market.
But how did this lottery game landed up
with a name… Bingo!!! When toy salesman Edwin S. Lowe
stopped at a carnival, he had no idea what he was about to
discover. All the
shops at the carnival were closed except for one, which was
jam-packed with people. Someone was drawing the numbers from
a bag and reading them out loud. The players were all
checking their cards, on every number announced, to see
whether they had that one in their cards.
The winner was the person who came first in filling,
either a horizontal, vertical or a diagonal row of numbers
and yelled “Beano”. The winner was then, to receive a prize.
In that region of carnival, this game was called Beano.
Lowe saw the latent potential of the
game immediately and went back home, to produce his own
Beano game. He tested this game on his friends and realized
that the game was fun and addictive. And one day while
playing, one of his friends yelled Bingo, instead of Beano,
that is from where Lowe got the name for his new game.
The first Lowe bingo game was available
in two sets – a 12 card set for $1 and a 24 card set for $2.
The game was an instant success and many imitators started
to market this same product. Lowe could not get the patent
for the game and therefore, offered to pay his competitors
$1 if they would call their games, Bingo too.
In early 1900’s, when Italy was united,
the Italian government set up the Italian National Lottery,
and since then, the Lottery has been held almost every week
in Italy. Today this Lottery is earning more than $75
million yearly, for the Italian government!
Bingo is one of the most popular games
in the world today and most people are familiar with bingo
games, playing it in parties and functions. And now, there
is a new trend picking up pace, which is the Online Bingo.
Online bingo game was developed almost
10 years ago, and within five years it became even more
popular than the big banner movies or concerts of that time.
And today, Online Bingo is much more than just a game; it is
a full fledged entertainment package.
Back
to Gambling Articles
|
 |
