Bingo Game Trivia

For interesting history and trivia about the bingo game you have come to know and love, read the following facts and figures about this fascinating game:

• The very first recorded variation of bingo originated in Italy around the year 1530.

• Bingo was very popular in France in the late 1700s, where it was known as Le Lotto.

• In Belgium bingo is so popular with players that it received the second largest number of votes to be named as the national pastime.

• In New Zealand and Australia bingo is known as Housie, and is played with 90 numbers much like the UK variation.

• The form of bingo most commonly played today originated in the US, where players would place beans on their numbers and shout Beano when they marked off a line.

• The name bingo was found by accident, when a player in Argentina shouted “Bingo” instead of “Beano”.

• Bingo was established and made popular around the world by an American toy salesman called Edwin S. Lowe, who came across a game one day and was intrigued by what he saw.

• A maths professor called Carl Leffler worked with Lowe to create the 60,000 bingo cards with no repeating patterns, which was rumoured to drive him insane.

• Bingo has always been associated with charity events and fundraisers – in the game’s early stages a Catholic priest approached Lowe and asked him to raise funds for the church.

• The first ever bingo hall was built in the UK and this hall was Castle Bingo in Canton.

• The National Bingo Game started in 1986. Now over 500 clubs throughout the UK link together to generate the prize fund.

• National Bingo prize money amounts won have reached figures of almost £800 million.

• The first online bingo site in the UK launched in 2003.

• . 80% of online bingo players are female.

• 30% of bingo players are under the age of 35 years.

• 96% of bingo players have won at some point during their time of playing.

• Two thirds of all people who play bingo play for fun, not for financial reasons.