The Short History of Bingo

admin — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 18:01:08 +0000

When it comes to gambling in friendly social settings, bingo is leading the way.

Bingo has the universal appeal and it is played on all continents. It is not a new game: in somewhat different forms and known under different names, its origins can be traced to 600 years ago.

[Image by anan kaewkhammul/shutterstock]

From Community Halls to Mobile Devices

Edwin Lowe is the person credited with modernizing the game, and introducing it in United States in 1920. Virtually unchanged for over 90 years, the 75-ball bingo that Lowe promoted is still popular today.

Another version of the game, 90-ball bingo, is an offshoot of the Italian Tombola.

For a long time bingo was confined to community halls. The advances in technology change everything, including bingo – and while the game is still as social as ever, we’re witnessing the steady migration of players to online venues, Bingocams, and mobile devices.

The New Ways to Socialize

You’d think that a gathering in a community hall is more social than playing bingo online from you your living room, or via your mobile phone when you are on the move. However, the opposite is true. Playing bingo online means a lot more than just a convenience. The old bingo was bound by a geographical location, day and time. Not so today, when online bingo places operate 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and with players from anywhere on the planet. The informal, friendly atmosphere of top online bingo places allows you to relax, enjoy a drink or two, and make friend with other people, all while being engaged in your favorite game.

Old Bingo	Modern Bingo
Played in community halls	Played online while you’re at home or on the move
Bound by date and time	Can be played at any time
Players from a narrow geographical area	Players from all over the world
Small number of players	Bingo rooms with hundreds of players
Small, symbolic prizes	Massive prizes
Social settings	More social than ever

Big Prizes are Only a Part of the Equation

"Bingo players value experience and and social environment more than how big the prizes are"

Players of online bingo come from all over the globe, so the numbers are greater than ever, and the prizes for winning the game has never been bigger. A number of online vendors are offering big prizes in a bid to attract more players.

Bigger prizes are always welcome – but they are only one part of the equation, so gambling venues relaying on big prizes alone find it hard to keep the players coming. First and foremost, bingo players value experience and and social environment more than how big the prizes are, and once they find the place they like, they tend to frequent it for years.

This is in sharp contrast with slots and roulette players, for example. They usually play with larger sums of money, not staying at any given online casino for long.

Online venues that are innovative and offer more social features and more interactivity fare a lot better than casinos that are just copying what everybody else is doing.

Finally, an important aspect is a variety of games.

In Conclusion

If you like bingo and socializing with other people, you can now enjoy a better experience than ever. Chat Rooms are becoming an integral part of online bingo, allowing you to meet people and make friends. Chat Hosts are there to moderate what is going on – but their role is greater than that of the moderator. Chat Hosts run introductions and are there to offer their help, greatly contributing to the friendly vibes.