Bingo is part of one of the most iconic games of chance of all time. Much has been said about its origin, some consider that it took shape in 16th-century Italy. The version that has more endorsement is that it is a game created at the time of the ancient Roman Empire.
Meanwhile, some point out that he was born in the era of barbarians and monarchs of antiquity. According to this theory, several balls identified with numbers were integrated into a container. These numbers related to various villages of the potentates and these same leaders.
According to the chosen sphere, the gentleman could make his collections, either in gold and silver, as well as with other valuables such as jewelry. With these riches this gentleman could invest them in relation to reforms and constructions, as well as to optimize his army and undertake new conquests.
Nevertheless, this version is the least accepted by historians themselves. But even so, he carried with him the germ of what bingo is. The Romans would then retake the concept and not use it politically, but instead offered it to the people as a measure to raise more income for the State.
The Version that Historians Support
Historians claim that the origin of Bingo itself occurred in the year 1530. It was a kind of lottery, baptized with the name of “Il Giocco del Lotto d’Italia”. The winner of the lottery was chosen through a number of marked ballots that were randomly selected.
This national lottery was so famous that its reason for being continued to be marketed to this day. Currently, this old game generates around 75 million dollars for the country. And the model has been replicated in several nations of the world.
The Transformation of the Lottery into the Traditional Game
But it was not until the year of 1770 that the French decided to create the so-called Le Lotto. This game had the rules and modalities of entertainment that are known to this day, while he echoed what the Romans and barbarians had already inaugurated at the time.
The game was based at the time, on cards with numbers that were to be covered with chips, while one person led the chosen ballot . However, Lotto was first played by the aristocracy. A game that served so that the summoned could obtain various prizes.
Thirty years later, the game had already spread throughout Europe. For the year of 1850, the Germans decided to use the game as a way to encourage the education of children, so they created the so-called “bingos de letras”, “animal bingo”, “bingo colors”, among others.
The Name of “Bingo”
Until then, the game of Bingo did not have the official name it has to this day. The name “Le Lotto” that the French gave him initially was transformed according to the country that hosted him in the game. The official name of Bingo was acquired in North America, where the game became popular in towns and events.
At that time, the numbers chosen used to be marked with beans or beans, which in English means “beans.” Therefore, the game was called Beano. Edwin Lowe had known the game in the year 1929, at an Atlanta festival. Returning to his city in Brooklyn, he decided to invite his friends to his apartment and have a similar gaming experience.
A participant, who remained nervous about the expectation of being able to win, unleashed all his emotion when the ballot chosen coincided with the one he needed. So instead of shouting “Beano” it was the winner’s traditional shout, he said “Bingo . ” From then on, Edwin Lowe, who was an entrepreneur, decided to market the game with that name.
In fact, this same man, took charge of hiring a mathematician to create tables with complex numbers, so that when making the game publicly, there were a greater number of participants.
The Popularization in North America
North America was the country that most allowed this game to expand. Some Christian churches began to use this game as a way to raise funds and finance themselves, which at first paid homage to what the Romans dreamed in their own time.
The fame of the game was so enormous, that by the year 1934, more than 10,000 Bingo betting centers had already been created throughout the United States.
How to Play Bingo?
When Edwin Lowe, who was an entrepreneur and promoter of the Bingo game, contacted the mathematician Carl Leffler of Columbia University, his intention was that this teacher will help him generate a large number of combinations for bingo cards.
In that way the game became even more complex to win, making it even more exciting. It is said that Carl Leffer would go crazy after having created up to 6,000 cartons equipped with unique combinations, to meet the goal set by his client.
Today, many game cards achieve the same goal as those devised by that teacher, but others do not. Since there are currently several game modes of this traditional game of chance.