Bingo originated in sixteenth-century Italy; the game was called Il Gioco del Lotto d’Italia. The game gradually morphed into what we now call Bingo. The modern bingo game was made famous by Edwin Lowe. The salesman, toymaker and gaming entrepreneur started manufacturing bingo cards in the 1930s – the rest, as they say, is history.
Most people indeed know how to play Bingo. However, there are still a few people who don’t understand the game. So, for those of you who don’t know how to play, we’ve put together a quick guide.
THE BASICS
Despite the game looking confusing to new players, Bingo is actually reasonably simple to understand. The aim of Bingo is to complete a set pattern on your card. The Bingo caller randomly draws numbers from a machine. If the called number is present on your card, you mark-off that number. In British Bingo games you typically must mark-off the four corners of the card, and or a single line. Finally, a player marks-off all the numbers on their card to complete the full house!
HOW TO MARK A BINGO CARD
You can mark-off your cards in several ways. Initially, when Bingo was first played, people would use a small bean to cover their numbers. Obviously, this has several problems, the biggest being a clumsy player could knock the beans off mid-game.
Today the most popular way to mark-off numbers is using a specially designed Bingo dauber. This is a type of ink-marker with a circular tip. You use it by pressing the whole tip over the number. It leaves a neat little coloured circle over the called number, and importantly, the number can still be seen underneath – allowing the caller to check a winning card.
HOW OLD TO PLAY BINGO?
Legally there is no restriction on the age that you can play Bingo. However, under 18s cannot play Bingo for money. If you want to play for cash, you’ll need to be over 18. That includes playing in Bingo Clubs or online at sites like Jackpot Joy.
GOOD LUCK IN BINGO
Bingo is a game full of superstitions, and players have all sorts of lucky charms, lucky numbers and even lucky chairs to sit on.
Bingo Clubs will often reserve specific tables for regular players. God help you if you sit in Maureen’s ‘lucky’ seat! Lucky charms are another stable of the seasoned bingo player. It could be a rabbit’s foot (not too fortunate for the rabbit!) or a lucky Bingo pen/dauber.
NON TRADITIONAL GAMES
In Britain, 90 Ball Bingo is the most popular type of bingo game. It follows the four corners, single line and full house format. Nevertheless, you can play 100s of different varieties of Bingo online. These games are classed as Non-Traditional. At Mecca, you can play ‘Britain’s Got Talent Bingo’ or ‘Mishapes Bingo’ and at Jackpot Joy you can try ‘Crystal Maze Bingo’ and ‘Mega Ball Bingo’.
