Do you want to know what bingo mania is? Bingo mania is starting with five websites devoted to bingo in 1999 and then exploding to 105 websites in just four years. The online bingo industry is capturing a bingo mania that has existed since 1929 when the first bingo game was played in the United States at Edwin S. Lowe’s apartment in New York.

Bingo, a game that has been around in many different forms leading back to the invention of the Italian lottery in 1530, has always been a popular form of entertainment. Today over 1.6 billion people claim bingo to be their favorite form of entertainment, beating out the runner up, movies, by over a half billion.

But over the last 60 years the old fashioned game of bingo has been too often associated with being old fashioned. Especially in today’s market, where a young person would rather spend hours in front of a computer than hours in a bingo hall sitting next to his grandmother.

Even with 1.6 billion players bingo still takes on the moniker of being an old lady’s game.With the continuing growth of online bingo the game has never before had such a chance to reach so many new markets starting a new bingo mania to carry the game into the next millennium. There are bingo websites out there for every kind of person, from grandmothers to grandchildren. For grandmothers there are classic bingo rooms with traditional bingo games and low key chat rooms. For grandchildren there are non-gambling websites devoted to introducing the game to young people. There are even educational websites using the game of bingo as a teaching tool.

Still the real bingo mania has come from the possibilities available for rising jackpots. The stereotyped $20 jackpot bingo has been growing for the last couple of decades. High stakes bingo developed on Indian Reservations and in conjunction with casinos. Online bingo takes the rewards of high stakes bingo and brings them to a low stakes forum. Bingo players can win thousands of dollars or exotic vacations by spending less than a dollar on bingo cards.

Online bingo mania is still young, and has not completely removed the ‘old lady’s game’ stamp, but the bingo market is growing younger. The average age of an online bingo player is said to be around 41 years of age. Bingo mania still seems to hold a predominantly female audience, with over 80% of the bingo players being women. Still, online bingo mania is revitalizing the game. With chat rooms, growing jackpots and the versatility bingo has shown through the years; don’t be surprised if online bingo keeps growing. Bingo mania is back, and it’s not just for old ladies anymore.

The math is simple, more players equals larger jackpots. The old fashioned bingo hall cannot compete with online bingo. Online games are more numerous, quicker, and are easily accessed. Some grandmothers, believe it or not, are playing bingo online with the same enthusiasm that they played with in a church basement. Chat rooms help to give online bingo a community atmosphere. Players can talk to each other in real time from anywhere in the world there is internet service.Prizes are larger and the old prize of a roll of quarters cannot compete with the thousands of dollars that can now be won playing online bingo.

Never tried online bingo? Sounds a little too ‘cyber bingo’ for you? Too much flash, not enough quality bingo, you know, the kind of bingo you’d find in a bingo hall. But let’s not be stubborn about this and jump the gun. Let’s not call out bingo before the final ball has been called and the last number in your row daubed. You know why? Because what is there to lose from playing a free bingo tournament?

The truth is , you have nothing to lose. There are a number of places to play free bingo tournaments online. Sure, some bingo websites might have a catch. Playing free bingo for money apparently means different things to different people. But, like any shopping or entertainment venue, once you surf through the fluff you’ll find a bingo room that may be worthy of the statement, free bingo tournament.

The thing you have to watch out for is the ‘free bingo for money’ websites that are just advertising their bonuses. Every bingo website has bonuses, like coupons or rebates, when you deposit money they’ll give you a little extra. Sure, it’s free bingo, but it’s not the free bingo tournament you’re looking for. It’s nothing more than two for one bingo.

Actually, ‘free bingo for money’ bonus advertisements is almost better than the free bingo tournament that ends up bringing you to a website that you can’t even see because it’s covered with pop-ups trying to lead you to an online casino. It gives the term blackout a whole new definition when your computer screen is filled with virtual slot machines.

What we’re looking for here is the real deal, free bingo tournaments and finding it’s not as hard as you think. All you have to do is close all those annoying pop-ups and keep searching. Eventually the keywords free bingo tournament will lead you to the promised land. Remember, you’re doing this for fun, so don’t be frustrated by the online bingo search. There are good bingo rooms, great bingo rooms, bingo rooms that actually do let you play free bingo for money. When you find one of these bingo rooms you’ll know. It will be simple and straightforward. To play a free bingo tournament click here. You’ll need some kind of membership, but as long as it’s just an email address and password you’re fine. Sign up and try playing online bingo for free.

The worst that can happen: you get a newsletter from the online bingo website that you can easily unsubscribe to. The best that can happen: you win the tournament, fall in love with online bingo and can play the game whenever you please. It’s worth the somewhat annoying search if you find a good place to play free bingo.

Many bingo sites offer free bingo for prizes but few sites actually offer free bingo for money. Many sites have free bingo games so the newcomer can learn the games quickly and easily. The real trick is finding a site where you feel comfortable and that has good security features. The sites that offer free bingo for money are few and far between, but they are out there if you’re willing to search for them. Remember you’re doing this for fun, and hopefully for profit. Many sites have promotional games where you may play for free, not for money, but for some decent prizes. No matter what the rewards you’re still playing for fun.

Never tried online bingo? Sounds a little too ‘cyber bingo’ for you? Too much flash, not enough quality bingo, you know, the kind of bingo you’d find in a bingo hall. But let’s not be stubborn about this and jump the gun. Let’s not call out bingo before the final ball has been called and the last number in your row daubed. You know why? Because what is there to lose from playing a free bingo tournament?

The truth is, you have nothing to lose. There are a number of places to play free bingo tournaments online. Sure, some bingo websites might have a catch. Playing free bingo for money apparently means different things to different people. But, like any shopping or entertainment venue, once you surf through the fluff you’ll find a bingo room that may be worthy of the statement, free bingo tournament.

The thing you have to watch out for is the ‘free bingo for money’ websites that are just advertising their bonuses. Every bingo website has bonuses, like coupons or rebates, when you deposit money they’ll give you a little extra. Sure, it’s free bingo, but it’s not the free bingo tournament you’re looking for. It’s nothing more than two for one bingo.

Actually, ‘free bingo for money’ bonus advertisements is almost better than the free bingo tournament that ends up bringing you to a website that you can’t even see because it’s covered with pop-ups trying to lead you to an online casino. It gives the term blackout a whole new definition when your computer screen is filled with virtual slot machines.

What we’re looking for here is the real deal, free bingo tournaments and finding it’s not as hard as you think. All you have to do is close all those annoying pop-ups and keep searching. Eventually the keywords free bingo tournament will lead you to the promised land. Remember, you’re doing this for fun, so don’t be frustrated by the online bingo search. There are good bingo rooms, great bingo rooms, bingo rooms that actually do let you play free bingo for money. When you find one of these bingo rooms you’ll know. It will be simple and straightforward. To play a free bingo tournament click here. You’ll need some kind of membership, but as long as it’s just an email address and password you’re fine. Sign up and try playing online bingo for free.

The worst that can happen: you get a newsletter from the online bingo website that you can easily unsubscribe to. The best that can happen: you win the tournament, fall in love with online bingo and can play the game whenever you please. It’s worth the somewhat annoying search if you find a good place to play free bingo.

Many bingo sites offer free bingo for prizes but few sites actually offer free bingo for money. Many sites have free bingo games so the newcomer can learn the games quickly and easily. The real trick is finding a site where you feel comfortable and that has good security features. The sites that offer free bingo for money are few and far between, but they are out there if you’re willing to search for them. Remember you’re doing this for fun, and hopefully for profit. Many sites have promotional games where you may play for free, not for money, but for some decent prizes. No matter what the rewards you’re still playing for fun.

Not everybody plays bingo to win money, big jackpots or high stakes giveaways. In fact, most people play bingo for other reasons. In surveys among bingo players, winning money usually is the fourth or fifth reason why they play. Having fun, socializing and entertainment usually rank among the top reasons to head to a bingo hall.

And at the bingo hall you can really get your moneys worth of people and bingo games. Bingo cards don’t really get much higher than one dollar, the coffees usually free and the callers go for a couple of hours.

But, what if you could play bingo every night of the week, would you? You may love bingo, but at $70 a week, you will need to win at bingo a several times to keep that pace up, and if you’re playing for fun the best way to ruin that fun is to worry about winning. But what if there was a way to play bingo in a live bingo room where you could chat with your friends, relax and play your favorite game for free?

Free bingo, it’s not just a dream; it’s real, or virtual. Free bingo is now all over the Internet. Online bingo includes many websites that offer free bingo games, some just for fun, and some free bingo for money. Even if you play for entertainment the chance of winning money is always a pleasant part of the game. There are free bingo tournaments that you can enter. You can walk away with a bingo jackpot without leaving your home.

But you don’t play bingo to win at bingo, you play for fun, you play to socialize, and you play for the enjoyment of filling up your card and the hope of yelling BINGO! How can Internet Bingo bring any of these characteristics to the internet? Why would they setup a free bingo room without them?

Internet Bingo was created to capture the bingo hall on your home computer. There are free chat rooms to go along with the free bingo cards. You can meet your friends at an Internet Bingo website or you can make new friends. The cyber bingo callers have enjoyable voices, and you can mark your own bingo cards or have the computer mark them with auto daub features on many free bingo sites. And it’s FREE!Whether you play bingo for fun or you play to win at bingo, there’s one kind of bingo that everybody can enjoy, free bingo.

While online bingo can’t produce the atmosphere of a live bingo hall it comes very close. Most sites have chat rooms where you can interact with other players in real time. Don’t type that fast? The internet is very forgiving. Everyone has to start somewhere and most players understand that. There are many kinds of bingo offered and the prizes are more than traditional bingo halls can match. Some sites will let you play for free but these are few and far between. Lasting friendships have been formed on some sites so log on and have fun.

The term bingo fortune can mean different things to different people. My grandmother was happy when she won a roll of nickels at her bingo game. Of course my grandmother, who has played bingo once a week every week since she was 18, and has probably seen almost all 1,474,200 possible bingo cards, never bets more than one dollar. Her bingo allowance started at a dime, but even in her local game the stakes were slightly affected by inflation, and Grandma can’t play just one card.

I’m searching for a different bingo fortune. I’ve been playing bingo since I was a kid, Grandma taught me, and the game has always had a certain draw to it. Yeah, spending quality time with Grandma in a bingo hall may have had something to do with it, but my bingo fortune isn’t a sentimental tale of family love being the real jackpot in my life. I love my Grandma, but I play bingo to win.

It started in Grandma’s bingo hall. A roll of nickels was the prize for getting a straight bingo. The final game, the blackout, was a roll of quarters. My ten year-old eyes looked at that small roll, the ten-dollar bingo jackpot, and transformed it into a chest of gold. Every daub moved me further to the X, and on my bingo card that X just happened to be N-42. “Look, Grandma, all I need is N-42.” “N-42,” she said. “N-42,” but it wasn’t me answering her. “BINGO!” I was shy, I was ten years old, but I yell bingo loud enough to almost give the old lady across from us a heart attack.

That was my first bingo fortune, a roll of quarters. I loved winning so much that I made my mother take me to play bingo even when we weren’t at Grandma’s. I would play once a week, fifty cents; five bingo cards because that’s all my mother would give me. But then I turned 18 and could get my own bingo cards. I was the only college kid who would spend a Friday night playing bingo, but I would win. I won all the time, but it just wasn’t enough. A 20 dollar bingo jackpot here, the occasional hundred, but I wanted something that really got my blood flowing. What does a ten year olds roll of quarters turn into when he’s 20? That’s the bingo fortune I needed, something equivalent to that treasure chest.

But where do you find a bingo jackpot larger than a couple hundred bucks? The bingo halls just aren’t big enough, and the real high stakes games don’t exactly come around once a week. Where could I play bingo, whenever I wanted to, with jackpots that could actually be called a bingo fortune? Where could a bingo game be put together with players from around the country, around the world, without having to travel far distances? I wanted the biggest bingo game ever, the 60,000 person game that happened in New York, but bigger, a million players, but how?
And then it hit me, like email spam turned into fillet mignon. This isn’t my grandmothers bingo anymore. Internet bingo is where it has to happen. That’s where my bingo fortune is waiting.

Thanks to the internet bingo is no longer a strictly American game. When you play online you are likely to meet other players from just about any country you can think of. Bingo is no longer confined to church basenents and traditional bingo parlors. Not only are the jackpots higher but you can play just about any form of bingo conceivable. Games move a lot faster and on most sites there are new games every few minutes. Any number of people can play at the same time and the number of players is unlimited. Jackpots are much larger than at a traditional bingo hall because of the number of players. Bingo has come a long way since the days when the top prize was a roll of quarters.

Of all the online casino games, the best game to play during your pastime today is bingo. This is a game that brings together people of all race and creeds to play a game of bingo. With the internet, it is now possible to play free bingo games with any player from across the world. And this is what makes the game interesting.

Different people have different ideas and methods for winning in a game of bingo. And once you get to know each other well, you can all exchange your pointers and tips that can be found in a game of bingo. Sitting in the comfort of your home, you get to play free online bingo without having to change your clothes.

Though bingo has always been considered to be a gambling company, its rules are regulated by the government. There is no need of you gambling when playing bingo. Instead, you could hold free bingo games with your friends and relatives in your backyard, to experience the thrill and excitement that comes with a game of bingo.

All you need to start a free online bingo game is to buy a game set that is found in most gaming and book stores. It is not necessary that only adults play a game of bingo. Even kids can interact with the adults in the game, and develop some interaction and sharpness amongst the kids and adults. This makes the game much more interesting and competitive to play. And as the name implies, free games dont necessary need to have any gambling. It just lets new bingo gamers learn more about the rules and procedures of the bingo game.

The internet provides for many sites offering free online games. So if you need some practice playing bingo, it is best to play bingo in these online bingo sites. Besides being a great pastime, and a great exercise to sharpen the brain, you stand to win lots of large cash prizes through a game of free bingo. However, though you stand to win lots on money in offline bingo games, in the case of free online bingo games, you win virtual money. This virtual money is however, enough to pump up the adrenaline in you to make yourself win in a game of free bingo.

As it can be seen, both online and offline free bingo offer similar excitement in the game. However, there are some differences between the two. In the case of online bingo, you need not travel to any place to play a game of bingo. You can very well play a game of bingo during your office coffee break, in your pajamas or while simultaneously cooking. No one will ever know what you are doing while playing bingo! There is no need of getting ready for playing a game of free bingo nor is there a need to go traveling anywhere just to play your game of bingo. You thus save in terms of the traveling expenses you would have otherwise had to bear to travel to a free bingo game.

Moreover, usually bingo halls of offline bingo games are played in a group of players. There are bound to be smokers in the group which brings about passive smoking for you, even if you dont smoke. However, in the case of a game of free online bingo, you need not physically interact with anyone, so there is no possibility of you becoming a passive smoker.

Of course, the advantage of both games of bingo games is that you develop more friends that make life more interesting and meaningful. Some of the best friendships in the world have developed through a game of bingo. And the friendships that develop during a game of bingo are usually strong ones where the friends are willing to share the ups and downs of their lives. So with a game of bingo, you can sometimes find the friend you have always been looking for!

The other advantage of both games is of course, the fact that you stand a chance of winning some prizes. These prizes may be virtual or real money; but it is sufficient to boost your morale and interest in playing a game of free bingo!

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Join internet bingo community and have fun playing bingo online

Playing bingo in live bingo halls is very popular activity, both socializing and gambling . Bingo players meet at these live bingo halls in order to play bingo for cash or prizes and talk about their everyday life, problems, politics, gossip and pretty much everything that life brings. Live bingo is fun and exciting and there is also bit of skill involved. So if you are really good at searching for the called number you can call bingo faster than somebody catching the last bingo number at the same time.

And here comes the question if internet bingo

can provide players with the same kind of fun and excitement as you can find in live bingo halls. After visiting several online bingo halls I can honestly say that the answer is no. Internet bingo cannot provide bingo players with the same kind of fun and excitement but it provides players with whole different kind of fun and excitement.

Almost each online bingo hall has live chatroom where you can talk to other bingo players and play various chat games. To make the community talk even more interesting bingo halls have chat manager taking care of each chat room. These managers make sure that nobody is insulting others – internet bingo chatrooms are the place to have fun not to vent anger. Internet bingo halls spice up bingo chatrooms with regular contest, chat prizes and incentives. So while you are having fun and socialize you can even win some free cash. Not to mention that you can enjoy all these features of online bingo halls from comfort of your home.

Apart from the chatroom talk and prizes online, there is also the internet bingo game with bingo cards and drawing numbers to worry about. Though there isn’t really any reason to be worried. Drawing the bingo numbers is provided by RNG (Random Number Generator) that is at reputable online bingo halls reviewed by independent auditors and therefore you can rest assured that the process of drawing numbers and determining the winner is fair. Another advantage at online bingo halls is that you can buy bingo cards for as little as penny and you also get free bingo cards with certain number of cards purchased.

Live bingo used to be reserved especially for women and seniors but when it comes to internet bingo it doesn’t really matter what gender or age you are. The only important thing is to enjoy internet bingo experience and to have fun what gets even better with all the online chatroom prizes, bingo bonuses and jackpots. Everybody who has fun and good time is a winner.

If you would like to try internet bingo it is important to choose online bingo hall with good community, bonuses, prices and competitions to get except for the fun good value for your money or even get comped to try internet bingo no risk. Find further important information about internet bingo and free bingo games at best online bingo halls here.

Torn between playing bingo at the bingo hall and playing bingo online? There are many reasons to choose the latter as explained in the following piece.

Optimum Environment

If you’re using a desktop computer, online bingo can be accessed from the comfort of your own home. If you’re using a laptop computer, you can access online bingo halls from virtually anywhere! By taking advantage of this benefit, one does not need to travel, so more game time is enjoyed. Furthermore, if you are playing online you can save countless dollars that would otherwise be spent on food at the bingo hall! Another benefit is being able to have a familiar menu of snacks from your own fridge makes online bingo playing that much more enjoyable.

Socializing at your Fingertips

Another advantage of playing bingo in the comfort of your own home (or coffee shop, or wherever you happen to be) is that it will be a lot less crowded, noisy, and overbearing than the environment of a traditional bingo hall. You won’t have to shout to talk to your friends, and you can listen to your own music whilst effortlessly communicating with thousands of people through the chat features available on most bingo websites.

Instant Gratification

Playing bingo with multiple cards can be difficult for a normal person as the fast pace and unrelenting bingo calls can wear you down. However, while playing bingo online, most websites offer the auto-daub feature, which allows players to purchase and keep track of their card in amounts never before thought possible. The greater amount of cards you purchase increases your odds of winning, and thus one of the greatest parts of bingo is expanded – the winning! The auto-daub feature also leaves one free to chat, removing the awkward silence found in halls during bingo games.

Personality

If playing in a bingo hall, you don’t often get a chance to meet anyone, whereas in online bingo, the fun never stops. The online chat hosts keep the chat bouncing and you can play in special chat games for extra cash which give you even more opportunities to win it big! In bingo halls the caller can be monotonous and repetitive. Whereas with online bingo the variety of callers and the company of the chat hosts, you get the chance to thrive in a dynamic environment online.

Convenient Savings for yourself and the Environment

Bingo is a fun and inexpensive way to gamble. However, it’s the side costs that add up in the real world. Bingo cards cost money and paper to print, and this is reflected in the cost of cards as well as in the garbage that gets put out the back at most bingo halls. The cost of daubers can add up as well. And don’t forget about the precious fuel and time that are consumed on the way to the bingo hall. All of these problems can be easily alleviated by playing online bingo, where the cards are digitally created and disposed of with no more effort than the click of a mouse.

Fast-Paced Action

Online bingo has adapted to suit the pace of the modern world by keeping the games playing with greater alacrity than bingo halls. The auto-daub feature available on most online bingo games makes it easier to keep up with these fun and fast-paced games. This feature helps to eliminate much of the time problems caused by the distribution of real bingo cards, ball drawing, and ball calling. Now you can spend your time watching the numbers fall and chatting with your friends!

Bingo Nights in Modern Times

Ever wanted to host a bingo night/soiree in the comfort of your own home, but never had the resources? Thanks to the convenience of online bingo, every one of your friends with a portable computer can come over, and you could have a network game with just your best friends. Or get everyone to connect to your favorite site at an agreed upon time and you’ll all be chatting and playing the night away! Playing at home provides the additional incentive of selecting the music – always an important bingo component.

All in all, the benefits of playing online bingo far outweigh any of the negative attributes. The convenience, ease of play, and overall fun combined with the home-style atmosphere and comforts add up to a fantastic time whether alone or with friends. Online bingo is never a bad choice when you need a fun way to spend your day.

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Bingo is one of the most frequently played card games around. People’s craze for this game helps the casino owners offer big bonuses and promotions on Bingo variants. To make the game more popular, a number of websites offer free bingo coupons. Free Bingo Coupons serves the gamers worldwide with Bingo coupons and several other facilities are also found in this site. Free Bingo Coupon open Chat Forum is a place where players can interact and share their thoughts with other folks. Moreover, the site provides information on various casinos where Bingo is the linchpin!

Bonuses, promotions and free Bingo coupons are offered at several game sites to meet your needs in the easiest way. Many online casinos give players the opportunity to play Bingo for free. Therefore it is high time you win the best offered bonuses, coupons and promotions. Not only the Bingo coupons, you will find a large number of online casinos, where you can gain lucrative prizes in real cash only by depositing a minimum amount. Therefore, don’t waste your time. Just check out the online Bingo casinos.

The number of coupons and bonuses that are announced vary from one casino to another. However, most of the sites offer some common bonuses. Those are as follows:

Welcome Bonus – This is almost a must bonus offered at every Bingo-oriented online casino. Usually the Bingo sites double the players’ 1st deposit. If a casino announces ‘£200 Free’, it indicates that it will match your initial deposit up to £200. That means, if you place your deposit of £100, you will happily receive an additional £100!

No Deposit Bonus – Plenty of Bingo sites offer huge bonuses which can be attained without making a single deposit! This kind of bonus is called the ‘no deposit bonus’.

Monthly Bingo Bonuses – Most Bingo sites offer a number of bonuses on the variants of Bingo on a monthly basis. Every month, these online casinos offer various bonuses on the players’ deposit amount.

Referral Bonus – If you pass the promotion code or bingo URL offered at the casino you are playing to your friends and colleagues, you can earn attractive extra bonuses. In addition to this, referred gamers also receive decent welcome bonuses.

There are some online casinos around, where you can play different kinds of Bingo games with the free Bingo coupons. Take a look at an instance below:

Bingo Day – To obtain the fun of online Bingo, enter Bingo Day. Supported by technically sound software, this casino hosts vast range of Bingo games, which are rewarding and exciting. Though Bingo is a game of chance, it is not at all less exciting than any other popular game. The Bingo variants offered here are as follows:
Bingo Buds
Mr. Big Shot
Bullet Bingo
Block of 5
Hopscotch Bingo
Regular Nabor Bingo
Poker Bingo w/Buddies
Sailing 6s
Charles & Camilla
8 Below
3′s a Crowd
Twisted Nabors
Block Party
Mirror Mirror
Hi/Low Bingo w/Nabors
Big Ben Bingo

This weekly lottery has been held virtually every Saturday since its inception. By 1778 word of this game had spread to France and captured the fancy of the intelligentsia. It was during this period that the popular version of the lottery was born.

Cards were divided into three horizontal rows and nine vertical columns. Each horizontal row contained a total of nine squares – five with numbers and four blank squares – arranged randomly in the row. The vertical columns contained ten numbers each: column one contained the numbers 1 – 10, column two contained 11 – 20, column three contained 21 – 30 and so on until the ninth column, which contained the numbers 81 – 90. Wooden chips with the numbers 1 – 90 were placed in a bag and drawn out one at a time. Each player had a unique lotto card and if the number called was on their card they marked it off. The first person to completely cover a horizontal row was the winner.

In the 1800s the popularity of lottery games spread throughout Europe. Education variations were created to aid children in learning their multiplication tables, spelling and even history.

We could all be yelling “Beano!”

What started as the Italian lottery made its way to America via a carnival pitchman touring Germany. There he came across a lottery game and recognized its potential appeal as a carnival tent game. He made a few revisions to the game play, including allowing players to complete a row vertically, horizontally or diagonally in order to win. And he changed the name to Beano.

He was plying his trade one December evening in 1929 at a carnival near Atlanta, Georgia, when a traveling toy salesman, Edwin S. Lowe, happened along. Early for a sales call, Lowe decided to stop at the carnival. The only tent open was the Beano tent, which was so crowded with people that Lowe wasn’t able to play the game for himself.

Lowe watched as the players eagerly listened for the next number to be called and, if they had the number on their card, covered it with a bean. The excitement and tension in the crowd was palpable. When a player finally had a row covered, they yelled out “Beano!” Lowe watched in astonishment as the pitchman tried several times to close his tent, only to have the players insist he continue. It wasn’t until 3:00 am that the games ended, and even then the pitchman had to chase the players away.

A slip of the tongue, and Bingo was born

Lowe immediately realized the mass market potential for Beano. Upon his return to his home in New York, he created his own Beano game by procuring some beans, cardboard and a rubber number stamp. He invited friends to his apartment to play the game. There he saw the same rapt attention and excitement that he had witnessed at the carnival. One player in particular was growing ever more excited as the beans piled up on her card. When she finally had a complete row, in her rush to yell out the required “Beano,” she became tongue tied and instead stammered, “B-b-bingo!”

“I cannot describe the strange sense of elation which that girl’s cry brought to me,” Lowe said. “All I could think of was that I was going to come out with this game, and it was going to be called Bingo!”

Lowe’s earliest Bingo games came in two varieties: a 12-card set that cost a dollar and a 24-card set that cost two dollars. Although the name “Bingo” could have been trademarked, the game itself, having come out of the public domain, had no chance of being protected. Once the success of Lowe’s game was evident, imitators came out of the woodwork. Lowe’s only request to his competitors was for them to pay him a dollar a year to call their games “Bingo.” Thus the name became generic for the game.

Bingo every Wednesday at 8:00 p.m

It was a priest from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and his financially ailing church that fused the game with churches across the country. A parishioner had come up with the idea of using Bingo as a way to raise money for the church. But with only 24 unique cards to play with, the priest was finding that there were half a dozen winners for every game. The priest contacted Lowe about producing a large number of unique number combinations for the cards. Lowe recognized the fund-raising potential of the game and enlisted the help of a professor of mathematics at Columbia University named Carl Leffler.

Leffler was charged with the task of producing 6,000 new bingo cards. He requested that he be paid on a per card basis. The more cards he created, the more difficult it was to come up with unique combinations. Toward the end he was being paid $100 per card. When the task was finally complete, it is said that the professor went insane!

But the increased number of bingo cards was exactly what was needed to make the game a staple at churches across the country and a sound source of fund-raising.

Some Bingo Trivia …

• There are 2½ million regular female bingo players.

• Played by all ages around the world, 30% of bingo players are under the age of 35.

• Ninety-six percent of bingo players have won at some point while playing.

• Research shows women are much happier playing bingo, and 15% say they engage in bingo for socializing and companionship.

• The number one reason for playing bingo is enjoyment – winning money comes in fifth.

• It is believed that our current day bingo originated from an Italian Lottery called Lo Giuoco del Lotto d’Italia in 1530.

• A toy salesman, Edwin S. Lowe, brought bingo to the masses with “Lowe’s Bingo.” The game saved his newly-founded toy company, the E.S. Lowe Company.

• Bingo debuted in 1930 and by 1934 there were an estimated 10,000 bingo games a week in churches and recreation centers across the country.

• According to Lowe, the largest bingo game in history was played in New York’s Teaneck Armory with 60,000 players – with 10,000 being turned away at the door.

• University of Columbia mathematics professor Carl Leffler is reported to have gone insane after coming up with 6,000 bingo cards with non-repeating number groups.

• There are 1,474,200 unique bingo cards possible.

• The first bingo game to raise money was played at a church in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

Bingo Glossary

• Blackout – (Also, Coverall) A pattern where you must cover the whole card to win.

• Bonanza – A progressive coverall Jackpot that is usually played as the 13th game of the session. Forty-five numbers are drawn before the session and players mark them on separate cards and set aside. There is an additional fee to play this game, usually $1. The countdown begins at 48 numbers or less and go up one number per week to 52 numbers or until won. The amount of the jackpot is determined by card sales for that game.

• Caller – The person who calls out the bingo numbers.

• Chat Room – A handy monitor or screen where you can read and exchange messages with other players.

• Coverall – (Also Blackout) A pattern where you must cover the whole card to win.

• Dauber – Bingo dauber is ink-filled bottle/pen with a foam tip on it used to mark called numbers. When you touch the bingo card with the foam tip it marks the square. (See picture above)

• Early Bird Game – A bingo game that starts earlier than another regularly scheduled game.

• Free Space – The center square of the card. It’s like a Joker. You get it free every game and it counts towards your winning pattern.

• Game Board – The display board above your card(s) that shows you the balls in play.

• Game Room – Some online games divide the players into game rooms.

• G.T.I., T.E.D. – An electronic dauber system used to play multiple packs at once. These usually require a rental fee and only one is allowed per player.

• Hardway Bingo (Hard-way Bingo) – Bingo in a straight line without the use of the free space.

• Jackpot – A big prize usually awarded for achieving a difficult pattern, such as a blackout, within a specified number of balls.

• Minimum Buy-in – The least amount you must spend to be eligible for prizes.

• Money Ball – A number drawn before the game that will double a player’s winnings if bingo is hit on that number.

• Pattern – The shape you need to cover on your card with called out numbers, usually it is a straight line.

• Progressive Jackpot – A Jackpot that gets bigger until it is won. There is usually a separate buy-in for Progressive Jackpot games.

• Rainbow Pack – A paper pack that allows players to play for three or four different prize denominations at once.

• Six-pack, Nine-pack – Six or nine numbers in a block on one card.

• T.E.D., G.T.I. – An electronic dauber system used to play multiple packs at once. These usually require a rental fee and only one is allowed per player.

• Validation – Eligibility required to win additional jackpot amounts. Price varies by number of cards played.

• Wild Number – Usually played on a double bingo that leads into a triple bingo. The first number out of the hopper determines the wild number; for example, if 42 is drawn, all numbers ending in 2 should be marked off.