Origins of Bingo

The popularity of the game of Bingo has only grown since its inception in the United States during the early twentieth century. Bingo began in the sixteenth century as a form of government lottery for the nation of Italy. The Italian nationally lottery, called Lo Giuoco del Lotto d’Italia, was organized in 1530, and to this day continues to be played weekly. A variation of the game, called Lotto, made its way to France and Germany during the late eighteenth century. Besides being used as a revenue generating tool, the game of Lotto was adapted to teach young students language and mathematics. Lotto is still sold as an educational tool, and as an enjoyable board game.

In December 1929, a travelling salesman from New York, named Edwin Lowe, discovered a variation of Lotto, called Beano, being played at a carnival outside of Jacksonville, Georgia. Lowe had previously seen Lotto being played during a sales trip to Germany. Noting its apparent popularity with the participants, Lowe’s marketing instincts suggested to him the game would make a great product to sell throughout the United States. Upon returning home to New York, Lowe constructed a game of Beano from items around his house, and invited friends over to play. Lowe discovered his friends were as consumed by the game as the participants he had observed in Germany and Georgia. An excited participant, upon winning a game, stood up from the table in Lowe’s apartment and tried to yell, “Beano!” Her tongue tied with excitement, instead of “Beano,” she screamed “Bingo!” The name stuck. Lowe soon started a company to produce and market Bingo. Several months following its introduction as a commercial product, Lowe was approached by a priest who was interested in using Bingo to raise money for his parish. By 1940, Bingo had become a hit throughout the country, particular with churches trying to raise money.

Today, organized Bingo is now even played online. Written by Lucy

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