Hiking And Recreation

We may think that bingo is as British as baked beans and marmite, but it is in fact not. It began life in 16th-century Italy as a lottery game that proved to be so popular, the French took it up. That spread to the Germans who loved the game so much, it became part of the educational establishment.

The French were the first to read out the numbers. Previously, Bingo had been a kind of lottery game, but the French and Germans developed it to such an extent that it could not escape the attention of those new-worlders, the Americans.

Beano - as it was known then - was played with beans. Which makes sense, doesn’t it? Legend says that the name of the game changed when someone got a little over-excited and screamed out ‘Bingo!’ having won a game.

By the second world war, Bingo had spread throughout the US and the UK, with bingo halls popping up everywhere. Today, the game, having suffered a knockback in popularity, has become popular again as younger players pick up the dauber online.

So what has brough about this revival? There is no doubt that the online bingo revolution has caught the imagination, with even Vic Reeves dressing up as a woman to advertise online bingo on TV. Nearly half a million players around the world have an online bingo account - and the equal opportunity of winning is something that attracts those put off by more skilled games such as poker.

With secure online payments making it possible for anyone over the age of 18 to take part, online bingo is a not a skill game, but a high-tech game for all. It’s come a long way since the days of beans - just don’t show your age by shouting out Beano!