Bingo is a simple game of chance that is played more for its ability to pass time and also to socialize with friends. Though Bingo can also be used to win money, it is played more for its social and pastime aspects than purely as a way to win money. Bingo originated in 14th century Italy as a game called “Lo Giuoco del Lotto D’Italia”, a game that is still played in Italy in various forms. This game traveled through Europe and took various forms in the places that it was introduced – and gathered many features and became many versions during its travels. It ultimately made its way into the US in the form of a game called ‘Beano’ when it was introduced at a carnival in Atlanta. An overenthusiastic player was guilty of calling out ‘Bingo’ rather than ‘Beano’ during a game – and this name stuck with the game. Thus was the modern version of Bingo introduced to the world.

Bingo remained a niche game played by a few till it was introduced to churches in the US as a way to raise money for church funds and also add some fun and social aspects to church activity. This caused the game to go main stream and be accepted by the public at large. It is estimated that by the year 1934, there were over 10,000 weekly games of Bingo being held only in the United States.

Bingo has increased in popularity over the years and is a popular activity in countries like the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and Japan. Versions of Bingo called Lotto and Housie are popular in other countries around the world.

Bingo itself can be played in various versions, the most popular being the 75 ball Bingo, the 80 ball Bingo and the 90 ball Bingo. The 75 ball version of Bingo is popular in the US and Canada while the 90 ball version of Bingo is popular in the UK and Australia. The 80 ball version of Bingo is a later entrant and is becoming popular in the UK and in online versions of the game.

Bingo has been traditionally played in Bingo halls and church halls around the countries where it was popular. But there was a lull in the popularity of Bingo over the last few decades and thus Bingo was restricted as a fund raising mechanism for churches and to care homes and smoke filled Bingo halls. But the emergence of the internet has seen Bingo shifting to online websites. This has seen Bingo getting a new lease of popularity