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Bingo History

How did bingo start, how did it get where it is today? Well it's quite a long and detailed route, but what we can give you here is an overview or 'potted history' of bingo:

Early History

Wheareas the exact routes are a bit of a contentious point, the consensus is that as a 'popular form' bingo started at around 1530 in Italy. It had evolved from the Italian Lottery - Lo Giuoco del Lotto d’Italia. It has been argued that the popularity and growth of bingo was due its lack of state control. Anyone or group could set up their own bingo consortium, whereas the national lottery was completely in the hands of the state. This does not mean that the state welcomed the development but obviously the state couldn't completely prevent what was developng into a popular past-time. Some things are impossible to police!

Bingo In Europe

From Italy, bingo gradually spread across Europe during the late 1800s, starting with France, closely followed by Germany and the rest of Europe. The next phase is a bit unclear, and no-one is actually sure why it didn't make its way across the channel to Britain, although suppositions are that this is not to do with the general population or the game itsef, but rather legislative reasons - although the exact act that would prevent bingo is yet to be elucidated upon and any assistance on the matter would be greatly appreciated by contacting us.

Bingo In The U.S.

Bingo hit the U.S and became popular in the early 1930s. Initially it started in various guises as a sort of carnival game which then moved into church halls. The first actual bingo hall came from a Pensylvannia priest who used the game to raise money for the church, and from there it grew. By the mids 1930s there were several thousand bingo games running every week across the states.

Bingo In The U.K.

Bingo didn't really hit Britain until the 1960s where it adopted a more Vaudevillian approach to the game, a bit more grandiose than the American version, which still rings true today in the remaining bingo halls - it's far more of a ritual over here. Land based Bingo grew with the demise of the cinema, as many theatres were taken over and re-invented as Bingo halls.

The decor of the cinemas was perfect for bingo and although some structral changes were necesary, bingo fitted into the premises very well. With the rise of the internet and the inroduction of the smoking ban came the fall of land-based bingo and the rise of online bingo. Many of the old theatres are now in disuse, or have been earmarked for property or retail development.

However, it is quite feasible that bingo will return to smaller venues and not dissapear altogether outside of the digital format. Where bingo will head over the next few years in both forms will be interesting to follow, and we will do our utmost to keep you informed of developements as they happen.

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