Bingo is one of the favourite games among people, especially in the UK. Bingo is used as an educational tool, as a party game, and is really a great way to make your road trips funnier if you’re travelling for a long time. When it comes to the UK, bingo is one of the most popular games and is recognised as a tradition just like drinking tea and having fish and chips. In fact, there has been a study that Brits spend more money on bingo tickets than on football! That’s why we have football bingo cards that are perfect for a football-watching party.
However, you’ll be surprised that bingo doesn’t originate from the UK. The history of bingo starts back in 1530 in Italy, in the form of a national lottery called “Lo Giuoco Lotto Italia”. Throughout the years, the game has spread to the rest of the world and there have been invented different types of bingo games. These days, we have online bingo as the most popular form of the game. Thanks to the Internet, players can now enjoy playing bingo from the comfort of their home. Now, bingo is closer to every player by being available online, at online bingo sites. As the popularity of online bingo is constantly growing, there have been many new bingo sites available for you to try and play your favourite games. There, you can find different variations of online bingo and can claim excellent bonuses and promotions.
Bingo around the world
We know that bingo was played in Italy, USA, and that it’s the favourite pastime of the players in the UK. But, is bingo played anywhere else in the world? How popular is bingo in other countries? Or is the game just a UK tradition?
If you do a little research about bingo, you’ll find out that bingo is actually played all over the world. People of all ages love bingo and enjoy playing it in their free time. No matter where you are, you can find some form of bingo played nearby, either in land-based bingo halls or online.
Here at Bingo Scanner, we’ve put together a brief explanation of how bingo is played around the world.
UK
Let’s start with the most popular country for playing bingo - the United Kingdom. It’s not very clear on how bingo came in the UK, but it was played in this country since the 1960s. It’s believed that bingo made its way to the UK through France and become the most played game across British towns and cities. As a result, the UK has become one of the most recognisable countries about bingo in the world.
The British people also called this game “Beano” until the name “Bingo” started to expand. Every town had a large bingo hall where people gathered to have fun and play bingo. That’s how the traditional bingo calls were invented. Now, the UK is also the leader in playing online bingo. The most popular type of bingo that is also known as the UK bingo is the 90-ball bingo.
Italy
As mentioned above, it is believed that bingo originated in Italy in 1530. Then, bingo appeared as a national lottery called “Lo Giuoco Lotto Italia” and had different gameplay. Even today, this type of bingo still runs every Saturday in Italy. The Saturday Night Lotto is very similar to the popular 90-ball bingo that people play today. Players had cards with rows and numbers, and winning numbers were pulled from a sack. Players had to match the numbers and that’s how the winners were revealed.
Germany
The bingo spread to Germany in the 1800s and has developed a very similar game variant to what is played in the UK. Germans called bingo as “der Lottospiel” and used the phrase “volltreffer” to refer a person who won a game of bingo. However, bingo in Germany is mainly played as a child’s game for teaching numbers, nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. This has led to growth in the popularity of bingo across Germany among every generation. There are more than 40 bingo halls across the country which shows how popular bingo has become.
Sweden
Sweden is another country where people enjoy playing bingo and is on the rise. In Sweden, more and more people are registering to play at online bingo sites. Swedish bingo sites offer different types of bingo, as well as the most popular 90-ball and 75-ball bingo games. Bingo is the only type of gambling in this country that is not entirely under the control of the state, which could be one of the reasons why it’s so popular.
Romania
Did you know that Romania is ranked in second place for bingo popularity? Well, bingo has risen to be so popular in Romania since 1990 when the country began to resurge after the Ceaucescu regime. Today, both online bingo and land-based bingo are still popular in Romania, and there are a couple of bingo shows such as ‘Bingo Romania’ running in the country. However, there is uncertainty in terms of the legalities of bingo, and that’s why there are very few online bingo sites from Romania.
USA
The USA is one of the top gambling destinations all over the world, especially for Las Vegas, so it’s no surprise to see it on this list. Bingo came in the USA in the 1990s and was first called ‘Beano’. Legend has it that in 1929, toymaker Edwin S. Lowe gathered his friends to play beano. Acting as a caller, he started calling the winning numbers. When one player’s final number was called, he called out “Bingo!”, and the name stuck. Today, the most popular form of bingo that is played in America is the 75-ball bingo, which is also known as the US bingo. Plenty of bingo games run in American casinos to this day, and similar to Germany, this country uses bingo for educational purposes.
Japan
The last of our list for bingo around the world is Japan. In most countries around the world where bingo is popular, it was the land-based version that led to such popularity of this game and caused launching plenty of online bingo sites. In Japan, it’s different. Namely, bingo has become popular in this country because of online casinos. The rise in technology and the recent legalisation of gambling in Japan caused bingo to grow in popularity. Now, Japan is the world’s second-biggest market for online bingo games.
Start playing online bingo today
The above-mentioned countries where bingo is so popular show that people of all ages love bingo and play it all over the world. Online bingo is a great way to spend your free time. It offers a lot of promotions, jackpots, and the opportunity to play from anywhere you want. It will be exciting to see what the next developments in the online bingo will be.
There isn’t a game that is more sociable and fun than bingo. So, if you’re in for an adventure, why not try playing online bingo? At Bingo Scanner, we’ve scanned the best bingo sites and found special promotions for you.
