Bingo is a game that can be played by all ages and is very simple. It is one of the most popular games at casinos, online and in social community centers. It is an extremely social game, whereby a large group of players play at the same time. In this article we explain how to play bingo for real money, we talk about the history of bingo, the types of players who play bingo and finally tips and strategies for playing bingo.
Top 3 Online Bingo Casinos
Online Bingo
Playing Online Bingo has taken off around the world. Its phenomenal rise has been attributed to significantly changing the game of traditional community hall bingo. Unlike, online table casino games which look and feel the same as the land based, online bingo is very different. The difference between online and offline bingo is driven by the social aspect of bingo. Bingo is a soft gambling game. In other words, Players aren’t playing for big stakes, but they are playing to socialize. They want to make friends, form relationships, create a bond with fellow Players. The Player demographics of Online Bingo indicates that 80% are female, aged between 18 to 30. And they are drawn to Online Bingo rather than traditional community hall bingo because of the ease of socializing online. Instagram users are generally young women and this appears to correlate to being an Online Bingo Player. That’s not to say, that if you are male or elderly that you won’t enjoy playing Online Bingo. Online Bingo software providers have leveraged off social media platforms to provide a very attractive bingo experience. The friends that a Player forms a bond with could reside many miles away. And this creates a very unique and special experience when compared to traditional bingo. Hence we are seeing Online Bingo participation grow whilst community hall bingo diminish. Choosing an Online Bingo site is 6 easy steps, however, if you are from the US you need to be aware that not all sites are accessible.
If you are looking for a place to play online bingo for real money, we recommend the following sites to play at which are US friendly and offer the best experience.
How to Play Bingo for Real Money
Bingo can either be played online or offline and I will explain in detail as we go further in this discussion. If playing in a hall or offline, the player will be given a “Dauber” to mark all numbers on his card that is being called by the caller. Please note that in this century, many offline bingo halls offer electronic tables and in such instances you do not have to daub your cards. A software program that is embedded with electronic tables would do this automatically.
In the American style of bingo playing, players use a 75 ball bingo. It uses 75 numbers, with each group of 15 assigned to letters B, I, N, G and O. B is used for numbers 1-15, I is used for 16-30, N is used for 31-45, G is used for 46-60 and O for 61-75. The Bingo cards have to be squared—5 numbering spaces across by five spaces down. Resulting in a total of 25 spaces.
While the center space is to be marked free, (automatically being daubed by all players), each remaining space on the card would eventually have to be filled with numbers according to the BINGO structured arrangement. Players would in such an instance fill the required spaces of the game to complete a pattern, as defined at the start.
For example, a player could be required to cover all numbers on the bingo card, which is termed Blackout or Coverall. Another good example is, an X pattern would have to require daubing two diagonal lines; the top-right to bottom left and top-left to bottom right, if such a person would want to win.
Another common type of bingo game with its own regulations and strategies is the 80 ball bingo game. In this game, 80 balls are used and the card ultimately differs, as it is a grid of 4 by 4 squares, making 16 squares in its total.
Often, each column of the 80 ball bingo card is colored and they are in such varieties, the first column is red (representing the number 1-20), the second column is yellow (representing numbers 21-40), the third column is blue (representing numbers 41-60), and the fourth column is silver (representing the numbers 61-80).
Bingo game areas, often vary the patterns which have to be completed to win the game. Most times, they’ll offer a full house but make it varied and have lots of fun using either horizontal, diagonal, vertical, center square versions and other patterns. Like all other bingo versions, the first person to manage and complete the predetermined bingo patterns is the person who wins the game.
History of Bingo
The game of bingo as it is known today is a form of lottery and is a direct product of Lo Giuoco Del Lotto D’Italia. Its beginnings all started in the unification of Italy in the year 1530. The Italian Lottery organization (Lo Giuoco Del Lotto D’Italia) was created and held lotteries at weekly intervals.(Presently, the Italian lottery organization is very important to the Italian government’s budget, contributing to the government’s revenue in the range of 65-75 million dollars annually).
By the year 1778, the Italian lottery organization had gained the interest of the intellectual elite of the society in Italy. In the old version of the game, the playing card of the game was divided into nine vertical rows and three horizontal rows. Each of the horizontal rows had five numbers and four blank squares randomly arranged. The verticals rows would contain numbers from one to ten in the first, eleven to twenty in the second, until it reaches the number ninety. No two lotto cards were the same. Chips numbered from one to ninety completed the playing tools. Players were subsequently given a lotto card, then the caller would pull out a chip, a small wood-like numbered token, from a cloth bag and yell out the number. The players would quickly cover the number called, if it appeared on their numbered card. The first player to have covered a horizontal row was the winner. After a while, this game began to grow in popularity in Europe. It was used in Germany where they used it to teach children their multiplication tables.
The Beginnings of Bingo in the US
In a cool winter evening in the year December 1929, a New York toys salesperson, named Edwin .S. Lowe was driving to Jacksonville in the state of Georgia, United States, so that he could have a good start for the next day’s order. Before this time, Edwin had established a toy firm with two of his employees but failed because the market crashed.
The next day, before heading for his appointment in Jacksonville, Edwin came across a country carnival being held at a bend in the road. He was way ahead of time for his appointment so he parked his car and got out to have a look of what was making the crowd excited. He came across one of the opened booths in the carnival that had a large crowd to it. He then peered over the shoulders of the participants. He saw a kind of horseshoe table covered with numbered cards and beans. That was when he discovered the game called Beano (soon to be called Bingo).
The caller or salesperson, who pulls a small numbered wooden disc from an old cigar box and at the same time called the numbers, played the game. The players would have to respond by checking their cards, to see if their numbers had been called. If any of their number was called, a bean would be placed on their number. This sequence would continue until someone filled a line of the numbers on their card (either horizontally, vertically or diagonally). When a player was done filling his card, he will shout “Beano!”, and such a player would be declared winner and given a doll.
When Edwin returned to his home in New York he played the same game with his friends. name. His friends were invited to his apartment and assumed the duties of the caller or salesperson. During one of the sessions, Edwin noticed that one of the players was very close to winning the game. As her card was being filled with the bean, she got more excited. Finally, the last number was called. The woman jumped up and shouted, ” Bingo!”.
Edwin was so excited when he saw the lady scream “Bingo” with such happiness that he made the decision to make a game out of it and call it Bingo.
Since then, Edwin has done his part in spreading the Bingo game to much of the United States and by the 1940’s, the game had gained much popularity in all of America. Bingo was quickly accepted, because it was easy, fun and a popular low stake game.
Bingo Players
In the past, the people who were associated with playing bingo games were old ladies and this was because of the ease and fun way to play bingo. Presently, bingo is played all over the world, online or in casinos. This is attributed to its low limits and huge jackpots to be won when playing the game. No longer a grannies little secret, Bingo is played by both male and female of all ages. Bingo players’ ages can range between 18 to any age over.
A large majority of bingo players worldwide are women between the ages of 30 to 50 years. How online the age range is 18 to 30 and growing rapidly. Women make up approximately 80%, while the other remaining 20% are mainly middle aged men who play online bingo games worldwide. Currently online bingo games have overtaken traditional bingo in terms of popularity.
It has been found, by research that most Bingo players are stay at home parents. Mostly women, whom the game allows them to chat with friends and also take care of their children. This has led to the advent of social networking, forums and chat rooms found on most online bingo sites. Creating a community of bingo players is extremely beneficial in generating a sense of belonging.