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Over it's comparatively brief history, Bingo has had many names and variations. Bingo as we know it today, is a direct descendant of a game titled 'Lo Giuoco del Lotto d'Italia'. When Italy was united in 1530, the Italian National Lottery 'Lo Giuoco del Lotto d'Italia' was organized to raise funds for the country. Even now, the game is still held every Saturday in Italy. In the late 1700s 'Le Lotto' migrated to France in a form similar to the Bingo we know today, with a playing card, tokens and numbers read aloud.

In the 1800's educational Lotto games became popular and there was even a German Lotto game of the 1850s designed to teach children their multiplication tables. Interestingly the only form of gambling permitted in the British Armed Services, bingo is called, 'tombola' in the Royal Navy (1880) and 'house' or 'housy housy' in the Army (1900).

Throughout the 1800's these lottery type of games spread quickly throughout Europe and many offshoots of the game were created. One popular form of game had a player's card divided into 3 horizontal rows and 9 vertical ones. The first vertical row contained the numbers from 1 to 10, the second from 11 to 20, and so on until 81-90 on the ninth vertical row. The 3 horizontal rows each contained five squares with numbers in them and 4 blank ones. The caller would then draw from a bag of wooden chips numbered from 1 to 90. The object of the game was to be the first to completely cover one of the 3 horizontal rows. This forms the basis of European Bingo today.

The original American form, called 'keno', 'kino' or 'po-kino', dates from the early 19th century. Other American names for bingo have included 'beano', 'lucky', 'radio' and 'fortune'.

It is generally agreed that modern American Bingo dates back to the depression years; In 1929, A New York toy salesman named Edwin Lowe, observed a game called 'Beano' being played at carnival; a the game where players exclaimed "BEANO!" if they filled a line of numbers on their card. Lowe took the idea of the game home with him to New York, and with dried beans, a rubber number stamp and some cardboard, developed it. Lowe introduced the game to his friends in New York where one of them, having completed her card, mistakenly yelled "BINGO!" in her excitement. The game, and name, as we know it was born. The earliest 'Lowe Bingo' game came in two variations - a twelve card set for one dollar and a two dollar set with twenty-four cards. The game was an immediate success and the rest, as they say, is history.

In it's early years, cards were not all unique, as today, which meant that there were often multiple winners. So, to avoid this happening, Lowe sought the services of a math professor at Columbia University, Carl Leffler, to expand the amount of number combinations. By 1930, Professor Leffler had devised 6,000 bingo cards with non-repeating number groups. However, the job had proved so difficult that it allegedly sent Leffler mad.

At the height of its popularity in the US, during the 1930s Great Depression, a variant often called 'screeno', was played in motion picture theatres, with one night in the week designated 'Bank Night', when patrons received free bingo cards with their admission tickets.

Bingo also became popular in Australia early in the 20th century where it was known as 'Housie'. 'Housie' and was held in large marquees before they moved into halls. By the 1940's Bingo games had sprung up all over the world with thousands of games being played every week.

In Great Britain the game received its great impetus with the 'Betting and Gaming Act of 1960' which permitted the formation of a large number of commercial lotto clubs.

Land-based bingo generates more than $70bn in revenue worldwide and is the one of the most popular games in the world: As of 31st March 2001 there were 705 licensed bingo clubs operating in the UK. Figures for 2000 show that there were an estimated total of around 89 million admissions in the UK and 45 billion individual bingo cards were played in USA alone.

Along with children's games, bingo variations have sprung up in a variety of different areas. Recent innovations include an office game called 'Buzzword Bingo', to be played (unofficially) in dull corporate meetings. Wait for your boss to say the business phrases on your card and mark them off as he says them. Just remember not to yell "Bingo" when he says your final buzzword on your card! Other variations include TV programme Bingo games (mark off the characters' catch phrases as the actors say them), Bridal Shower Bingo (mark off the presents as the gifts are unwrapped) and many variations of car journey Bingo from versions to keep the kids quiet on long journeys to the rather unsavoury 'roadkill' Bingo (no explanation needed!)

Since 1998, Bingo has also spread onto the internet with great success. Multi-player Bingo on the internet (as opposed to single player, 'Keno-Bingo') splits into two basic groups; 'Free Bingo' and 'Pay to Play Bingo'. With 'Free Bingo' game play is free and prizes are usually points or small denomination cash prizes. To find out where you can play online, and to find anything and everything you need to know about online Bingo, you've come to the right place.