The history of traditional game Bingo

Much of the bingo action today takes place over the Internet, as online bingo rooms have pretty much won the battle with traditional game halls. Internet bingo owes its popularity to simplicity, convenience and the advancements made by technology in recent years.

Bingo halls are fighting a losing battle, but they deserve the respect for making the game popular in the first place. Here we have a quick look at the history of traditional bingo and how it became popular worldwide.

The Golden Age of traditional bingo

The first game of bingo was probably played somewhere the beginning of the 16th century, in Italy. This is when the lottery inspired title was invented and it enjoyed a relatively high degree of popularity right from the start. For the centuries to come, it continued to be played in Italy and other parts of Europe, but never became a worldwide phenomenon. It was the 20 century that brought the game firmly into the public’s eye, as the traditional bingo halls were established.

The first venues hosting bingo games appeared almost simultaneously on both sides of the Atlantic. In the US, Atlanta was the city where the game gained traction early on and became truly popular among people of all ages. In the United Kingdom, it took slightly longer for traditional bingo to become immensely popular, but once it did, it never lost its appeal. At the middle of the 20th century, British people were already hooked on bingo and they continue to be some of the game biggest supporters.

The early bingo rooms were relatively simple, unlike the luxurious casinos where people would get together for gambling. This explains the irresistible appeal that bingo had among regular people, who felt comfortable getting together at these venues to play a fun game. Because the game appeals to the masses, rather than the elite, there were plenty of bingo halls scattered across the UK, the US and other countries. In many important cities, there were several places to enjoy bingo and they never ran out of customers.

Online bingo wins the race in the 21st century

The popularity of traditional bingo halls picked in the second half of the 20th century and started to decrease in its final years. The arrival of online bingo sites had a smaller impact on this game, as opposed to other forms of gambling. Today, online bingo rooms at the best bingo sites are full of enthusiastic players from all walks of life, who celebrate its social nature on computers and mobile devices.

The game remains just as accessible and appealing to people who want to enjoy a game of chance without betting large amounts. Unfortunately for traditional bingo halls, they are fighting a losing battle and have a hard time competing for customers. There are still people who enjoy playing the game in local bingo parlors, but they represent only a fraction of the crowd that used to flock to these locations decades ago.