Bingo began in the 1530's. Played in a weekly Italian lottery called "Lo Giuocu del Lotto del D'Italia". The game was picked up by the French and the Germans used it as an educational tool to teach children basic concepts in math, spelling, and history. Soon, the game had spread throughout most of continental Europe. Bingo came to North America early in the 20th century being played at county fairs across the United States. The first known game played in America was played at a carnival at Atlanta in 1929. This game was known as "beano" because dry beans were used as markers. When an over excited participant yelled "bingo" instead of "beano", a toy salesman named Edwin Lowe was there. He developed the game as a toy, calling it "Bingo" and a phenomenon was born. The game really took off and was soon used as a fund raising tool for churches, schools, and charities. In that tradition, the Bingo halls today are still primarily for the benefit of some organization. Of the two public halls here in Oregon, one benefits the Boy's and Girls Club of Marion county, and the other benefits amateur athletes in Oregon and southwest Washington. There are plenty of games played at other locations such as private fraternal organizations - the American Legion or the Fraternal Order of Eagles. These games are usually open to the public and of a smaller scale than those listed as Bingo 'halls'.
I invite you to learn more about this game and hope this website assists you in gaining an understanding and appreciation for the game of Bingo!
Here is a link to the Boy's and Girl's Club Bingo website to get an idea of what a commercial bingo hall is like.
Please feel free to peruse the following pages of this website for more information.
