Table of Contents
Bingo has been a popular game for centuries, with three million players visiting Bingo Halls each year in the UK alone and over 100 million people enjoying the game online worldwide. There’s no doubt you’ve played some form of Bingo over the years, whether it be at a party, pub, social event, or anything in between, the game has no doubt cropped up many times in your lifetime. But the question remains: where did the game come from?
Read on to discover the origins of Bingo as we know it, and how it’s evolved into the exciting variants we love today.
A Brief History
1500s Italy saw the birth of the popular game, Bingo. First known as “Il Giuoco del Lotto d’Italia”, the lottery-style game was quickly transported overseas where the French adopted it as “Le Lotto”. The game was originally played by wealthy Frenchmen and the aristocracy, but, luckily, is now enjoyed by people from all walks of life. “Le Lotto” housed 27 squares, with three rows and nine columns, with numbers one to 90 randomly displayed in the boxes. It was this version that later travelled around Europe, and eventually reached North America in the 1920s, where it became known as “Beano”.
Eventually, when American toymaker Edwin Lowe stumbled across the game at a carnival in Georgia and took it back to his friends in New York, creating his own interpretation of the game, did the name “Bingo” come about. It is said, that the name we know and love today was born out of pure excitement as a player enthusiastically called “Bingo” instead of “Beano”. By the 1940s, Bingo was being played up and down the country.
Bingo still holds this level of excitement today, with enthusiastic players constantly coming up with new, innovative ways to play. Online casino not only offers some incredible payouts, but it also allows players to play against others in real time, in a live Bingo room. These Paddy Power Bingo gamesbring all the joy of the game, allowing you to experience it in all its glory, at any time you fancy, anywhere you are! Here are some of the most popular innovative twists on the classic game.
Deal or No Deal Bingo
If you’re a gameshow fanatic, there’s no doubt Deal or No Deal Bingo will be right up your alley. This creative version of the classic game allows players to enjoy 75-ball Bingo with a television twist. The jackpot for this game is £7,500, but increases each day around midnight based on the previous day’s stakes. As gameplay begins there will be 22 different amounts hidden within 22 boxes on screen, with blue representing the lower amounts, and red the higher amounts, displayed at the side, varying for each game depending on the amount that’s been wagered. Out of the 22 boxes, one will be chosen at random, which will then become the ‘player’s box’, and then the remaining 21 boxes will open randomly, revealing numbers one to 75 at random. Once a player wins the full house, every player will have ten seconds to vote on whether the player should accept the Bankers offer or not. The votes are counted and then the winning player will have 20 seconds to decide if they wish to accept. If they do, the percentage of votes received from the other players on the option they choose will be the percentage added to the full house prize money they have already won. This game really does bring the thrill of Bingo and the joy of gameshows together in a way that truly shows how versatile Bingo can be!
Age of the Gods Bingo
If it’s 90-ball Bingo you’re after, how about playing this Age of the Gods variant? Not only has Bingo risen to glory over the years, but with this spin on the popular franchise, so will you! In each game you could win up to three prizes: 1 line, 2 lines or the Full House. Enter the Arena of the Gods in the post-game feature, where you will see where more action could happen if the special Age of the Gods Coin appears within the ball call area at the start of the game. You must purchase at least one ticket in order to play, and then the usual rules of 90-ball Bingo apply in this exciting themed game.
The special feature game, if unlocked, offers the chance for the Full House winner to select as many of the nine coins on the screen as possible, in the attempt to match up three of the same gods/goddesses. This game gives players the potential to win one of the four godly prizes. The Zeus award offers 100% of the total amount to the Community, including the Full House winner, and the Hades award pays 100% of the total amount to only the Full House winner. 75% is paid to the Community and 25% to the Full House winner with the Athena award, and the Ares award pays 75% to the Full House winner, leaving the other 25% for the Community. Not only do you get the joy of Bingo, but you get the chance to thank the heavens for even more ways to boost your bankroll!