Bingo is a game of probability in which players mark off numbers on cards as the numbers are drawn randomly by a caller, the winner being the first person to mark off all their numbers. Bingo, also previously known in the UK as Housey-Housey, became increasingly popular across the UK following the Betting and Gaming Act 1960 with more purpose-built bingo halls opened every year until 2005. Since 2005, bingo halls have seen a marked decline in revenues and the closure of many halls. The number of bingo clubs in Britain has dropped from nearly 600 in 2005 to under 400 as of January 2014. These closures are blamed on high taxes, the smoking ban, and the rise in online gambling, amongst other things.
Bingo played in the UK (90-ball bingo) is not to be confused with bingo played in the US (75-ball bingo), as the tickets and the calling are slightly different. In the US, it tends to be much more competitive and intense, whereas in the UK the approach is more relaxed, despite the faster pace of the game.
History
The game itself, not originally called bingo, is thought to have had its roots in Italy in the 16th century, specifically, around 1530. Bingo originates from the Italian lottery, Il Gioco del Lotto d'Italia. The game spread to France from Italy and was known as Le Lotto, played by the French aristocracy. The game is then believed to have migrated to Great Britain and other parts of Europe in the 18th century. Players mark off numbers on a ticket as they are randomly called out in order to achieve a winning combination. The similar Tombola was used in nineteenth-century Germany as an educational tool to teach children multiplication tables, spelling, and even history.
The origins of the modern version of the game and its current name bingo are unclear. Early British slang records bingo as... "A customs officer's term, the triumphal cry employed on a successful search." But it definitely gained its initial popularity with the first modern version of the game appearing at carnivals and fairs in the 1920s and is attributed to Hugh J. Ward, who most probably took the name from pre-existing slang for marketing reasons. The modern bingo card design patent went to Edwin S. Lowe in 1942.
The introduction of the Betting and Gaming Act 1960 on 1 January 1961 saw large cash-prizes legalised and the launch of Mecca Bingo by Mecca Leisure Group, led by Eric Morley, who had a large chain of dancehalls and introduced bingo into 60 of them, including the Lyceum Ballroom. Circuit Management Association, who managed the cinemas and dancehalls of The Rank Organisation, was the other large operator at the time, including hosting bingo at their largest cinema, the Blackpool Odeon.
Description of the game
Bingo is a game of probability in which players mark off numbers on cards as the numbers are drawn randomly by a caller, the winner being the first person to mark off all their numbers.
Bingo ticket
A typical bingo ticket contains 27 spaces, arranged in nine columns by three rows. Each row contains five numbers and four blank spaces. Each column contains up to three numbers, which are arranged as follows, with some variation depending on bingo companies and/or where the game is played (e.g. hall, club or online): The first column contains numbers from 1 to 9 or 10, The second column numbers from 10 to 19, or 11 to 20, The third, 20 to 29 or 21 to 30 and so on up until the last column, which contains numbers from 80 or 81 to 90.
Tickets are created as strips of 6, because this allows every number from 1 to 90 to appear across all six tickets. If they buy a full strip of six, it means that players are guaranteed to mark off a number every time a number is called.
Gameplay
The game is presided over by a caller, whose job it is to call out the numbers and validate winning tickets. They will announce the prize or prizes for each game before starting. The caller will then usually say "Eyes down" to indicate that they are about to start. They then begin to call numbers as they are randomly selected, either by an electronic random number generator (RNG), by drawing counters from a bag or by using balls in a mechanical draw machine. Calling may take the format of simple repetition in the framework, "Both the fives, fifty five", or "Two and three, twenty three", but some numbers have special calls due to their significance. In some independent clubs, numbers ending in a zero are described as 'blind'. So for example, thirty would be called as 'three-o blind 30' The use of blind numbers is generally restricted to independent bingo clubs, as it is not common practice in either of the largest chains of bingo club operators, Gala and Mecca bingo.