From Beano to Bingo...
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by: Stebee
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| Bingo was a U.S. country fair game originally named "beano". It was called this because, in the original game at least, players would place beans on their cards to correspond with the number that was picked from a cigar box by the dealer. The first beano game was played in Georgia at a travelling carnival. The game's name was changed to bingo by Edwin S. Lowe. Mr. Lowe, who was a toy salesman from New York, overheard a player mix up the pronunciation of the name and call out "bingo" and not "beano". This version of the game was not the first recorded one. The roots of the game trace back to Italy in the year 1530 when it was called "Lo Giuoco del Lotto D'Italia". It was an Italian lottery originally, which is currently still being played every Saturday in Italy. The game soon became popular in other countries as well. In the late 1770s the game spread to France. The French called it "Le Lotto". In the 1800s it was introduced to Germany where it was even adopted by schools as a method to teach children spelling, maths and even history. As mentioned above, it entered North America in 1929. Luck is a big factor in winning the game of bingo. The object of the game is to be the first one to have markers on your cards on every number in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line. Sometimes it is won when you have markers on the four corner numbers (if the dealer announces that a "four corner" game is being played). The cards each have a series of numbers printed on them in rows. The letters "B-I-N-G-O" are printed horizontally across the top of the card. The dealer will randomly choose numbers and call them out. For instance, if he/she calls out "B-11", you would then find the numbers under the B column, check to see if you have a number 11, and place a marker over it. The simplicity of this game has made it a firm favorite for generations both young and old. |
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