Online Bingo History

Bingo history dates all the way back to 1530, when a game with similar features called “Lo Giuoco Code Loto” was played in Italy. From there, bingo travelled across the Alps into France, took hold in other European countries like Germany and eventually made its way to the United States. In New York, a travelling toy salesman by the name of Edwin S. Lowe realised the game’s potential and marketed it.

It wasn’t until the 1960s that Eric Morley brought modern bingo to the UK, where it’s now probably more popular than in any other country in the world. For more interesting facts about the early history of bingo, visit our page on early bingo history.

UK Bingo

In the UK, bingo is a part of local history, with its own traditions and culture. For example, bingo callers and bingo players all know and use special nicknames for each of the numbers. A lot of these nicknames come from Cockney rhyming slang. Some refer to events or times in UK history.

For example, the number 26 is often called as “bed and breakfast” - because the original set price for a bed and breakfast stay was 2 shillings 6 pence. You might hear the number 59 called as “Brighton line” because 59 was the original number of the engine that did the London-Brighton route.

Check our Bingo slang history page for more.

Online Bingo History

The transition from bingo halls to online bingo is a major development in bingo history. Online bingo history started soon after the expansion of the Internet into people’s homes. At the moment, online bingo is changing the face of bingo as we know it. It is making the game accessible to more and more people, who are enjoying it from the comfort of their own homes or even from their offices. This has helped spread the bingo craze worldwide. Interesting facts about the move from bingo halls to virtual bingo are available on our bingo online history page.

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