Bingo is played all around the world, but it is most popular in Europe, Australia, and the US. The game has simple rules. Even though it offers great chances of winning large sums of money, most people seem just to enjoy the social aspect of the game the most.
A good proportion of bingo enthusiasts play the game at least once a week, regardless of the previous losses or wins. Let’s look at some cool facts about the famous game of Bingo.
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Americans Spend $90 Million per Week on Bingo
Bingo is quite popular in the US. It is estimated that about $90 million is spent every week on the game in the country. In a typical year, the game generates revenue of about $10 billion in North America. For comparison, movie tickets around the world generate revenue of about $7 billion.
In the US, women spend more money on the game compared to men. That’s where the stereotype of women passionate about Bingo originated. The game has been claimed to be popular among older women, but in reality, the game is more widespread among people under the age of 35. Only 20 percent of the fans of the game are men.
The Largest Recorded Win Was by Christine Bradfield
The largest recorded win in bingo was made by a Welsh woman known as Christine Bradfield. She won 1.1 million British pounds, and it translates to about 1.4 million USD. The win was recorded in 2008. Christine gave half of the money to her sister-in-law, as they had always shared the money they won in their bingo sessions.
Although Christine Bradfield gained such a huge sum of money, she still kept her garage job, noting that a lot of free time would make her burn through all the cash fast. Also, she continues to play Bingo every week at the Castle Bingo Hall in Merthyr Tydfil. This hall is located in South Wales.
It is More Popular than Tennis in the UK
We have always known that Bingo is more popular in Europe than in the US, but what’s even more surprising is the fact that it is more popular than tennis in the United Kingdom. In the list of games and sports, Bingo has now taken sixth place in popularity, with more than 1.9 million players in the country.
According to The Mirror, tennis is a favorite of about 1.7 million people, and that makes it the seventh most popular game in the UK. The number of bingo players usually rises as the year comes to an end. In December, the population of players can even increase by 50 percent.
The availability of online bingo services has made it easier for people to access the game, even without having to step out of their homes. It may also have contributed to its increased popularity. To understand how Bingo works to master your skills, you can head over to this aggregator site. There, you will get the chance to play the Online Cricket Betting ID and determine how much you like it.
It Used to be Beano
According to ThoughtCo, the history of Bingo started back in the 16th century in Italy. The original version was known as Lo Giuoco del Lotto d’Italia, and it worked more like the lotto. This version of Bingo is still widespread in this country. The game found its way to France in the 1700s and was only meant for the members of the French upper class.
In the US, Bingo was first played in 1929 and was then known as beano. The name ‘bingo’ was adopted when a man was accidentally overheard saying ’bingo’ after scoring a winning combination. The man who renamed it was Edwin Lowe, a vendor of toys in New York.
It Once Drove a Man Crazy
As mentioned above, Edwin Lowe was the man who renamed the ‘beano’ to ‘bingo’. Later on, the toy salesman would be approached by a parishioner who had a problem with many wins in the game. He wanted Lowe to come up with more unique combinations to reduce the number of wins. For solving this problem, Lowe would work with a math professor from Colombia University, Carl Leffler.
Carl Leffler came up with 6,000 unique combinations for the game, all without the help of modern technology and automated programs. He would simply use manual methods to come up with the cards.
After completing all 6000 combinations, it is said that he went insane. It could be a direct result of the mental pressure involved. Lowe paid the professor up to $100 for every new card combination, and he would sell them through his company, E.S. Lowe.
US Bingo is Different from UK Bingo
North America and the United Kingdom share as many similarities as differences. We all speak English but spell words differently, and such differences extend to the game of Bingo. In the US, Bingo is played on a 5 by 5 card while in the UK, the game has 3 by 9 cards.
According to the Street Directory, American bingo cards have numbers from 1 to 75, while those from the UK have numbers from 1 to 90. Thus, American 75-ball Bingo is more complicated than the 90-ball variation, so it would not be ideal for beginners.
The American version of Bingo has also been noted to be quite slow. It is primarily because the cards are independent of each other, and players can tick off duplicate numbers in multiple cards.
With the availability of online bingo sites, you can try out both versions to determine which one you like best. Besides the few differences mentioned above, the general rules of the game are similar.
The Final Thought
If you are a fan of Bingo, you now have a few facts to bring up when meeting up with your friends. Also, now you can make a point of playing different versions of the game. After trying both American and British variations online, you may find out that you like a version you have been neglecting.
