Bingo Bingo!
Anyone who has been in a bingo hall will know the explosion of excitement that occurs when someone finally yells out bingo, bingo! The word is synonymous for winning, excitement and joy, which is odd, when one considers that bingo is an all but meaningless word. If looking at history there is no point in which the word can be said to have been invented, only that it appeared some time around the early eighteen hundreds.
Today, with bingo being an incredibly popular lottery game, the word is used not only as a way to declare a victory in the game, but likewise as a universal exclamation of joy. In fact, the word is more popular today then it has ever been by a long shot. The game bingo, of course, involves marking off numbers on a card as they are called out, with the winner heartily screaming bingo, bingo, upon a complete line of five numbers being created. But the game also tends to have an undeserved reputation for being played only by seniors in a large hall, as seen in many movies. In reality bingo is played by people from all walks of life, many of which do so online via lightening fast internet connections across the globe.
Evolution Of Bingo
Interestingly the word bingo was originally not associated with the game, and this occurred only much later. The origins of the actually game itself, in fact, go back as far as the late fifteen hundreds, making it one of the oldest modern casino games. It was originally played in Italy, and still is to this very day, after being adopted by France in the seventeen hundreds.
After France it made its way to Germany, but was used mostly as a rather intuitive way to teach children maths. It was not until the early nineteen hundreds that the game found its way to the United States. Initially it was referred to as Beano, since players used beans to mark the numbers on their cards. But, in faithful moment, a player accidentally called out bingo, bingo, instead of calling out beano as was the tradition at the time.
The accident was received with delight and laughter by the other players, who all started doing it as an extension of the joke. Over time the accident became the norm, and stuck as the new way for the game of bingo for money to be played.
Modern Bingo
Although it is still expected that players call out bingo, bingo, upon winning, the game has evolved in a number of interesting way. For one, it is no longer necessary to have a full matching sequence of five to be a winner, with lesser prizes paid out for having just three numbers in a row.
Bingo cards also have special numbers selected at random, which will grant a special prize if that number is landed, regardless if it is n a sequence or not. These rules, other widely used, are not considered official bingo requirements, but in modern times casinos will add and remove rules as they please, creating new experiences for players. Regardless, bingo is a remarkable game in that it has survived all but unchanged for centuries.