Bingo is a game that you could describe as being popular all over the world because it is. Yes, it’s loved in England and the United Kingdom, but it’s also a game that is regularly played all over Europe and elsewhere. However, one of the most interesting elements of bingo is how it came to be in England and its history.
As everyone knows, England is steeped in gambling history. Gambling has always been a favoured pastime across the country, and, believe it or not, this stretches right back to the sixteenth century and potentially even further back. First on the scene were lotteries, which were the foundation for other gambling activities to be built from. And, in many ways, it was all about classes and genders of how bingo came to be from here, which is interesting.
While it’s possible to look at significant years such as 1960, when commercial bingo took off in a sense, it was men not wanting women to be involved in their gambling activities that, in a way, created the premise of bingo. Men not only played the lottery, especially as this was regarded as an upper-class activity, but they also played dice games, and they didn’t want women involved in that. So, women created their own game, which involved random numbers, similar in many ways to bingo, and from there, it was born.
Of course, then along came the general bingo idea from elsewhere, which involved calling out bingo. But the premise of the game had already been recognised in England many years prior, which is possibly why it’s gone from strength to strength ever since and remained one of the most popular games of all time. Again, it’s interesting to look at how bingo has repeatedly established itself as such a popular game today, even though it’s now centuries old.
In short, bingo has moved with the times. It’s never been a game that has stood still. While the premise has very much stayed the same, it’s embraced new technology and trends. It’s gone from being played in homes and then onto bingo halls. And now, it’s one of the most popular online games, with Gala Bingo a prime example of a popular platform where bingo is the main course on the menu.
Bingo has come a long way over the years, hundreds of years; it’s worth pointing out. And while you can argue that the bingo idea in terms of shouting the word bingo came from elsewhere in the world, it would be fascinating to see if the game’s premise was thought up or put into action elsewhere too. Because if it wasn’t for the barrow women, as they were called, wanting to do their own thing and enjoy a bit of gambling themselves, we might never have had bingo in the guise we currently have it, and that would have been a real shame.
