Bingo is getting more and more popular these days and with celebrities such as Michelle Obama playing, it’s now seen as a stylish, fun game that allows you to socialise and stimulates your brain. You may know the basics of bingo, but I bet you don’t know any of these unusual facts!
Most people think bingo was a recent invention, but it is actually much older. There are reports of it being played in Mexico in 1838 by the English archaeologist John Stephens. Back in those days, it was called ‘La Lotteria’ and grains of corn were used to mark off numbers that had been called. Thankfully, now we have bingo markers in a variety of colours, as using grains in a bingo hall could get very messy! In 1929, a toy salesman called Edwin S. Lowe brought bingo to the masses by producing bingo cards. He was also the one to come up with the term bingo.
There have been some massive bingo wins over the years and several people have become millionaires after a trip to their local bingo halls or playing bingo online. English man John Orchard of Lancashire scooped what was possibly the biggest win in history, £5.9 million. He played a game online which cost him just £0.30. So far he has bought a new car and treated his family to a holiday. It just shows, even if you only have a few pence, you could still win big and change your life! If you’ve got your eyes on the prize, you should look out for a ‘windfall’ game. This is a game that is offered by bingo halls and online bingo sites infrequently, so there is a massive prize available. Windfall games can differ between clubs. Some clubs may give you double the usual prize if you get certain numbers, whereas some clubs may require you to get an extra bonus number to win big.
If you have never played bingo before, your first game can be very confusing when trying to figure out what the caller is shouting, especially in Britain, as bingo nicknames and colloquialisms have developed over the years. An understanding of bingo lingo is key to anyone who wants to win big. One of the more unusual bingo calls is ‘Dancing Queen,’ named after the Abba song which mentions the number 17 in the lyrics. Another is the call for number 14, which is ‘The Lawnmower,’ so called because the original lawnmower had a 14 inch blade. You’ll need to think quickly to stay in the game!
If you want to find out more about bingo, you should check out this periodic table of bingo. It explains all those confusing bingo shouts and phrases and will make you an expert in no time. If you want to test your new skills, try Wink Bingo’s app. It’s a great app and will allow you to play bingo on the go, no matter where you are in the world. Keep your fingers crossed you get a full house!
