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Bingo

Bingo is a game of chance where numbers are drawn at random. Players then match the numbers called to those that appear on their bingo tickets. Bingo games are played all over the globe. The popularity of bingo originates from its simplicity and the sense of community that is embraced. Bingo games can be found in many different places, but most recently you can play a bingo game online.

The first person to have a bingo card with the game pattern completed is the winner. It used to be customary for the winner to shout out " Bingo!" to bring other players’ attention to the win, however, this custom has been dropped and instead players tend to shout “Yes!” or “Here!”. Bingo games are frequently associated with charitable events as a method of fund-raising.

Bingo games can be traced back to a game called Lotto, played in 1530 in Italy . In America a bingo game was called "beano". It was a game played at local country fairs. A dealer would select numbered discs from a cigar box and players would mark their cards with beans. Players would yell "beano" if they won. Edwin Lowe, a New York toy salesman, saw the game and introduced the game to his friends, one of whom mistakenly yelled "BINGO" …and so bingo was born! By the 1940's bingo games had sprung up all over the country with thousands of bingo games being played every week. Today Bingo games can be found just about anywhere!

More than two in three people currently play bingo. It is thought that they play for social reasons as opposed to financial gain. This means that for many towns the local bingo club is an important social resource. The Bingo industry is very important to the UK and often overlooked. It contributes over £261 million to the economy in one year alone. The bingo industry employs about 19,000 people. In 2004 more people attended a bingo game than football matches in both UK leagues.

Bingo in Britain was revolutionised in June 1986 with the launch of the National Bingo game. The National Bingo game links together a number of bingo clubs from across the country. Numbers are called simultaneously and live across all the participating clubs. UK bingo clubs are permitted under law to play only 3 such games of multiple bingo during any one day. The National Bingo game is played every night of the year except Christmas Day, with two games on a Saturday. The total weekly pay-out on the National Bingo game is now more than £1 million. The top prize most evenings is £100,000, plus Regional prizes of several thousand pounds for a 40p bingo ticket. About 550 Clubs in the UK link up to play the National Bingo game. The National Bingo game is the country's second largest computer controlled game - after the Lottery.

Which Bingo.co.uk is the ultimate resource for bingo in the UK . You will find our online bingo Site of the Month useful source of information. Keep up-to-date with all the latest goings-on with our latest bingo news; both online bingo news and UK bingo news. You can learn more about bingo games in our free bingo games editorial articles.