A Look at Bingo Gaming History and Free Online Games

As one of the most popular games in the world, bingo has come a long way from its humble beginnings. While it has always been a game favoured in New Zealand, both in the traditional sense and the digital one, bingo has a rich history.

These days, free online bingo games attract the attention of millions of players across the globe, and for good reason. All of the magic of traditional bingo can be enjoyed from the comfort of a player’s home computer, tablet device or even mobile phone. It’s that easy, and there are plenty of sites offering free online bingo games for players to choose from. Interestingly enough, the roots of the game stem way back to the 1500s, in a place far away from New Zealand.

An Italian Beginning

While it is almost impossible to pinpoint the exact time and place of bingo’s creation, many believe that it originated in Italy in the year 1530. It is thought that what we now know as bingo was initially called “Lo Giuoco del Lottl D’Italia”, which roughly translates to “Italian lottery.” In many parts of the country, tradition still holds that it is played on Saturday afternoons. While it may be a long way off from the free online bingo games we play in New Zealand in this day and age, the same basic structure and ‘game of chance’ thrill is still what binds the two together.

A European Adventure

Naturally, when something becomes popular in one part of a continent, it is bound to spread to other countries within that continent. After picking up steam in Italy, bingo then began to filter through to places like France and Germany. As it quickly gained popularity, the game was amended on several levels, each adapted to the respective audience it was holiding captive. This is not unlike the way in which players in New Zealand are now able to enjoy free online bingo games. In fact, the game was adapted to become what it is today as a means of keeping up with the changing times and allowing busy players to be able to enjoy the game in the digital age.

On to America

By 1929, bingo had reached the shores of North America. The version in play back then is very similar to the free online bingo games we play today, however, it was called ‘beano’ at the time. Legend has it that a toy salesman in New York overheard someone yell ‘bingo’ instead of ‘beano’, and from then onwards, the name stuck. It is also believed that the same salesman then hired a mathematician to help him formulate different combinations for bingo cards, very similar to those we see in New Zealand today.

For something as popular as bingo, not much is known about its origin except for the few anecdotes detailed above. Regardless, there is no denying the fact that bingo can lead to a great fun. Have your fun today and play bingo now!