Bingo games appeared sometime in the sixteenth century in Italy at least according to most historians and experts in the field. Most historians agree the very first bingo game even though not called bingo appeared in 1530.
The modern game of bingo was inspired by Gioco del Lotto or the Italian lottery. It was not long before the Italian lottery found its way to other parts of Europe primarily France. In France, the game played was called Le Lotto and at the time, it was only available to upper-class citizens.
From France, the game found its way to Great Britain while at the beginning of the eighteenth century, it was played in other Western European countries. A very similar game called Tombola was quite popular in Germany in the nineteenth century. Unlike bingo played in Great Britain and France, in Germany Tombola was more of an educational tool for young children learning history, spelling, and multiplication.
When it comes to the modern bingo game played today, its origin is not clear. Either way, bingo is one of the most popular instant-win games with its very first major surge in popularity attributed to fairs and carnivals held in the 1920s.
At the time, the game was also popularized by Hugh J. Ward who relied on various marketing techniques to bring the game closer to wider audiences. When it comes to the game’s modern design, it was introduced by Erwin S. Lowe almost eight decades ago.
The Rising Popularity of Bingo Games
Large bingo prizes were legalized in 1960 thanks to the Betting and Gaming Act that has been in force ever since. Bingo gained in popularity in the following years thanks to Mecca Leisure Group and its Mecca Bingo brand bringing bingo games into sixty different venues.
Today, bingo fans have numerous different sites to play exciting bingo games. Online bingo games are legal in many different jurisdictions including the Philippines, several US states, and most European countries including the United Kingdom.
Since the 1990s, the popularity of bingo games reached astronomical heights. This does not come as a surprise considering bingo is played all over the globe in different forms. Countries such as Sweden, Japan, Romania, Germany, Italy, France, and the United Kingdom are known for their thriving bingo industries.
According to this report by Statista, bingo revenues in the United Kingdom surpassed £910 million in less than a year from April 2019 to March 2020. It is estimated that there are around 100 million players who play online bingo games across the globe. Most online bingo players are females and more than eighty percent of online bingo players play at more than one online bingo site.
There are many different health benefits of playing online bingo games we rarely things about. Playing online bingo is a great stress reliever and can even boost cognitive abilities.
Ways Online Bingo Games Reduce Stress
Contrary to popular beliefs, bingo is not only played by seniors. Even though playing bingo in bingo halls is mostly popular among seniors, online bingo games have their fans among younger players. Playing online bingo has many less known health benefits.
Playing bingo can improve your cognitive abilities as well as improve your brain’s alertness, memory capabilities, and processing speeds. Playing online bingo can also reduce your stress levels, which often get high in today’s fast-paced world. Engaging in online bingo games can be very beneficial to individuals who struggle with anxiety and depression.
Researchers and experts have found that there is a connection between playing online bingo and reduced stress levels not only in seniors but in younger players. Sociologists also agree that playing bingo in an online setting is an excellent way of curing boredom and even loneliness if you play in online bingo rooms.
There is also an important socialization factor involved. Playing with other people in online bingo rooms allows you to meet and communicate with like-minded individuals. All these factors combined lead to significantly reduced stress levels so there is no wonder why the popularity of online bingo has been on the rise not only among seniors but also younger players.
