Bingo is a game that has intrigued people since the early days of civilisation. Of course back then it was not called bingo and it was scarcely recognisable as the game that is played today, but it nevertheless contained the essence of the modern game. Bingo is essentially a lottery, and indeed a version of the game was called Lotto well before the National Lottery coined the term, and lotteries were enjoyed by both the ancient Romans and the Chinese.

The modern version of the game is though to have its origins in sixteenth century Italy when a game known as Lo Giuoco del Lotto was popular. As the years went on the game evolved and spread throughout Europe. In England the game was primarily a parlour game and gambling laws did not permit it to be used for public betting. .

It was also popular in fun fairs. The way in which the operators circumvented the gambling laws was by offering prizes rather than monetary rewards. Eventually the gambling laws were modernised and the result was the spread bingo halls that became a social phenomenon of the 1960s. Interestingly most of these were converted from cinemas which at the time were experiencing declining audiences as people stayed at home to watch television. .

Next came the internet and with it a change in the infrastructure of the game. Instead of visiting bingo halls many stayed at home to play bingo online. Suddenly real bingo halls found that they were struggling with declining attendances and many of them closed down. Those that survived had to modernise and incorporated additional entertainments, restaurants and bars in order to appeal to a more sophisticated public. .

Nowadays modern bingo halls and online bingo go hand in hand and many players choose to enjoy both forms of the game. Also the demography of the players has changed. In the days of bingo halls the players were predominantly female and were aged over forty. Nowadays the online bingo players include many males and the game is played by both young and old.

Bingo is an ancient game that will never lose its appeal.