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The
History Of Bingo
What
we know today as Bingo is a form of lottery and
called a direct descendant of Lo Giuoco del Lotto
d'Italia - the Italian National Lottery that was
organized about 1530 and is still going strong.
The European game of lotto, which had special
playing cards with rows of numbers, had a caller
who read numbers out loud. Players would cover the
number if it appeared on their cards and the first
player to complete a horizontal row was deemed the
winner.
A
man named Ed Lowe saw a version of the game played
in Jacksonville, Ga., in 1929. Players were using
beans to cover their numbers. The operator of that
game related the history of the game to Lowe who,
upon his return to his home in New York, refined
the game a bit.
Lowe,
who owned a toy company, called the game "Beano,"
which later evolved into Bingo because of an odd
event. One woman playing the game was so excited
she yelled out "b-b-bingo" instead of
"Beano" when she won. The name stuck.
In
1973, by the way, Lowe sold his company to Milton
Bradley for $26 million.
Ever
wonder what the largest Bingo game in the nation
might be? In 1934 at a Teaneck, NJ armory, 60,000
people showed up to play and l0,000 more had to be
turned away.
William
Fisk Harrah's father opened a chain of successful
Bingo parlors in California in the 1930s. The
operation was moved to Reno and became so
successful that when the first Harrah's opened in
1946 it was dubbed "The House That Bingo
Built."
Playing
The Game
Once
you get there, you go to the Bingo cashier and buy
your Bingo cards. Understand first that there are
different prices for your cards. You can play for
as little as $3 a session. The more expensive the
card the more your payoff will be.
For
instance, if you buy the cheapest card, and you
are the only winner of that game you'll get $50 to
$l00. Most Bingo is played on paper cards and
you'll need a dauber (a special pen to mark your
cards) which cost from 50 cents to a dollar and
you can get them right there.
When
you buy your bingo paper (actually a
"pad") or card, there'll be four games
on each sheet, so you're basically playing four
games at a time. Sometimes they have a bonus game,
which is played separately at the end of the
session.
Now
you choose your seat, smoking or non-smoking.
Because the room fills up quickly, you might want
to arrive early, choose a seat, and place a
"reserved" sign there. If the casino
doesn't provide signs, pick up a keno ticket and
write "reserved" on it, along with the
time of the session, and put it on the table or
counter top where you want to sit.
Most
Bingo sessions last about an hour and generally,
each game is different. You might play straight
Bingo or corners only, or postage stamps or
diagonals. Each game type is illustrated on an
electronic board for all to see.
Most
of the time the Bingo caller will announce the
game number and the color of the card (or paper)
you're supposed to be using, along with the type
of game you'll be playing. Always check to see
that everything is in order before you start
daubing.
As
each number is called, it will be displayed on a
number of television sets around the room. As the
numbers are called you "daub" or mark
them on your card. When you have a Bingo, you are
to shout it out loud, but not deafening loud. As
extra insurance, hold your hand in the air, the
way you did as a school child who knew the answer
to the teacher's question. Bingo!
But
it is important to remember that you do not tear
up your ticket yet for two reasons: first, the
Bingo has to be verified and if it is not
legitimate, the game will resume. And second, if
it is legitimate, the casino plays a second game
on the same card. For example, let's say they were
playing straight Bingo only in game No. 1. After
someone calls "Bingo" and it's verified,
the game progresses to something like two straight
Bingos on the same card.
Once
both games are completed it is time to go to the
second official game. And since you get all your
Bingo cards on the same tablet, you tear off the
used one and set it aside.
Most
Bingo rooms have an extra bonus game, usually
called the coverall. A coverall means all the
numbers must be marked on your card for it to be a
winner. There are two ways the coverall might
work.
First,
it might be part of the last game played, a game
that progresses from a Bingo to a coverall.
Second,
it might be part of a separate ticket that starts
with pre-selected numbers to save time. If it's
the latter, you mark these based on a special
electronic board that displays them for you.
Either
way, when the coverall game starts, it is as if
you are beginning it at mid-game. The prize of the
coverall varies, depending on how many numbers it
takes to find a winner or how the casino
structures it-and it can be as high as $25,000.
Speaking
of prize money, anything under $3,000 is paid off
immediately in cash, although checks (chips) are
sometimes used at some casinos. If this happens,
you'll have to go to the casino cage to cash out.
For large payoffs (more than $3,000), you must
supply the casino with tax information. So, don't
forget to include that information on your tax
return come April!
It's
very important to call Bingo as soon as you have a
winner because the rules say winners must come
from the last number called. In one instance
recently, a woman was not attentive enough to the
fact she had hit her Bingo. As the caller
announced the next number, the lady realized she
already had a Bingo. She called out, but it was
too late. She demanded payment, but the rules were
clearly posted and the caller instructed players
about this before the game began, so it was not
allowed and she was, let us say, a very unhappy
camper.
By
the same token, you don't want to be embarrassed
if you happen to call Bingo and it's not true.
(Better safe than sorry!) This happens at least
once in every session in Las Vegas, usually
because the Bingo that players think they have
doesn't match the type of game being played.
For
instance, if the game were the letter
"T," you'd have to have a Bingo across
the top row and down the "N" row (or an
inverted or even sideways version of the same
scheme). Often, players will get a Bingo under the
"I" or "N" row and shout
"Bingo," only to have an employee
announce the mistake. Nobody's going to laugh. In
fact, other players can often be heard expressing
a sigh of relief because it means they still have
a chance.
If
you're wondering what the odds are of filling up a
card in the Bingo coverall game when only 50
numbers or less are drawn, it's 799, 398 with 48
numbers; 407,856 with 49 numbers and 212, 085 with
50 numbers.
With
60 numbers, your chances are one in 715; with 59
numbers, one chance in 1,191.
But
let's not get carried away with hitting the big
one at big odds. Bingo is entertaining and
inexpensive. It gives you a chance to sit down,
socialize, maybe win a few dollars or get that
roller-coaster adrenaline thrill we all crave at
times. Oh, and don't forget the friendly, helpful
personnel. The people who watch for your winning
gestures and who call the cocktail waitress to get
you a drink, work for a very small salary. If they
treat you right and you win, a tip of any amount
between 1 and 5 percent is much appreciated. |
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