Bingo started off in Italy. It was originally a lottery game but developed into the modern game in Europe during the 15th century. It was heavily modified through the French and then subsequently by the Germans before it became the game most of us now know and love.
Despite being invented in the 15th century it was not really popular until the 19th century. During this time it spread globally and had a meteoric rise in the United States. It was played both for entertainment and used as a tool to raise funds for various charitable organisations.
After the 19th century bingo became quite stagnant. It saw a rise around the world within the 1970s and 1980s but it developed a bad image as being a game that only the elderly played.
Fast forward to the new millennium and online bingo has been introduced. The online bingo game plays exactly the same as the land based bingo game. The only difference is the fact that the numbers appear on your screen instead of having to be crossed out from your bingo card by hand.
The online bingo game has a unique community atmosphere. The bingo rooms are exciting places where everybody communicates and chats with each other. Everyone celebrates the winners and people begin to get excited when someone has one or two numbers left before they get a full house.
The real-life bingo cages are replaced with a random number generator program that pulls out numbers randomly. In place of a real life person calling out the number, the number flashes up on your screen and is crossed of your bingo card.
There are various ways to win at online bingo, the same as real life bingo. If you get 5 boxes in a row, in a column or across diagonally you win a prize. Depending on the stakes you play for, i.e. are you playing for 1p per ticket or 50p per ticket, you win a prize corresponding to the stakes. The larger stakes you play the bigger prize you may win.
Unlike real life bingo you should not have to be alert and cross off your number quickly. The number flashes up on your screen and is crossed off automatically.
As a way to get the most out of the game it is vital that you learn the various jargon and terminology. You'll find various names that players use as a representation for each bingo number. There are also various short hand chat phrases that players use to communicate within the chat box. Usually the bingo sites provide players with a glossary of commonly used terms to ensure that you may learn them and understand what is going on within the chat box.
Players looking to transition into the world of online bingo will want to look out for various bonuses, offers and promotions. At different times of the year each site runs various bonuses and promotions. These special deals give players an extra incentive to play and increase the chances that you win some money. Some sites offer free bingo for real money without the need of to deposit. We strongly suggest you make use of these deals in case you are new to bingo. They enable you to play bingo for real money and don't require you to deposit to play.