Bingo originated in Italy, and today it is a game that is extremely popular in the UK, as well as in Australia and New Zealand, where it is known as Housie. Other forms of gambling are currently on the decrease, like the national lottery and football pools, but online bingo gains new fans daily. Along with casinos, it is the only gambling leisure pursuit that is increasing in popularity. It has become the most enjoyed pastime of UK women between the ages of 20 –25.
It is a simple game that in Germany was once used to teach children multiplication, history and spelling.
A player plays with at least one card. As a person becomes more competent, he or she can check a number of cards for any one game – a book of six tickets being the most common for serious bingo-goers.
The card has 27 squares, laid out in nine columns and three rows. Each of the rows has five numbers and four blank squares. The columns contain one, two, or occasionally three numbers. Each card contains fifteen numbers.
Column one contains random numbers between 1 and 9, column two between 10 and 19, column three between 20 and 29, and so on, until the ninth column which contains the numbers 80 to 90 – 90 being the optimum number in UK bingo games.
A caller, who oversees the game, then shouts random numbers between one and 90. The winner of the game is the first one who marks off their 15 numbers.