About Traditional or Online Bingo
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by: stickystebee
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Word Count: 392
Bingo is a social event among the young and old alike. It takes very little skill, other than to be able to read numbers and letters. Bingo originated as a lottery game in Italy in 1530. The game morphed into what we play today as Bingo by 1929. Traditionally, Bingo is played in the hall of a firehouse or school gym and money is raised for a specific charity. The room has to be big enough to seat everyone comfortably at tables. Each person purchases a number of cards per “round” of Bingo (the number of cards is completely up to the individual). Often, the numbers and letters are called out by a caller who randomly chooses ping-pong sized balls with letters and numbers written on them. The Bingo players then mark their cards (each with 25 squares) if they have the number and letter; the mark can be made with special Bingo pens, or with any small object (e.g. a penny or a bingo marker called a dauber). When a person marks his or her card in a complete, straight row (in any direction), he/she calls out “Bingo!” and they have won that round. Sometimes, special games will be played in which the winner does not complete a row, he or she must complete a certain design on the card (e.g., “postage stamp”). This is a social event, but there are specific rules of etiquette that must be followed. Cell phones should not be used at anytime during the game. Conversations among those at a table should never take place during a game, but in between games it’s hard to get a word in edgewise with everyone talking at once.
With new technology, Bingo is also available online. This is played in a similar way to traditional bingo, except that instead of a caller calling out the letters and numbers, there is a random number generator. It can be argued that the social aspect is lost with online bingo; however, there is an extensive chat functionality that brings the players together. As a result, there is a real sense of community among the Bingo players. Additionally, it could be said that there is a more social aspect to online bingo since “chatting” can be done in the middle of a game, whereas in traditional bingo, it is frowned upon.
About the Author
Traditional or Online Bingo, the sense of fun is there, and so is the social aspect.
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