FEATURE 1,474,200 winning combinations. Eighty percent of bingo players are women. Ninety-six percent of people who play bingo have won. The average bingo player is 35. Originally, bingo was only played in person, but is now available on smartphone, computer, or tablet. Online bingo really took off in the 2000s because of the game variations offered and chat rooms that made it as social as being in a bingo hall. Plus, most people
Bingo is the game-o
Things you might not know about this old favorite BY RHIANNON BROWNING
B
ingo! It’s the phrase you hope to shout at the top of your lungs before anyone else. The game that keeps you on your toes, but only lasts three to six minutes. A pastime that’s one of the most popular in our country but even more so in the UK. Here are more fun facts about beloved bingo: Bingo dates back to 1530 Italy, where it was called “Il Gioco del Lotto d’Italia,” which means the Italian National Lottery. It wasn’t until the late 1700s that the game became popular first in France, then in Germany and Britain. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that it gained traction in the US. So where did the current name come from? In the early 1920s, Hugh J. Ward created the game in the US, bringing it to carnivals around Western Pennsylvania, standardizing it, and ultimately copyrighting it in 1933. It was later popularized, using Ward’s rules, by Edwin S. Lowe, a toy manufacturer who later introduced Yahtzee. At the time, it was called beano because beans were used to cover the numbers. How it transformed to
bingo is murky, but some accounts say a friend of Lowe’s shouted “bingo” instead of “beano” upon winning; etymologists are unsure if the word already existed as an expression of surprise that was used in the game or if the game spawned the expression of surprise. Either way, the name stuck. Nomenclature specific to the game, i.e. bingo lingo, will make you sound like a regular wherever you go. According to multiple rule books, when a player has one number left, they have a “shot.” A “possible” is the earliest point that a player can win a game, and “jumping the gun” is when someone calls a false bingo. Go to a few games and you’ll be an expert in no time. Got a head for statistics? On a standard bingo card, there are
multitask while playing so you can play while watching a movie, eating lunch, or even at work (shh, we won’t tell). Whether you play once in a while or every day, when you play bingo, you’re taking part in a tradition that traveled the world and shows no sign of stopping. FY Rhiannon Browning is Associate Editor of Forever Young.
Bingo that breaks tradition BY SABRINA KAHWATY Boozy Bingo Becker Farms hosts evening bingo with prizes ranging from a drink chip to a private barrel tasting for up to ten people with head winemaker Andres Vizcarra. A $10 cover charge includes a seat and a drink chip. This popular event is sold out for July, but tickets remain available for August and beyond. Act fast! Becker Farms and Vizcarra Vineyards (3724 Quaker Road, Gasport) beckerfarms.com, 772-2211 Betsy Carmichael’s Bingo Palace Betsy Carmichael, “the First Lady of Bingo,” has dedicated her life to spreading the word of BINGO! From humble beginnings in Buffalo, this interactive night of theater and bingo tours the country while also gracing local venues such as Shea’s Smith Theatre and the Buffalo Zoo. This one-of-a-kind experience includes five games of bingo, prizes, and unlimited laughs. For the latest updates, visit the website to join Betsy’s email list or find her on Facebook. betsybingo.com
Buffalo Music Bingo and Trivia Do you love Name That Tune? This is the game for you. Instead of calling numbers, the host plays snippets of music, and you listen hard for the ones that appear on your bingo card. Each game is genre themed with songs from disco, movies, the Beatles, one-hit wonders, the eighties, and more. All-play smartphone trivia caps off the night. For upcoming dates and more information, email joeldombrowski@gmail.com or visit Facebook/BuffaloMusicBingo. The Barrel Factory (65 Vandalia Street, Old First Ward) buffalohistorytours.com/buffalomusic-bingo, 997-2245 Ten Lives Club Kitty Bingo For $15, participants are entered into nine regular bingo games and, for another $5, can enter the cover-all game. Prizes are cat-related—grand prizes are full-sized cat trees. The event also includes raffles and food. Adoptable cats are available during the event, and proceeds benefit Ten Lives Club. The next Kitty Bingo will be held on October 2, 2022. For more details, visit the website and follow Ten Lives Club on Facebook. Woodlawn Volunteer Fire Hall (3281 Lake Shore Road, Blasdell) tenlivesclub.com, 646-5577
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