National Bingo Day Date in the current year: June 27, 2024

Bingo is a game of chance where a person named a caller calls out randomly drawn numbers, and players search for these numbers in their cards (tickets) and mark them off. The first person to mark off all the numbers required to win shouts “Bingo!” to attract the caller’s attention and alert other participants they’re the winner.

Bingo can be a form of gambling, in which case it is regulated by applicable legislation, or a recreational activity. There are two main versions of bingo: British (90-ball) bingo and American (75-ball) bingo. Although the basic principles of the two versions are the same, the cards/tickets and the calling process are slightly different.

The history of bingo dates back to the 16th century. The earliest known game that can be called the predecessor of modern bingo was an Italian lottery-type game named Il Gioco del Lotto d’Italia. It was popular among all social classes as a fun and affordable form of gambling.

From Italy, the game made its way to other European countries, for example, France, Germany and Great Britain. The German version of the game, named Tombola, was also used for educational purposes to teach children spelling, multiplication tables, and other things.

The origins of the game of bingo as we know it today are unclear. However, it is known that the game became popular at fairs and carnivals in the 1920s. The creation of the standardized version of the game that was played at carnivals in Pennsylvania is attributed to Hugh J. Ward. Back then, players would shout “beano” instead of “bingo” to attract the caller’s attention.

In 1929, salesman and toymaker Edwin S. Lowe came across the game while attending a traveling carnival near Atlanta, Georgia. Upon returning home to New York, he tried playing the game with several friends. One of Lowe’s friends was so excited at winning that she shouted “Bingo!” instead of “Beano!”, and that’s what the name of the game has been ever since. Soon Lowe started to print and sell bingo card sets; he even patented them in 1942.

National Bingo Day is believed to have originated in the United States, but no one really knows who and when invented it and why the date of June 27 was chosen for the holiday. Of course, this didn’t prevent bingo enthusiasts from celebrating their favorite game. Over the years some bingo operators in the UK picked up the celebration and began to run special events on the occasion. Finally, in 2021 National Bingo Day was formally recognized in the United Kingdom and even got its own website.

The best way to celebrate National Bingo Day is, of course, to play some bingo. Since almost everything is digital these days, you can play it on your phone or online, but if you’re feeling adventurous, you can find an offline bingo event near you and maybe even make some new friends there.