The Game of Bingo

Bingo is a game of chance and is also a form of lottery. Bingo originally came from the game Lo Giuoco del Lotto d'Italia. History has it that when Italy became united in 1530, The National lottery of Italy called Lo Giuoco del Lotto d'Italia was established. Today the Italian National lottery contributes to the Italian government's budget in excess of 75 million dollars annually.

Modern Bingo today has random numbers which are drawn and announced to the contestants. Players have to match the numbers drawn to the cards they are holding. Each card has 5x5 printed matrices. There is a particular pattern which the drawn numbers should follow in order to form out a Bingo!

The first person to form the pattern should shout "Bingo!" to notify others about achieving the winning pattern. Bingo is also considered a gambling game and is legal in other countries. In Australia, United Kingdom and New Zealand, there is a similar game to the Bingo of United States and Canada termed "housie".

The cards in housie contain the pattern, which has a unique number combination and in other nations there is no pattern at all and the win is determined by the winning pattern announced.

In each Bingo game, there is a caller who draws the ball and announces it to everyone participating in the game. The ball drawn or chosen is set aside in a different container for it is not to be selected again. The participants will search for the number called and mark it.

The challenge for the players of Bingo is in searching the number called in the shortest time possible before another number is announced. The caller will then continue to choose and announce the numbers until a player shouts bingo and shows his formed pattern as agreed.

The pattern could be a one liner or two or a full house. Other common patters are called cover-all, blackout and full card which means that the winning pattern should be composed of all the numbers on a player's card. Other patterns include center cross, T, Y, L, postage stamp, four corners, inner square, roving kite and roving square� Amongst others.

It is possible for line patterns to be horizontal, vertical and diagonal, however the kites and the inner and roving squares should be completely filled, moreover the kites and roving squares could be formed anywhere on the player's card.