Bingo is a popular game of chance using cards with a grid of numbers, a row of five which constitutes a win. The numbers are chosen at random until a player makes a line, which is also called a bingo. Bingo is one of the most popular forms of low-priced gambling in the world.
To play bingo each player purchases one or more cards divided into numbered and blank squares. Randomly chosen numbers, usually from a pool of up to 75 or 90, are called out by a banker. The first player to achieve a line in which all of the numbers have been called shouts bingo or house and collects the entire stake money, usually minus a small, specified percentage. In another popular variation, the central square on the card is free, and the first player on whose card five of the called numbers appear in a rowvertically, horizontally, or diagonallyis the winner. The prize may amount to thousands of dollars. Bingo is legal in the far majority of U.S. states that prohibit other forms of gambling, and is even associated with church fundraisers.
The earliest form of bingo was first recorded in 1778. The original American form, called keno, kino, or po-keno (depending on location),...