Bingo beginning.In the US in the late 1920`s. A travelling toy salesman re-invented the game of bingo for the American market and called it Beano, like our much loved comic with Biffo the Bear.
Such was the popularity of the game it took the country by storm. In Illinois on one night in 1936 a baseball stadium was used as a venue for the first ever super game of Bingo.
Over 42,000 people turned up to play on the night, unfortunately the stadium was only built to hold 25,000 people and 17,000 people had to be turned away at the door. There were incredible bingo games prizes on offer from Brand new cars, unbelievable around the world adventures, your mortgage paid for life, mobile homes even new homes and the top cash prize that night was more than $500,000. Beano held its popularity in the US until the mid seventies where it fell out of favour and was replaced with something more popular like the state lottery or the new scratch cards that were now being promoted.
There are now no more large venues for bingo games or beano in the states as the game has now settled down to become the game of choice for many social groups and used keep the minds active of the retired in the many retirement complexes and homes now widespread throughout the US.