Bingo

Bingo, game of chance, widely popular in the United States, played with numbered cards and counters by any number of people. The object is to cover a row of numbers with counters before any other player is able to do so. Bingo is derived from lotto, which in turn is based on lottery. In the U.S. it has become a favored means of raising funds for religious and charitable organizations, the sponsoring group taking a percentage of the moneys wagered. The proponents of bingo defend it as a harmless pastime providing entertainment at small cost; its opponents consider it public gambling. The legality of bingo as a commercial game has been put to a vote in some states.

In the basic game (variations exist) each player receives a card with five horizontal rows of numbers ranging from 1 to 75, and a set of counters. Each card has a different arrangement of numbers and contains a center square, usually marked “Free,” on which a player may immediately place a counter. Players pay for their cards, and in some games may buy more than one card.

One player, known as the banker, keeps a set of balls numbered from 1 to 75 and draws them from a machine one by one, calling out the number of each ball drawn. Players with a corresponding number on their cards cover it with a counter. The banker keeps track of the called numbers on a master chart visible to the players. As soon as any player covers a vertical or horizontal row of numbers with counters, the player cries “bingo.” In some games diagonal rows may be played too. The covered numbers are then checked against the master chart to ensure the correctness of the call. Winners receive either the sum total of all wagers or, if the game is commercially run, the total less a percentage for the “house.” If two or more players declare bingo at the same time, prizes are shared equally.