We may think that bingo is as British as baked beans and marmite, but it is in fact not. It began life in 16th-century Italy as a lottery game that proved to be so popular, the French took it up. That spread to the Germans who loved the game so much, it became part of the educational establishment.

The French developed the game of bingo (or beano) and introduced the first callers. This is far from the lottery it began as several centuries earlier. The Germans took it on and made it so popular that the Americans caught on to the idea.

By that time, 'Beano' as it was known, was played with beans, a rubber stamp and a cardboard sheet. Legend says that Beano became Bingo when someone got confused, excited and probably a little embarassed, and shouted 'Bingo!' when he had won.

By the second world war, Bingo had spread throughout the US and the UK, with bingo halls popping up everywhere. Today, the game, having suffered a knockback in popularity, has become popular again as younger players pick up the dauber online.

So what has brough about this revival? There is no doubt that the online bingo revolution has caught the imagination, with even Vic Reeves dressing up as a woman to advertise online bingo on TV. Nearly half a million players around the world have an online bingo account - and the equal opportunity of winning is something that attracts those put off by more skilled games such as poker.

With secure online billing making it possible for anyone over the age of 18 to play, online bingo is a not a game of skill, but is a high-tech game for everyone. It's come a long way since the days of beans and carboard - and don't show your age by shouting out Beano!

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