You have heard of the came called Bingo. It would be very difficult to believe you if you said you hadn’t. In fact, it wouldn’t be too out of line to have you checked out to see if you were some kind of alien being in disguise as a human.
Bingo has been around for almost 500 years. It is played all over the world and whether it is being played in a first-grade classroom to practice number recognition or in a local fire hall where folks can take home a decent amount of money if they come up winners, Bingo is a game that can frustrate players one minute while bringing them to victorious excitement the next. All the while, it is a game that brings people together.
Bingo games are the most popular in the world, with over 8% of the world’s population participating today. The game is played everywhere because it has few aspects to it. All you need are the boards with numbers or letters, the chips to put onto those boards should your letter and number be called, and the numbers for the caller to draw and announce.
Over the centuries, this game has been used as a teaching tool in classrooms. It has been used as a fundraiser, where participants must purchase their cards with the money going to a local charity or some type of event. It has also been used in family settings, where families will just play around the kitchen table or in the family room where they congregate for family entertainment on a family game night.
One of the great things about the game of Bingo is the fact that there are over a million different winning combinations on a standard Bingo ticket. This means that it is virtually impossible to not have as good a chance as the next person of having a winning ticket. There really is no special skill involved; you either have your number called or you don’t.
Another beautiful thing about the game is how it is often used as a fundraising event for one thing or another. Americans love to give to charity. We give more to charity than any other nation, and one of the ways we are able to that is to organize events where people can have fun and have a chance to win something themselves along the way. Bingo tournaments can be that kind of fundraising event and it doesn’t take too much at all to get one going.
For many seniors, this is a wonderful way to keep their minds sharp and active. Listening to the call and matching letters and numbers on the board keeps seniors as active as the young people who learn the game in their first few years of school. There is a “brain muscle” that is in use when the game is being played and it is a muscle that constantly requires exercise.
Bingo is literally a game for the ages. It has been played since around the time of William Shakespeare and people, common and otherwise, have never lost their zest for the game. While it tends to be seen in the communities that specialize in senior living, those are not the only places where you can find a quality game with a lot of people playing right along with you.
Bingo is a game that brings people from all walks of life to the same place of anticipation and excitement. The next time you see a sign for Bingo night in your town, why not give it a try?
