The origins of bingo date back over 500 years, with the concept of the game coming from a traditional Italian lottery before it was redeveloped in France into a version similar to what is played around the world today. In the UK alone, there are over three million visitors to bingo halls each year and 100 million games of live and online bingo played globally, while here in the United States the bingo market size is estimated to be worth two billion dollars. 

Over the last few decades new versions of bingo have been developed to shake things up and keep players interested in the game, with one example being the Slingo bingo game. Slingo has a number of different features to the traditional game and is a popular choice for many online players.

The way bingo is played has changed over the years thanks to technology…

Bingo was traditionally played in bingo halls or at social events such as charity fundraisers. It also became a highly popular form of entertainment for US troops and the UK army during the first and second world wars, helping to distract and socialize them during this different period in history.

Bingo is a simple and universal game, all that is required to play is printed cards with randomized lines of numbers, markers and a number generator. There are no complex rules or strategies to learn like there are in other forms of gambling such as poker. 

This is part of what makes the game so popular with such large audiences, its simplicity makes it the ideal game for social occasions. Winning prizes is all part of the entertainment, cash is one of the most common prizes, but other prizes can include vouchers, hampers, tokens and even entire holidays.

While traditional bingo was played in-person, ever since the world wide web became widely available in the 1990s, people have been able to enjoy the game online. The first bingo sites had fairly basic features and didn’t really compare to the real thing, however thanks to some great technological innovations online bingo is now the ideal way to take part in the fun from the comfort of your own home.

Technology innovations and the internet helped with the growth of online bingo.

Online bingo can be played on laptop and desktops or on most mobile phones through either the web browser or smartphone apps. These games have vibrant graphics and up-beat audio to create the same excitement as an in-person bingo event, along with live chat rooms to replicate the social experiences players have with one another during gameplay.

Player demographics have also changed. While many traditional bingo players were from the older generation, online games are played by adults of all ages. 

Technological innovations have lead to the creation hybrid bingo games

Slingo bingo is a relatively new version of the game and is becoming increasingly popular online. Both games use a random selection of numbers and can be played on a 5 x 5, however there are a few differences between this variant and the original game. 

Slingo is a hybrid between the popular game slots and traditional bingo. The player must spin the reels below their bingo grid and they can mark numbers off the grid if they appear on the reel.

They are given a set number of times that they can spin the reel and there are a number of bonus symbols that can improve their chances of winning or provide boosted winnings or bonuses.

Depending on what site you are playing Slingo on, some symbols that you may come across include the joker, which allows you to pick any unmarked number in the row or the super joker, which is the same but can be used for any number. There are also the devil symbols that block a number and the cherub that undoes the devil’s effect.

Some slingo games include symbols such as the joker.

Where did the Slingo game come from?

Slingo was developed in New Jersey in 1994 by Sal Falciglia, a high roller with a love of gambling. It is said that Falciglia had been searching for a way of combining his two favorite games for a while and one night he finally dreamed up his ideal creation. 

The next day he had a five reel vintage slot machine delivered to his doorstep and set about building the first prototype of the game. After a few tweaks, he finally came up with Slingo and the game eventually made its way onto the internet for slots and bingo fans around the world to enjoy.

The Slingo variant is responsible for drawing in many new players, particularly those in the younger demographic. While younger players may not think bingo is for them, by combining it with slots it becomes something new and exciting.

Slingo is just one example of a game variant that has been created to keep a well-loved game alive and interesting to both new and existing players. Game developers continue to harness new technology to innovate new games and adapt traditional ones like bingo.