Best Sites for Online Bingo in the USA

If you've ever been to a church fundraiser, attended school, or watched TV, then you're probably familiar with Bingo. In other words, it's an immensely popular game enjoyed by millions of people in the United States each year. In fact, you've probably played it in one form or another on multiple occasions. If you want to find information on online bingo in the USA and need help locating the best sites to play at, we've got you covered.

How Did Bingo Begin?

Bingo's predecessor was making its debut about 200 years before America declared her independence (God bless her). In the mid 16th century, Italy began a state-run lottery on Saturday nights, which continues to this day, BTW. The format was just about what you are familiar with, although the caller used wooden chips and a sack in place of plastic balls and a blower. It took more than two hundred years, but the game eventually caught on across Europe. The French modified the playing card to a 9-column horizontal by 3-row vertical layout, using numbers 1-90. In the early 1900s, a circus employee was traveling through Germany, saw how popular the game was, and intuitively realized that this would make an excellent carnival game. The carny then brought the game, called "Beano," to the land of the free and the home of the brave. The carnival game was adapted to have five rows and five columns using 75 numbers. When a toy store owner named Edwin Lowe saw the game being played at a Georgia carnival, he knew that he had a hot ticket item on his hands and marketed the game as "Lowe's Bingo."

Some Fun Online Bingo USA Facts?

Here are some fun facts that you can share in the chatbox next time you find yourself playing a game online. Otherwise, these tidbits will be useful whenever you find yourself in a situation where some random trivia is needed.

• Education - Did you know that Bingo is used for educational purposes? It has been used in various forms to teach basic numbers, shapes, animals, and even multiplication.
• Saving Grace - Bingo saved Edwin Lowe's career (the guy who popularized the game in America). Mr. Lowe was a toy store owner but was on the brink of financial ruin when he stumbled, quite fortuitously, upon the game. This chance discovery turned his business around and made the game as popular as it is today.
• Fundraisers - Soon after Lowe started producing the game, a church and a Knights of Columbus Hall were each saved by financial ruin themselves when they used Bingo as a fundraiser. The rest, as they say, is history.
• Name Change - Beano, the game that made its way across the Atlantic, was so called because players used beans to cover the numbers as they were called out. According to Lowe, he got the idea for renaming and patenting the game as Bingo when one of his product testers shouted out "Bingo" instead of "Beano" when she won.

How to Choose the Best Bingo Site?

First, always make sure the sites you play at are legit. While some websites may be operating legally in their jurisdiction, make sure you are allowed to access them from your location. If the state government approves an online bingo site in the USA and you happen to live in that state, then you are good to go. Otherwise, look for offshore casinos that are in line with their local laws and are permitted to admit players from the US. Next, choose a website that has good graphics and a decent variety of games to play. Then, if you're the mobile type, make sure the casino has compatibility with your devices. Finally, compare bonuses among the sites you visit to make the best decision.

Typical Bonuses for New and Existing Players*

Speaking of bonuses, here's a list of promotions that you might come across:

• No Deposits - Look for bingo sites that will give you free credit just for signing up. Wagering requirements will apply.
• Match Deposits - Even if you aren't a new player, some sites will periodically offer match deposit deals, meaning that whatever you put down will be multiplied, sometimes two or three times, and then added to your deposit. Minimums and maximums apply.
• Bonus Rewards - Some games might offer free cards or complimentary games just for playing. You should especially look for these rewards when websites add new versions.

Now that you are armed with the history and some random trivia as well as what to look out for in an online bingo site in the USA, you are on your way to finding the site that works best for you. Not to mention, you'll be ready to have some fun and win some Bingo! Don't worry, even though you're playing at home, you're still allowed to shout it.