Sarah-Jane White Now I do love a game of bingo! There’s nothing quite like hearing the words “Eyes down, dabbers ready” and hoping for a big win ( well any win will do!) I remember when I used to take my kids out to play bingo on holiday at the seaside. Those are some great memories.
A History of Bingo
Bingo, as we know it today, has a long and somewhat complex history with roots in various forms of lottery-style games and gambling activities. Here’s a brief overview of its origins:
- Italy: The earliest precursor to bingo can be traced back to Italy in the 16th century. A game called “Lo Giuoco del Lotto D’Italia” was similar to modern bingo, where players would purchase cards with numbers on them and try to match them as numbers were drawn randomly.
- France: In the 18th century, a version of the game called “Le Lotto” became popular in France. It was played with cards containing rows and columns of numbers.
- Germany: Bingo, as we know it today, may have also been influenced by a German educational game called “Lotto,” which was used in the 19th century to teach children spelling, math, and history.
- United States: Bingo made its way to the United States in the early 20th century. It was initially known as “beano” because players used beans to mark their numbers. The game gained popularity at carnivals and fairs.
- Edwin S. Lowe: The modern version of bingo was popularised by Edwin S. Lowe, a toy salesman, in the early 1930s. He discovered the game at a carnival and saw its potential. To avoid trademark issues with the name “beano,” he renamed it “bingo” after hearing a player accidentally shout “bingo” instead of “beano” when they won.
Today, bingo is a popular social game played for fun, charity, and, of course it is gambling. It has evolved into various formats, including traditional paper cards, electronic bingo machines, and online bingo games, making it accessible to a wide audience around the world.
Anyway, while it is estimated that the seemingly ever-popular Bingo may have originated from an Italian lottery 500 years ago, the game has since become world-renowned. Its name has changed throughout the decades, as have the ways in which it is played. Nowadays, players listen out for their numbers along with rhyming slang or associated wordplay, so I thought for fun I’d take a look at which potential pets have made their way into these familiar calls.
Ducks
Most bingo players will be familiar with the phrases ‘one little duck’ or ‘two little ducks’. This is due to the likeness of the number’s shape to the water-loving creatures. But ducks actually appear in two more bingo calls – ‘duck and dive’ for 25 and ‘duck and a crutch’ for 27. So if you are interested in hearing these calls in person, you can search for ‘bingo near me‘ to find several options of bingo halls open around the UK. Some locations will have unique calls tailored to local audiences, but it is safe to assume you will hear these duck calls too and not quacks!
Although ducks aren’t the most conventional pets, a quick search on Google shows that there is a growing trend of keeping ducks as pets. There are plenty of these animals around too. Ducks.org estimated in 2022 that in the US there is an estimated duck population of 34 million. This number has decreased by 23% since 2019. While in the UK, there are 22 species of duck, of which mallard has the biggest population, around 140,000.
If you’re considering a duck as a pet, you could be helping to grow the population. In general, ducks are high-maintenance pets. They’ll need to be cleaned regularly, along with their water, which they soil regularly. They are prey animals and unable to fly so you’ll need to set up protection for them. You’ll also have to keep a close eye on their diet. Having said that, if you put in the preparation, it will be worth it when you see some little ducklings waddling around in their coop.
Chicken
Chicken is the second of the three potential pets that you may hear playing bingo in the UK. Called out as ‘chicken vindaloo’ rhyming with 52, the phrase hints at Britain’s rich South Asian heritage which has been growing since emigration in the 1900s from India, as well as Pakistan and other neighbouring countries. So, what do you need to know if you want a chicken as a pet?
First things first, get more than one. 52 might be too many, but you should get as many as you have the space for. You will need to have a pen too, and some garden space. How old your chicken is will influence how comfortable they are around you, the younger you get them the better. In the end, there are many examples of chickens enjoying petting and being around humans so if you take the right precautions you can end up with a loving, household pet.
Snakes
The final entry on the list, snakes can make great pets for those not suffering from ophidiophobia, or even herpetophobia, a fear of all reptiles. They appear in bingo for 55 with the rhyming call of ‘snakes alive’. Needless to say, snakes cannot be domesticated but you can still get safer breeds of pet snakes.
For those with bigger spaces, a boa constrictor could be a good option. They grow up to 10 feet long and are one of the most famous breeds of snake in the world. It is usually a docile breed and easy to take care of so long as you are ready for how big it’s going to grow.
If you are considering entering into the world of reptile ownership, you should start small with something like a lizard, but if you have your heart set on a pet snake then a rat or a corn snake could be the best option. Remember though, if you’d prefer not to have to feed your new addition meat then a snake really isn’t for you.
House!
Bingo is a game enjoyed by thousands throughout the country and if you are really stuck on what your next pet should be then maybe the game can give you a push in one direction or another. Whether it be the first animal called out the next time you play, or whichever animal is first on your bingo card, you might have a new and exciting animal welcomed into your house the next time you play.
Gambling can be addictive. Please play responsibly.
This is a guest post.
