Why Bingo?

As a child, watching some of the adults in my life disappear once a week talking of this game bingo and sometimes coming back excited with plans of spending winning I never really thought about the history of the game, or the benefits beyond possible winning. All I saw was a game I was not allowed to play, and I wanted too. Bingo has roots reaching all the back into 1530 in Italy. It was then popular in some form in France and in Germany it was used in education to help teach children letters and numbers ect.

Beyond being fun, as a child I didn’t also know that bingo was helpful for learning and for those who are adults the game is beneficial in other mental ways. Too often elderly people will stop doing things they enjoy and it is important for them to not do that, they need to keep active. Bingo helped my Grand Mother to keep active.

One of my Grand mothers, my step fathers mother to be exact, was a public school teacher before retirement. She was also a military wife, and later a widow. I spent years watching her and some other adults in my life disappear to go play this game. Finally when I turned 18 they asked if I would like to go with them and I jumped at the chance.

The large pool halls, filled with people and excitement, and also smoke, was some how inviting. Everyone was so nice to me. I was surrounded by much older people who all seemed to want to help me figure things out. I watched as some had an arms width of bingo cards and I couldn’t picture how they kept up with them all. I had three cards, always three as that is the number my grand mother thought I should stick to. She on the other hand had many and she was so fast! There was chatter and drinking and friendship. I understood then why each week she went.

She died years back, the smoking and smoke being the thing the killed her in the end. I am glad so many places are now smoke free so that people can enjoy the game and keep their health. I don’t think she would have changed playing though had she known what it would cost her. It was how she kept busy and I think what gave her hope.

Hope

There is more to Bingo than just a game, it is hope. When one is old I think hope might be hard to come by. The game though caused those I knew who went to bingo halls to have hope. It was wonderful to watch. I think that hope alone has great value and is important.

Not everyone can get out of the house though, and they still need hope. Bingo is no longer a game just for the elderly, specially because of the internet. Now the game brings some form of hope and entertainment to anyone who wants to play and the internet. Ladbrokes offers gaming at another level and popularity with it is growing. I think my grand mother would have enjoyed learning to play bingo online. She was very smart and loved the game as much as she loved books. Books and Bingo where the only things that took her attention away from my little sister whom she dedicated herself to taking care of. When ever Grandma won bingo, little sister got a new toy. It was adorable. I think this is something many grand parents like to do with winnings. I bet some day when I am in my retired years I will be online gaming and trying to win to buy toys for my grand babies too!

I miss you Princess. (What I called grandma)