The popular game we know today as "Bingo" has gone by many names including "Le Lotto," "Lo Giuoco del Lotto D'Italia," and "Beano." The game can be traced to as early as 1530 in Italy. In Italy it was known as "Lo Giuoco del Lotta D'Italia" which continues to be played every Saturday. The game was introduced to France in the late 18th Century. In France it became known as "Le Lotto" and was played mainly by wealthy Frenchmen. A different version of the game was played in Germany as an educational tool to teach students math, spelling and history.

          Eventually, in 1929, the game made its way to the United States as "Beano." A carnival in Atlanta, Georgia had it as one of the many activities. A toy salesman from New York named Edwin S. Lowe decided to take the game and rename it "Bingo" after someone accidentally shouted that instead of "Beano". He hired Carl Leffler, a math professor from Columbia University, to help him create more and more combinations of bingo cards. In 1930 Leffler had invtened upward of 6,000 bingo cards. Soon after that it's believed he went insane. Later a Catholic priest from Pennsylvania spoke to Lowe about the use of bingo by the churches to raise church funds. Bingo increased in popularity from that point on.