Bingo in the Cinema

Bingo in the CinemaBingo in the Cinema USA was featured in a film which was set in the times of the Great Depression called “King of the Bingo Game” and it addresses the alienation felt by black Americans, though the narrative concerns a bingo player desperate to win some money in order to obtain medical care for his lover. It was based on a book of the same title by Ralph Ellison, published in 1944, though the movie was made in 1999.

Learn About Bingo in the Cinema

Bingo has been commonly seen in the movies for a long time and has been featured in many British movies and in particular those black and white grainy films depicting post-war Great Britain in the1950s and early 1960’s. These films were not necessarily about bingo, but the game provided a backdrop to the rest of the story.

Those were times of considerable austerity and ration books, when the working class women wore headscarves, yet ruled their households with an iron fist. The men might have spent too much time down the pub, but woe betides them, should they step too far out of line. These women had survived the war and many had lost husbands and sons to it; daughters too.

When the ban on playing bingo for monetary prizes was lifted at the end of the 1950s it spelled a kind of liberation for these women. Bingo clubs sprung up everywhere; dance halls and cinemas were typical venues. Here was an opportunity for a night out with some friends and the chance to win some serious money in the process.

As the gloomy yet optimistic 1950s gave way to the anarchy of the swinging 1960s, the face of bingo in the cinema changed too.

In 1999 the movie “Bingo the Documentary” by John Jeffcoat was released which features bingo as played in a succession of bingo halls, cruise liners and gay clubs.
“She Toon: City of Bingo” by Craig Collinson is all about bingo in Dundee and tells the story of three bingo players.

In 2007 “Good Bingo” was released. This is about a number of people who have different roles in a small bingo club in Texas.

These are just a sample of the many recent movies that have featured the game and those who play it, though we are still awaiting a movie about the online version of the game. Stay tuned for updates on Bingo in the Cinema.

Electronic Bingo

Electronic BingoElectronic Bingo is another form of bingo and uses computers as opposed to bingo halls and paper gaming cards. Computers are in fact changing the way in which we play bingo online and such a system allows punters to participate in the game from the comfort of their own home or alternatively anywhere with an internet connection.

Over the past few years many players have adopted the portable version of the popular pastime. Other versions that exist include handheld bingo computers and other modern devices that allow players to participate in multiple cards at any one time.

Learn About Electronic Bingo

Electronic bingo devices feature a tracking mechanism; this will result in players never missing a bingo, even if they are playing several cards at one time, meaning that in the long run the participant has more chances of claiming bingo.

Players operating such helpful devices are simply required to listen for the caller to reveal the next number, they must then respond by tapping in the equivalent key on the machine. The computer involuntarily scans the electronic bingo cards in order to see if the number called exists, the device will then mark the number off all gaming cards that house the number called.

It is up to the player however to make the caller aware that he or she has checked off all the numbers on their card by shouting the word BINGO. Once ‘Bingo’ has been declared the current game will come to a standstill, the participant’s card will then be checked and if all the numbers marked match those that have been called then the participant is crowned the winner.

Different types of electronic bingo devices are now available. One of the more advanced devices offers a full colour screen, which is able to display multiple bingo cards at any one time; such a system also comes complete with sound effects. Some handheld devices can hold up to a total of 200 bingo cards per game. However, certain venues may put a limit on the number of cards that can be played at one time.

There are many different types of Electronic Bingo Systems for playing bingo. You can learn more from Bingo Equipment and Bingo Machine suppliers. Stay tuned for updates on Electronic Bingo.