Bingo, particularly online bingo, is extremely popular in Nigeria. The country boasts several land-based casinos and allows access to online casino venues for those who prefer virtual gaming.

This article will present the history and origins of bingo before exploring the relationship that Nigerians have with the game. This article will also discuss current gambling laws within the country and the types of bingo played by locals.

The origins of bingo

Bingo is a game of luck usually played in casinos and other gambling venues. It is believed to have been created in Italy during the course of the 16th century.

Back then, bingo was known as “Il Gioco del Lotto d’Italia”. The game was then brought to France where it was shortened to “Le Lotto”.

Legend has it that the game was brought to France by King Francis I of France himself.

Soon, the game spread to other countries over the following decades. It reached Great Britain in the 18th century.

Bingo was most likely introduced in Nigeria by the British when they colonized the country from the mid-nineteenth century up until 1960. 

When the game was first created, it was played by the aristocracy. Nowadays, bingo is an accessible game, played by individuals of different social classes.

But how exactly does bingo work? What are the rules of the game?

The game of bingo 

As mentioned before, bingo is a game of luck that has evolved over the centuries and has travelled from country to country. Because of this, there are now many different versions of bingo.

The rules of bingo will therefore vary depending on the version of the game. However, the most popular versions of bingo remain British Bingo and American Bingo.

This article will present the rules of these two bingo variants.

In the British version of bingo, players receive a bingo ticket with 27 spaces on it. These spaces are placed on nine columns and three rows.

Within these spaces, there will be some numbers. These numbers are randomly distributed and will range from 1 to 90.

The game of bingo will include a caller or someone who will randomly draw a number and announce it to the players. If a player finds the number on their ticket, they need to cross it off.

The winner will be the first player to cross off all of the numbers in one of the game’s winning combinations.

In the American version of bingo, players receive a bingo ticket with 25 spaces instead of 27. The numbers in these spaces will range from 1 to 75 instead of 1 to 90.

Similarly to the British version, a caller will draw a random number and call it out. Players will need to cross off the number if they find it on their ticket.

Just like the British bingo version, the winner will be the first player to cross off all of the called-out numbers in one of the game’s winning combinations.

Bingo players usually learn bingo lingo or famous bingo expressions before playing bingo. This might not be necessary, but it might be useful during a bingo game.

The reason behind this practice is that callers sometimes use bingo lingo to call out numbers. For example, they might say “legs eleven” which means that the number being called is an “11”.

Players should note that there are other bingo lingo expressions just as there are other versions of bingo. Players should check which bingo version they will be playing before starting a game.

Bingo in Nigeria

Gambling regulations differ across the world.

Since 2005, land-based gambling and online gambling have been legal in Nigeria. Lottery games, like bingo, are permitted within the country.

Although gambling is legal, illegal gambling venues are not allowed.

Players interested in gambling at a land-based or online venue should make sure that the venues they want to visit are licensed and legal gambling spaces.

Legal gambling venues in Nigeria will have received a licence from the National Lottery Regulatory Commission.

Thanks to these laws and the legal status of gambling in Nigeria, bingo is a flourishing and prosperous game within the country. Players now have access to quality venues and bingo games.

The legal status of gambling also guarantees a safer and more secure gaming experience to all players. 

In terms of land-based bingo gaming versus online bingo gaming, it appears that Nigerians prefer online bingo gaming. Online bingo gaming is more convenient, accessible and faster than playing in a land-based casino venue.

It is also more reassuring for some Nigerian players to play online because of the unclear gambling laws in Nigeria. Although lottery games are legal in Nigeria, it is unclear as to whether bingo is officially recognised as a lottery game by the state.

For those who fear that bingo might technically be illegal, playing online appears to be a safer option.

Statistics on the performance of the global casino and online gambling industry reveal that the market is performing very well and is expected to reach a value of 261.8 billion U.S. dollars by the end of the year.

Final thoughts

This article discussed the origins and history of bingo in Nigeria and the rest of the world. It also presented the current gambling laws in the country and the place that bingo occupies in the local gambling scene.

Bingo is very popular in Nigeria with many players choosing to play bingo online due to unclear and inexplicit gambling laws.