Alright, it’s been some time since I said my first hello and I have been wondering how to begin. First steps are always a struggle…although…in the animal kingdom it’s not always the case. I guess there’s the downside of having a more advanced brain, you need some time to work it all out. Just imagine babies being able to use their limbs properly and run around from day one…dear…the mess that would be! Let’s not digress. So yes, it seemed logical to start with the typical childish (I’ just on a roll today!) question – Why? Why do so many people enjoy bingo and is that really a good thing.

I looked into the history of the game. Without boring you with too much detail, let’s just jot down the most important events and get to the interesting stuff. It all started back in 1530 in Italy as Lotto d’Italia. Being simple, relaxing and fun game, it easily and quickly spread across Europe and was even used in educating children (there I go again!), making the learning experience lighter and more memorable. In 1778 the French developed Le Lotto, which is the origin of the modern five by five bingo card. When the game got to America, they were playing it with dried beans and calling the game “Beano”, which somehow (in a typically American fashion imho) in time they changed to “Bingo”.

Now what’s more interesting, the up sides of playing bingo apparently go far beyond just filling in time and making some cash. In a study by the Case Western Reserve University, researches found out that the game has benefits that extend well beyond socializing, especially for people with cognitive difficulties and visual perception problems. Another finding was that bingo players display faster hand and eye reflexes and are more accurate for longer into old age, since playing bingo regularly requires quick responses and keeps their brain alert.

Another expert in their field – Julie Winstone, of Southampton University, says players are faster and more accurate than non-bingo players.This all seems logical since, as I said above, playing requires and develops the ability to scan for information and memorise things quickly. „Concentration has been shown to decline with age so bingo could be helping older people sustain their attention for longer.”, she shared in an interview with the Guardian. So clearly, there is evidence that we, bingo lovers, are not a bunch of crazy old people, we are just on our way to becoming crazy old people. No, I am kidding. I have actually done my homework and the game is on the rise, especially over the past 2015, with younger and younger audiences being attracted to it, and the age gap of average bingo players age dropping to 25-30 yo. I did even come across some house party bingo nights whilst doing my research, but I think I might pass on that particular one.

There we go, first post done and over, I hope you had a good time reading it, do let me know if you have something to add or just say hi for no reason, I’d be glad to hear from you. Enjoy your day and hope to see you back soon!

Hello everyone and first of all – thank you for reading this now. My name is Jannie Verhoof and I am presently living in the lovely region of France, that you all, I am sure, associate with wine. Yes, Bordeaux it is. I have been in love with bingo for many many years now and with my retirement recently (…alright, not so recently) have had a lot of spare time on my hands. Drinking wine, long walks in the countryside (more known as province here), touring the „chateau“s – this is all very pleasant but at some point I realised it is not enough to keep me entertained. So what better solution than to take that little step further and make my hobby into something a bit more than just that?

When my son dragged me in front of the PC for the first time some years ago, I confess to pulling my hair out trying to work it all out and getting all nostalgic about hand-written mail and in-person communication. Now, especially being abroad and traveling more, I appreciate technology much better and it is thanks to that (and some crazy conversations over a few bottles of wine with friends), after some help from very friendly younger lad in setting up this website, here we are.

This will be my personal journey, that you are welcome to join me in, through everything my favourite game has to offer to me and the likes of me (yes, we are not old, we are all 20 with a lot of years of experience on top…ahm), whatever I find that is new, useful and fun – I will put it all here. I cannot commit to regular posts as I am new to this and in all honesty – this is just for fun, I would hate for it to turn into some laborious task, so if you find some pleasure in reading me, do check this space often to make sure you don’t miss a thing. Thank you again for reading this and let’s get cracking!