Why Bingo Halls Are Still Popular Todayīingo can, in some form, be traced back as far as 1530, when literature vaguely refers to a lottery called Lo Giuoco del Lotto D’Italia.” Roughly translated as “the game of lotto in Italy”, this is the first real sign of bingo – and it was traditionally played on a Sunday.American Carnivals: The Unlikely Birth of Bingo.