In the early days of bingo, the casino game was played with the numbers written on discs that were drawn out of a cigar box and the players marking the numbers on the cards by covering the numbers with beans.  As time went on, the beans were replaced by cardboard chips.

Shutter cards came into being with the numbers being on cardboard cards with sliding plastic or metal shutters over the numbers.  The player no longer needed the beans since the shutter fulfilled the function.  This led to the use of colorful plastic chips that eventually were laced with metal so they could be removed from the table by the use of magnetic wands.

Today, the use of chips and cards can be avoided by using hand-held electronic units that function like the software at online bingo establishments.  The software auto-daubs the numbers and displays the cards that are closest to scoring a bingo. When a bingo is achieved, the software signals the bingo and the player’s account is credited with the amount of the prize.  The hand-held unit used at many commercial bingo establishments results in the player being paid the prize amount.

Bingo can also be played on a mobile phone unit now.  The software comes from the player’s own bingo online establishment or the player must join a mobile casino or mobile bingo hall. This allows the player to play bingo almost anywhere in the world by simply dialing the proper number and logging on to her account.  The different media enhance the popularity of the game.