Bingo is ingrained in American popular culture. It’s also become one of the fastest-growing online casino games thanks to new games such as Slingo online and a host of other exciting innovations. 

People of all ages love getting together to play bingo. It creates a great sense of community and because it’s super easy to play, its popularity has soared. If you can count and mark a card, you’re set! Since the numbers are picked at random, every player has an equal chance to win – which leaves us with the haunting (or is it daunting?) question: Is there any way for someone or something to influence a bingo game?

Gamblers the world over believe in superstitions and people who play bingo are no exception. No matter whether they play in a land-based venue or at an online casino, many players believe that there is something they can do to influence their luck. It could be lucky charms, lucky numbers or even lucky chairs. 

It’s scientifically proven that people who believe in good luck are more optimistic, more satisfied and better tempered. That’s bound to improve a player’s gaming experience. We surveyed the most popular and weird superstitions in bingo out there and this is what we found.

Bingo Good Luck Charms

The belief that some objects have the power to attract good luck dates back to the origins of humanity. That’s why it attracts very little attention when a player puts their lucky bingo charm on the table. And it’s likely they won’t be the only ones. In fact, nearly half of bingo fans, including those who only play online, confess to a belief in lucky charms. 

Coins and Leaves

Many bingo players believe that finding money is a positive omen, which is why spotting a penny charm on someone’s bingo card should not come as a surprise. However, finding a four-leaf clover would be even luckier. 

In Ireland, the clover is the national plant and its three sections are symbolic of hope, faith and love. An additional leaf is deemed to enhance good fortune. The possibility of discovering an actual four-leaf clover has been estimated to be between 1 in 5,000 and 1 in 10,000 – so it should come as no surprise that many bingo players bingo believe they can summon the “luck of the Irish.”

Horseshoes

One of the more popular bingo good luck charms is the horseshoe, an icon associated with good fortune throughout the world. Players accessorize horseshoes as jewelry and keyrings and sometimes place them on a wall or above their front door in the hope of getting lucky in their online casino games. 

The fascinating tale behind this well-known symbol originated from the legend of St. Dunstan. According to this legend, St. Dunstan was once a blacksmith who was approached by the devil to shoe his horse. But St. Dunstan outwitted the devil by fitting the horseshoe onto the devil’s foot instead of the horse’s. The devil begged St. Dunstan to remove it and St. Dunstan agreed, making the devil promise never to enter a house that had a horseshoe on its door.

Personal Charms

Rather than relying on traditional lucky charms, bingo players often have their own preferred and personal lucky charms. Popular choices include toys such as Trolls, Care Bears, My Pretty Ponies and even stuffed animals. These items frequently evoke positive memories and create a warm and comforting atmosphere for the player. 

Another player may consider a specific marker to be lucky because it brought them success in the past. They may even believe that certain colors impact their chances of winning. 

Family photographs and inherited items are also commonly used as bingo lucky charms. In addition, lucky charms from other cultures, such as the Maneki Neko (a beckoning cat from Japan,) can be found outside restaurants, businesses and even inside bingo halls.

Numbers That Bring Good or Bad Fortune

Bingo superstitions aren’t limited to good luck charms. Many players also believe in the power of lucky numbers. These numbers often represent dates of important personal events, such as birthdays and anniversaries, among others. Lucky numbers are traditional in many cultures, with the number seven being considered the luckiest number in the world. 

Eight is considered lucky in China and Japan and don’t forget that “good things come in threes.” Some people choose the number of their childhood house or the number of pets they’ve had. 

Yet others resort to numerology and horoscopes and there are always lucky number generators on the internet. If a bingo player wins a jackpot, chances are that the winning numbers will make it onto the “lucky list.” Bingo players will often go to great lengths to lay hands on a bingo card with their favorite numbers. They will even swap cards with other players. 

Unlucky numbers are also a thing. According to the famous bingo call, the number 13 is deemed “unlucky for some” while in Japan the number four is believed to bring bad luck because of its association with death (the Japanese word for “four” is “shi,” which is pronounced the same as the word for “death”). 

Of course, there’s no way that any “lucky numbers” are going to influence the outcome of a randomly determined game. That said, a wise tactic is to spread your numbers by buying multiple cards and make them as different as possible to cover the widest range of numbers possible. The more numbers you have, the better the chance that some of them will be called.

Lucky Seats, Lucky Clothes, Lucky People

Other bingo superstitions you may encounter have to do with the player’s environment and probably the most common of these is the belief in lucky seats.

People who play in bingo venues tend to develop habits over the years, so they’ll often play in the same seat. If a player wins big in a particular seat, they may very well be reluctant to sit in another, just in case Lady Luck returns. It can be a problem, though, when a new player arrives and sits in somebody else’s lucky seat!  

This doesn’t really apply to online casino bingo. That said, it is important to sit comfortably when you’re playing online casino games of any description and if your gaming chair helps you relax and play your best game, it might turn out to be your lucky seat after all.

A good many bingo players have a particular item of clothing that functions as a lucky charm, such as lucky jackets, hats, scarves, socks and many more. It doesn’t really matter, provided that wearing the item makes the player feel optimistic. 

Reasons for this could be anything ranging from sentimental value to individual theories about color. Outfits could also be an attempt to tune into the energies of a particular date, such as St Patrick’s Day. If you have a four-leaf clover, you may as well double down and wear green. Bingo players have been known to wear the same outfits every time they play in the belief that this will bring them good fortune. Once again, it comes down to what makes you feel optimistic and comfortable, whether you’re playing at a bingo hall or an online casino in the USA.

A third belief that’s often overlooked is the concept of “lucky roomies.” This is the idea that other people can also be bingo lucky charms! When friends play together, cheer each other on, swap cards and pledge to share jackpots, a sense of collective good fortune can develop. If this is accompanied by wins, the group may well feel superstitious about playing with any other people.

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