Bingo (U.S.) stamp, and cardboard sheets. Lowe took the game to New York where friends liked playing it. The Lowe-produced Bingo game had two versions, a 12-card set for $1.00 and a $2.00 set with 24 cards. By the 1940s there were Bingo games throughout the US. The origin of the name "Bingo" is unknown but may date to the middle 1920s. There are claims that one of Lowe's friends was so excited to have won that she yelled out "Bingo" instead of "Beano," or that the word echoes the sound of a bell. In the US, the game is primarily staged
National Bingo Game and the National Prize is presently in the region of £5,000–25,000, depending upon the day of the week and session played, plus the Jackpot Prize – see § New Game. Many players prefer to purchase a strip of six tickets, as this guarantees that all numbers 1–90 appear on the strip, so the players know that they will be marking the strip each and every time a number is called. Technology has improved since the game began in 1986 and currently ADSL secure internet connection is used to collect and distribute data. The National Bingo Game has been in operation