Many of us believe that we have lucky numbers in bingo; it may be our birthday, wedding anniversary, birth of a child or anything else and, as any bingo player will tell you, when playing, online or in a bingo hall it is always fun to look for bingo tickets that feature these numbers.
Those examples of lucky numbers are all personal. However, very often, lucky numbers are cultural and whether you are superstitious or not, it is a subject that is absolutely fascinating. Furthermore, if you are planning to play bingo while on your holidays, they are numbers that you should definitely be aware of.
While the average British bingo player may think of the number 8 as “garden gate”, in China it is considered the luckiest of all numbers. If you happen to be a Mandarin speaker, then you will know that the pronunciation of the number is very similar to the word for “fortune”, which is why Chinese gamblers always keep an eye out for it. Sports fans will remember than at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the games began at eight minutes past eight on the eighth of August, and it seemed to work for the host country as China won the most gold medals that year.
For those in UK number 4 is simply a “knock at the door”; however, in Germany, it is a very lucky number. Unfortunately, the origins of the belief are unknown. However, Juergen Buchsteiner, a 17th-century German scholar, included it in his study of German superstitions, so it has been part of the culture for a very long time. Germany is not often thought of as a superstitious country; however, you will often see Germans wearing the number four somewhere about their person. It is also the reason why four-leaf clovers are often found incorporated into decorations in the country.
The number 7 is considered lucky across the western world (explaining why its bingo call is simply “lucky”). However, nowhere is it considered luckier than in Malta. There are many theories as to why. One is that Christianity has long been a central part of the country’s culture and therefore, the belief that the world was created in 7 days is commonplace. If you visit Malta, which today is a true focal point of the online gambling industry, then you can’t help but notice the 7s engraved into churches, monuments, and doorways.
It’s understandable if you hear the number 3 and think “cup of tea”; however, in Sweden the number has very different associations. The phrase “all good things come in threes” is Swedish in origin and comes from an old superstition that three is the number of peace, fortune and stability. Many Swedes today will tell you that they associate the number three with perfection and harmony and this is even evident in the country’s architecture, which often has structures based around groups of three.
It is not just Malta where 7 is a lucky number, the same is true of Japan. However, while in Malta the belief comes from Christianity, in Japan it is linked to Buddhism. Buddhists believe that there are “seven factors to awakening”, often referred to as the “seven steps towards enlightenment”. Some people in Japan also believe that there are seven gods of fortune and good luck. It is because of this that you often see the number 7 on Japanese scratch cards and lottery tickets. Furthermore, 7th July (7/7) is one of the most important public holidays in Japan, Tanabata (Star Festival).
Russians are well known for being superstitious and many of their superstitions are related to numbers. A very common belief is that even numbers are unlucky and odd numbers are lucky. If you ever buy a Russian a bunch of flowers, make sure that there is an odd number of flowers in the bouquet; an even number of flowers is only brought to funerals!
Every country and culture has its beliefs and very often, they will include a lucky number. It is up to you whether you believe them or not. However, next time you play online bingo, just remember that there is a very good chance that each number on your card is considered lucky somewhere in the world and there is no reason why you can’t capitalise on that luck.
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