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Bingo Rules and How to Play Bingo

UK Bingo – 90 Ball Bingo

In the UK, the traditional bingo game is 90 ball bingo. The game is oplayed on bingo tickets that consist of a total of 15 numbers made up of three horizontal lines of 5 numbers. The first column has numbers from 1-9, the second has numbers from 10-19 and so on, until the final column which can have the numbers 80-90. Traditionally in UK bingo halls, you would buy a large book containing 6 tickets that would be played simultaneously. In this way, you would know that you would have to mark off one number on every call, as all the numbers on the tickets are mutually exclusive ( the six tickets contain all the numbers 1-90 once and only once).

Winning Bingo tickets are awarded for the first player to complete one horzontal line, sometimes two lines and a Full House – also called a coverall.

American Bingo – 75 Ball Bingo

In America, the bingo played is traditionally 75 ball. This game uses a five by five square of numbers, subdivided by the letters B, I, N, G and O across the top. B is used for numbers 1-15, I for 16-30, N for 31-45, G for 46-60 and O for 61-75. The centre square of the card is marked “Free Play”, and does not need to be called. Each remaining space on the card is randomly filled with numbers, according to the B-I-N-G-O layout. The bingo ticket in America is referred to as a Bingo Card.

In order to win, the players must complete a pre-defined shape at the start of the game. This might be a large X, a horizontal line, a “picture frame” (all the numbers around the edge), or a coverall -  also known as Blackout of a Full House, where the players must be the first to daub all numbers to win

How To Play Bingo

When a number is called, it needs to be marked off on your bingo ticket / bingo card. When playing in an actual bingo hall, the number is marked off using a transparent felt tip pen, known as a dauber. This shows that the number has been called, but it allows the  number to still be seen by the checker – if the number were completely obscured, the checker would not be able to verify that your number had been called.

Of course, if you are playing online, you have the option to automatically daub your numbers as they are called, and most online bingo players take advantage of this option. It means that you will never miss a number! The same applies to if you complete the game first – in online bingo you can automatically call bingo when you win. In other words, the software itself will stop the game and announce that you have won, or if you are playing bingo in a chat room, it will shout out “Bingo”. This avoids the problem of playing bingo in a bingo hall, where you might not shout “Bingo!” or “House” or “Here!” loudly enough to be heard, and so miss the jackpot!

When you win a game of bingo online, winnings are automatically deposited into your account. In a bingo hall, you might receive the cash in an envelope.