Bingo Online Bonuses
When you play bingo online, you most likely want to maximise your bingo profit, or at least get the most out playing time out of your deposit. All the bonus information is easily found near each online Bingo room or casino. Once you start playing, you will soon find you can use these bonuses to your advantage as you can sometimes receive a second or even a third deposit bonus. This way eager newbies as well as loyal players receive a small bankroll boost. So why not take advantage of the free money handed out by these sites while you play bingo online?
Bingo Online Rules
Bingo rules are extremely straightforward. First, you purchase a bingo card, or a few bingo cards if you want to have more chances or even a full strip of cards. If you buy a full strip of bingo cards, it would contain all numbers on them so you can also try to win the jackpot.
The most common card is a 5x5 grid used in 75-ball bingo played mainly in the US, which will have the word BINGO written at the top. The first column will have numbers between 1 and 15 under the ‘B’. The second column will show the numbers between 16 and 30 under the ‘I’. The third column will have numbers between 31 and 45 under the ‘N’. The fourth column under ‘G’ will have numbers from 46 to 60, and the last column under ‘O’ will have numbers 61 to 75. There is also free space in the middle of the grid.
In a live hall, a bingo caller will call out numbers. In an online casino the number will appear and you can either mark the card yourself, or it can be marked automatically. You need to mark off any number called out that also appears on your card. You win when you are the first to have five numbers marked off in a row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, or in a winning pattern pre-determined by the casino.
Bingo Online Game Variations
Bingo sites offer a variety of different games. You can play 75-ball, 80-ball, 90-ball or 30-ball bingo. The games also vary when it comes to the patterns you have to make, ball speed and card prices.
90-ball bingo
This variant originated in the UK, and then became the main form of bingo played in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The numbers are arranged on the bingo card in three rows and nine columns. Each row has five squares with numbers on them and four blank squares. The numbers are placed in random order on the card, instead of having a range of numbers in one column like in 75-ball bingo, which means you will need to focus a little bit more to quickly find the number on the card as it can be anywhere.
A 90-ball bingo strip consists of 6 bingo cards which contain all numbers from 1-90 spread across all 6 cards. There are different kinds of wins in this variation, for example, you can win a prize if you daub all numbers in a row, another prize for daubing 10 numbers in a row, and another for all 15 in a row.
80-ball bingo
This is the middle ground between the smaller 75 ball bingo and the larger 90 ball bingo. This version has a card with 16 squares on it, four down and four across. Each column has a different color to help you find where the numbers are on the card.
A bingo strip will have 5 individual cards, with every number possible between 1 and 80 within the five cards. The strips may vary from casino to casino, they could be four columns with 20 numbers in each column or 5 rows with 16 numbers in each row. However, they both have numbers 1-80 on the strip. The winning pattern is determined by the casino itself, so check if this is a regular line, three lines, or another pattern.
30-ball bingo
This is an extraordinarily fast version of bingo, also commonly known as ‘speed bingo’, and a great option for those who don’t want the game to drag on. The bingo card is very small with only three columns and three rows – 9 squares in total. 30 numbers will be called throughout the game, but unlike other bingo games in the majority of casinos you can only win with a full-house card, meaning every one of your square needs to be marked off.
Bingo Online Strategy
You won’t be able to predict the numbers that will be called out as this is done randomly in the hall and online, and you don’t need to practice many times to hone your skills to become a bingo pro, however there are some tricks you can have up your sleeve to help increase your odds of having a winning pattern. For example, the more cards you buy, the higher the likelihood of having a card with a winning number pattern. You can also choose to play at less popular times to reduce the competition, and when you are playing online you can find out about more prizes to win through the chat function.
Bingo Money Management
It’s easy to go a bit crazy when playing bingo online as it’s so easy and all you need to do is buy the card – when you play online it’s all too tempting to buy a crazy amount of bingo cards and let the computer do all the daubing for you until you win. We don’t want you to go broke playing a game that’s meant to be fun,
Online Bingo Patterns
Online Bingo games offer several different ways to win. There are standard patterns such as vertical, diagonal and horizontal, and more complex ones like Blackout Bingo (also called a full house) where you have to cover all the spots on your bingo card. There are also unusual patterns such as four corners, the plus sign, pumpkins, turkeys, and so on. It almost seems like the bingo sites on the internet are competing about who can get most creative. A player can win two prizes in the same game by having two winning patterns. If you have bingo tickets, then there are also patterns which cut across all the cards in the ticket making the game pretty exciting as you can win a lot more if you are able to mark off all the numbers in the ticket pattern.
Online Bingo Jackpots
In addition to the regular prizes, online games often have different types of jackpots. Some jackpots are included as a standard in the games and paid out daily, but there are progressive bingo jackpots as well. These ones can accumulate quite sizable sums. The first prize of $10,000 is not unusual and sometimes the jackpots are even bigger. Check with the online casino you’re playing at whether there is a progressive jackpot or not as this will change from casino to casino.
Bingo Online Chat Rooms
The chat rooms are what make online Bingo games truly special. The atmosphere in the online bingo chat rooms is always very familiar and friendly with people cheering other players on and congratulating them on their wins. There is no need to miss out on the social aspect of playing bingo in the large hall or with friends as you will develop online friendships with fellow bingo players. Many players have made new friends in the chat rooms and sometimes a chat room monitor will initiate special chat games to make the experience even more fun and enjoyable. Another benefit of using the chat function is that you will have access to special prizes on offer that you will only know about if you use the chat function, as they only appear there. Furthermore, as you can choose to have your numbers daubed automatically, you can sit back and relax as the game proceeds whilst mingling online with fellow players and making new online bingo buddies.
Bingo History
Bingo is an intergenerational game which can bring nostalgia to many people. It’s played from the backseat of a car to the kitchen table amongst family, in the loud and atmospheric bingo hall, to retirement homes, and also played by people of all ages online.
In actual fact, bingo first started out as a lottery game in Italy in the 16th century and went by the name of Lo Giuoco del Lotto d’Italia. From Italy, it spread like most other games through the neighboring countries of France and Germany, and was exported to the United States in the 19th century with the upsurge of European immigration to the Americas. Once the game reached the United States it was named ‘beano’ and played in county fairs across the country by people of all ages – it was a family game, and considered helpful for children to learn how to count. Beano was played with numbered wooden disks which would be called out once pulled from a large box. The numbers on the cards would then be marked with a bean.
Salesman Ed Lowe observed this popular game and he started his own bingo game company. However, what Lowe did to change the game is increase the amount of possible combinations on the bingo card. How he did this was by collaborating with mathematics professor at Columbia University, Carl Leffer, whom he paid in order to come up with 6000 new combinations. Lowe’s investment and Leffer’s mathematical contribution founded the popular game which is played today by millions in the world. In the 1930s the game was taken up by the Church of Pennsylvania as away of raising money for the church and it was then played by the thousands on a weekly basis. Today, it is one of the most widely played games, not only in the United States but around the world.
Best Bingo Apps
Fans of bingo have plenty of great apps to choose from if they want to enjoy their favorite game on their smartphone or tablet. Bingo was one of the first casino games to make the leap to mobile devices and for good reason: the graphics are easy to shrink down and the casual, social nature of the game is a perfect fit for phones and tablets. The popular bingo apps featured here won't let you gamble for real money -- unlike some offerings from online gambling sites such as Party Bingo and offerings from sportsbooks such as William Hill and Bet365 -- but they're free to play and will have you shouting "Bingo!" in no time.
Bingo Blitz
Bingo Blitz was one of the first bingo apps and remains one of the most popular, with over 15 million people giving it a whirl since its debut. The app mixes the very best of bingo and slots with fast-paced, addictive action that keeps players coming back for more and more.
Fire up the game and you'll be able to chat and play with over a million people from around the world who are logged in at any given moment, with the chance to chat and compete to see who can "Bingo" their way to the most coins. You'll also be able to collect unique prizes and unlock new levels and features as you pile up XP. Tablet users can play up to four bingo cards at one time, while smartphone users can play up to two.
Bingo Bash
Bingo Bash is available for iOS and Android devices and amps up the standard game of bingo with special squares that award players with unique items or boosts. These power-up items accumulate and can be unlocked for extra coins or an instant win for the bingo game currently in progress.
As you play and pile up wins you'll unlock new cities to play bingo in, which adds an extra twist to the action. Leveling up also lets you gift more items to friends, with the social element a big factor in Bingo Bash. Players can chat during games and post big wins on Facebook, which is tightly integrated into much of the bingo action.
Bingo Dash
Bingo Dash offers up exactly what it promises: lightning fast bingo action with lots of twists and wrinkles thrown in. You'll have to stay on your toes with this one as there's no caller or automated function to let you know if your number is called. You'll play in various cities around the virtual world of Bingo Bash and try to win coins as well as XP that let you unlock new levels and compete on XP leaderboards versus players from around the world.