Young or old, everyone has played bingo at one time or another. It is a favourite pastime activity during camping and it is often organised for older people, as well as at youth clubs. It is a game that excels in simplicity, as the task is to fill up a card with numbers using the numbered balls that come rolling out of the wheel. However, this also lends itself perfectly to the online casino and so bingo is offered in several variants online, where you can play for real money.
The basics of bingo
In the How to Play series, we will of course look specifically at the online casino part and that is why the focus in this article is on bingo, which you can play as a game of chance.
The basics of bingo are actually quite simple. You are given a digital card with a series of numbers on it, randomly generated. This is within the range of numbered balls that are in the system. Time after time, a new number pops up. Offline, this is done with a spinning hamster ball. Online, it is digitally automated. Although, you also have variants in the live casino, a good example being Mega Ball, which combines bingo and the Lotto concept.
Random numbers pop up sequentially and that is matched with your card. Thus, your card also has numbers on it and every time a number appears that is on your card, it is crossed off. The goal: be the first to get the card full for the top prize.
You play bingo in the game on an individual basis, but there are many more participants in the game. A first prize is obviously not paid out 100 times, but goes to the first one to come. The prize pool may also be divided among several winners. The rules are variable in this respect, so it is wise to always check each game carefully to see how things work.
Different bingo games
Now that we have explained the basics of bingo in a general sense, it is time to go a step deeper. This is because online you can find several bingo variants, which vary in the number of balls.
This is – regardless of the number of balls – a traditional form of bingo. However, the possibilities do not stop there, as all sorts of things are possible online. There are also variants where you play bingo with pictures, for instance. What about HexaBingo, which, like Deal or No Deal Bingo, plays a little differently. A specific explanation regarding those games will follow at another time.
How traditional bingo works
What is important to know is that bingo is usually played in several rounds. The first thing is to get one row full, then another row and finally the full card.
In that perspective, it works as follows: the card says ‘Bingo’ at the top and under each letter there are random numbers. Below the B, that starts at number 1 and that goes up to a certain number. This varies, because for a 75-ball bingo game, the highest number under the B is 15. For a game of bingo with more balls, this increases and for a game with fewer balls, it decreases.
Then, under the I, you see another set of numbers, which again is presented randomly according to the game. In the case of bingo with 75 balls, it starts at 16 to a maximum of 30, and so on up to the letter O at the end of ‘Bingo’. If it is played in rounds, it is indicated in advance which row must be the first to be full. If you succeed, you will receive the prize linked to that row.
The next round you need to fill two rows and finally you need to fill the whole card. Therefore, it’s a matter of waiting to see how the game plays out and hoping that the numbers turn out in your favour, so you get one row, two rows or a full playing card. This also basically means that you can potentially grab three prizes on one bingo card.
Variations on paylines
Nice thing is that bingo is also not limited to a fixed pattern of paylines or a game design. For instance, you can choose to play precisely for a specific win line that differs from the numbers that appear directly below the letters ‘Bingo’. Think of a diagonal line or a cross, for example. It can go either way. In its simplicity, this still makes bingo very diverse, and the game concept does not change in any other way. It is just hoping that you can fill in the desired pattern as quickly as possible to win a prize.
Automated process
In offline bingo, you have to constantly keep your attention, because if you miss a number, there could be consequences. For instance, you could miss out on a prize and that’s a shame. Online, this is one less worry, as the computer will keep track of this for you. This means your bingo card is always filled in one-to-one according to the numbered balls, so you don’t risk missing out on prizes. Equally important, you also don’t risk a fake bingo.
Low stakes bingo
Playing bingo should be very accessible, as the game is by nature far from complicated. Especially since the game is relatively smooth, especially if you play the ‘Speed Bingo’ variant. Thanks to the automated process, the chance of mistakes on the player’s side is virtually nil. This greatly promotes the pace of play.
What it essentially boils down to is that bingo online is set up to be played quickly, making it ideal for a quick in-between game. To keep the entry threshold low, online players often offer bingo cards for the mere sum of €0.05. Incidentally, this can go up to a few euros and the rule is: the higher the price of a bingo card, the higher the potential profit.
An additional advantage is that the process is automated and therefore you are not limited to playing along with one bingo card. You can often purchase many more bingo cards at once and play along on them in one game. This way you increase your chances of winning. Each card has its own individual cost that you need to take into account however. Last but not least, know that you can play bingo both on desktop and mobile, as it is designed to work on any platform.
