Bingo is more than a game, it’s a proper pastime. Played and enjoyed by millions around the globe. One of the best things about Bingo is the social aspect. Both online and in Bingo halls offer plenty of opportunities to interact with other players. And what’s more fun that sharing your hobbies and interests with others?
You’ll find plenty of quality casinos that offer a variety of Bingo games online.
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The History of Bingo
Bingo has been around for a long time. A really long time! The legend goes that it originated as a traditional lottery game in Italy in the 1500s. It worked its way across Europe for a few hundred years until ending up in the US during the 1920s.
Apparently, it was widely played at carnivals where wooden disks labelled with numbers would be drawn from a cigar box. Players would place beans on their cards to mark numbers that had been called. Leading to the game being called “Beano”, which was shouted out when a player received all the numbers in a row. A few years later, one silly punter mispronounced it as Bingo and the name stuck.
The game first popped up online in the 1990s and has grown to a billion-dollar industry. Almost every new casino that joins the industry will at some stage offer bingo to their players. To find the best online bingo sites simply check in with us. We do the research, so you don’t have to!
How to play Bingo
The first thing you need to do when playing online Bingo games is to choose the best site. There are hundreds of sites out there. So here at Bonus Ninja we spend every waking, breathing and sometimes even sleeping hour researching everything there is to know about online gaming. We find all the best casinos and bingo sites, with all the best offers.
After you have chosen your bingo site you’ll need to sign-up and if you want to play for real money, you have to make a deposit.
Your card
Now you are ready to play. You’ve chosen your Bingo site, and it’s time to purchase your card or ticket. Cards usually come in one of the following formats, a five by five grid, a four by four grid, a three by three grid, or a three by nine grid. It all depends on the game you have chosen. But we’ll give you more details on it later. In the square grids, the centre block doesn’t always include a number, turning it into a wild.
Calling the balls
During an online game balls won’t be drawn as such. Numbers are picked using a Random Number Generator (RNG). This ensures that each outcome is completely random. As the numbers are drawn, you’ll mark them off on your grid.
Bingo Lingo
Over the years different numbers have earned themselves nicknames, you don’t need to know them to play, but it does add to the fun. They initially came from the Bingo Halls of East London in the mid-20th century but have become universally popular over the years. Here are a few examples to give you an idea:
- 4 – Knock on the door
- 7 – Lucky for some
- 9 – Doctor’s Orders
- 11 – Legs eleven
- 14 – Valentine’s Day
- 25 – Duck and dive
- 30 – Dirty Gertie
- 32 – Buckle my shoe
- 50 – It’s a bullseye!
- 53 – Here comes Herbie
- 57 – Heinz Varieties
- 76 – Trombones
- 80 – Gandhi’s Breakfast
- 88 – Two fat ladies
Auto-Daub
One of the biggest benefits of playing with the Auto-Daub is that you don’t need keep track of the numbers, which allows you to easily play several cards at a time. Each of the numbers called is automatically added when you use the Auto-Daub feature. This also leaves more time to chat to other players, play chat games, or even cook a meal and leave the game playing in the background.
Winning
The biggest win you can get is a blackout where you hit all the numbers on the board. But you can also earn smaller wins if you get five straight in a row. Using the free square (if available) you can get also get a diagonal, vertical, horizontal, small diamond, outside corners, inside corners and a postage stamp where you’ll only need four numbers in specific spots.
House edge
Bingo has a pretty big house edge of about 11%. The easiest way to explain this is by an example. If you were to spend CA$100 on bingo, you should theoretically win back CA$89. That’s not to say that’s exactly what will happen, as it has been worked out over thousands of games. Having a big house edge means you probably won’t win big, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy it. Just take it easy and be careful not to overspend.
Difference between online and physical Bingo
There are several differences between online and physical Bingo. Physical Bingo is played in a Bingo hall, online bingo games are played wherever you are. Playing in a Bingo hall gives you plenty of opportunity to socialize. That doesn’t mean you can’t make friends online, there’s also lots of fun to be had by chatting to others playing at the same time. One of the biggest benefits of playing online are the bonuses.
Types of Bingo
Bingo is such a popular game that it has actually inspired a number of completely new games such as Criss Cross, 20 Express and Karuba.
There are plenty of different types of Bingo games online, the difference is related to the layout and size of your bingo card and the number balls in play.
90 Ball Bingo
90 Ball Bingo is played on a special 9×3 card. Only 15 of the 27 blocks contain numbers. In this game there are on three options to win. To win you’ll need to either black out the whole board or fill one or two of the lines. This is the classic UK version and the most popular there.
75 Ball Bingo
75 Ball Bingo has become the most popular version of Bingo in the US. This one is played on a 5×5 card. Depending on the version, the middle block might be blank. This is the version that includes the special patterns we mentioned before.
75 Ball Variant Bingo
This one also uses a 5×5 card, but there are only 75 balls in play. Again, some games include a number in the middle block, while others leave it free. You can also win for a full house and for various patterns.
80 Ball Bingo
Played with a smaller grid of 4×4. All 16 blocks contain numbers. You can win by blacking out the whole board, getting four in a row, or one of the highlighted patterns.
30 Ball Bingo
30 Ball Bingo has the least balls in play, so it’s no surprise that it is played on the smallest grid of 3×3. It’s probably the easiest to blackout, making it the fastest paced of the bunch.
Slingo
Did you know there is a special game that combines slots and bingo? Known as Slingo, the game was developed by a real estate developer in 1994. In this game you’ll have twenty spins. During each spin, five numbers will be revealed. Numbers get marked off as you go along. The really special thing about this variant are the bonus games. The centre block is a Joker, there is also a Super Joker in play which can show up in any spot and act as a wild.
Why choose Bingo?
Like any game the biggest reason to play is that it is fun. Yes, there is a chance to win money, but the best reason is definitely the fun! But there are a few things that make Bingo stand apart from other games.
Simplicity
Some games are relatively complicated to play. Baccarat and Poker for example require a good understanding of the game if you want to have any chance to win. Bingo can be played by anyone. In fact, if you take into account the auto-daub feature you literally can’t do anything wrong, the game pretty much plays itself and just comes down to luck.
Cheap and cheerful
Whereas games played at a Live Casino tend to run on the more expensive end of the scale, Bingo definitely runs on the cheaper side. With online Bingo in Canada you can often buy cards for as little as CA$0.03 keeping you entertained for a good ten minutes. There’s little other entertainment out there that costs so little. Add to that the possibility of actually winning some cold hard cash and it really can’t be beat.
Social aspect
This is a biggie and probably one of the best things about Bingo, both online and in person. Bingo is all about the social aspect. In game chat rooms are always a buzz. In fact, Bingo is such a social game that residents of Ottawa launched a charity bingo game that can be played via phone to help people connect.
Add to that you can also do some good while you are at. The Rotary Club has partnered with online bingo sites to help raise money for worthy causes.
That will give you the feels all round.
Bonuses
There is nothing like a great bonus. One of the best is the Free Spins Casino bonus where you’ll have the opportunity to play a set amount of rounds for free on slot games. But Bingo has it’s own special set of bonuses, so don’t miss out!
You can claim a number of bonuses by playing bingo online. You can get bonuses for signing up and making your first deposit. There are also plenty of other bonuses available during your journey as a player. You can even get special cash rewards for simple actions like referring a friend.
Bingo Jackpots
One of the most interesting and varied aspects of Bingo are the jackpots. To win a jackpot you’ll need to blackout your whole bingo board. What you can win in the jackpot depends on the type of jackpot and variant of Bingo you are playing.
Fixed jackpot
With a fixed jackpot the same amount is always up for grabs. You’ll need to cover the whole board before a set number of balls are revealed. For example, if you are playing 80-ball bingo you’ll need to blackout your entire card by the time the 80th ball is drawn.
Progressive jackpot
The Progressive Jackpot works the same as it does in slots. Every time anyone plays the specific variant of Bingo players will contribute toward this variable jackpot. It grows every time anyone plays and only resets if someone claims it by blacking out their entire Bingo card before the last ball is drawn.
Escalator jackpot
This is a new type of jackpot, but a really exciting one! With this one, the jackpot will increase over time, but so will the number of balls, making it easier to actually hit the jackpot.
Community jackpot
Finally, there’s the community jackpot. This one embraces the social aspect of the game. The player who hits the full house gets 50% of the jackpot, while the remainder of the jackpot is shared among all other participants. The percentage might vary, but it’s all about sharing in the fun.
Free Bingo vs Real Money Bingo
When you play Bingo online you have the opportunity to play for free or for real money. Both versions have their benefits. But as we’ve already mentioned, Bingo is all about the fun!
Free games
Playing for free is super easy. Most Bingo sites offer the opportunity to play for free, allowing you to avoid the risk and embrace all the fun. Some Bingo sites even offer you the opportunity to claim a welcome bonus without needing to make a deposit. Why not sign up to one of our recommended sites and get a feel for the game before making a real money deposit.
Real money games
When you are ready to make a real money deposit, you won’t be disappointed by the levels of fun! When playing for real money you can claim your first deposit bonus. You can also stand the chance to win actual money.
Frequently Asked Questions
A few Casino games require a certain amount of skill and understanding if you want to win any money in the game. For example, Blackjack, Video Poker and even Roulette require you having some knowledge of the game you are playing. But not all games are like that. Playing the lottery, slots or Bingo requires no extra knowledge. For this reason, every player who plays has an equal chance of winning. This means that even the strictest of jurisdictions tend to allow residents to play Bingo.
Not at all. Bingo is one of the cheapest online casino games. You can often play for as little as CA$0.03. Unlike slots and table games, a single game takes a little longer. That means that slots give you a higher time to cost ratio than most casino games. Of course, that all changes when you win!
Generally online bingo will allow you to mark off your own numbers to make it a little more fun. But if you do miss one, the system is designed to pick it up via that Auto-Daub feature. So, no need to worry.
Yes, most casinos that offer online Bingo offer it both on mobile and desktop. Games are often optimised for mobile so you can play Bingo online anywhere you find your self with an internet connection.
Generally speaking, yes. There are a few things you can look at to make sure that the bingo site you have chosen is safe. You’ll want to know that the cards are chosen using a Random Number Generator. This is down to the game provider and almost all bingo games online use it. If they don’t you can rest assured it’s a little dodgy. It’s also a good idea to check that SSL encryption is used to protect your personal and financial information. Finally, it’s a good idea to ensure that they have a decent customer service. If something does go wrong, you want to know that you can reach out to a real flesh and blood person. Ideally you want to be able to reach customer service via email, phone and live chat.
Summary
Bingo is great fun. It’s easy to play, it’s cheap to play. And while you are playing, you’ll get to enjoy the excitement of being able to win some old hard cash. And who know? You might just make some life-long friends in the chat rooms! What’s not to love?