You Don’t Need Anything Else but This Comprehensive Guide to Online Bingo Games

Bingo has been played for centuries but just recently fell out of favor. However, it has enjoyed a new lease of life after taking to the world of online gambling. There are hundreds of dedicated online bingo sites, and it now also features at a number of big name online casinos. Traditionally, a game for the older generation, its appearance as part of the online gambling scene means it now appeals to a much wider audience. But where did it all begin? Many of you will already have fond memories of playing bingo with family and friends at the local hall or in smaller clubs and venues. Believe it or not, the game goes back much further than just a few decades. With it’s origins thought to be back in the 1500s.

A brief look back in time for the game of bingo

Playing bingo games online is a relatively new phenomenon, because there was obviously no such thing before the emergence of the internet, and easy access for players to computers in their homes and offices. However, the actual game of bingo is much older than just a few decades. Long before the best online bingo games were ever dreamt of there was a similar game being played in Italy, back in the 1500s and it was called Lo Giuoco del Lotto d’Italia. However, today’s modern game more resembles a French game called Le Lotto, that was played in the late 1700s. The game of bingo itself, didn’t begin in the US until around 1929. A guy called Edwin S Lowe introduced a Lotto style game called Beano to his friends. The game of bingo was born when one of his friends called Bingo instead of Beano and for some reason the name stuck. The game was further developed when a US professor helped to develop the bingo card, which allowed multi-player games. Little changed over the years but it did reach some giddy heights of popularity, particularly in the UK. For a number of years, bingo halls and clubs were popping up all over the country. Unfortunately, being able to play online bingo games meant it was now more popular for players to stay at home and enjoy their bingo from the comfort of their armchair. The game has changed quite dramatically more recently. And now players can choose from a range of variations of the best online bingo games. 75 ball and 90 ball bingo have traditionally been the favorites. But now a new breed of variations are available such as roulette bingo, bubble bingo, speed bingo, High 5 bingo, 30 ball bingo, Deal or No Deal bingo and many more. So what does the future hold for the humble game of bingo? At the moment it is still developing both as a game and as a pastime. Social media has taken the game on board and there are now Facebook bingo games. Live bingo games have taken the game even closer to its roots and mobile bingo allows players to enjoy the top online bingo games, whenever and wherever they want to. There is, however, a cloud on the bingo horizon. Many are saying that the industry has reached saturation point. There are still new online bingo sites being launched on a regular bases, but there aren’t enough fans to keep up. The gambling laws in the US don’t allow for online bingo to be played. And unless that changes the future of online bingo is not looking quite so rosy. But that’s enough of the doom and gloom. At the moment there are still plenty of online games of bingo to play. And plenty of online casino sites as well as dedicated bingo sites to play in.

Different types of bingo games available to play online

Bingo comes in a number of different flavors. The two most traditional games are 90 ball and 75 ball bingo. But there’s also a wide range of other variants. So let’s look at a few of them in turn. Starting with the two most popular games played today online.

• 90 ball bingo – You’ll find this game played at all online bingo sites, along with 75 ball bingo. The 90 ball variant is popular in the UK, Australia, parts of Europe and South America. The game is played using cards with three horizontal lines of numbers spread across nine columns. Each line will have 5 numbers, making a total of 15 numbers for every card. The numbers in the first column are from 1 to 10. The second column from 11 to 20. The third column from 21 to 30, and so on. There are three chances to win: one line, two lines and a full house. 90 ball bingo is the perfect place to start if you’re a beginner.
• 75 ball bingo – This is another favorite of bingo players everywhere. But most especially in North America and Canada. This game is played on cards with five horizontal lines, spread across five columns. The center square is marked as free. In 75 ball bingo there is only one winner. But it’s possible to win by making a range of different patterns. It can be a single horizontal, vertical or diagonal line or more complicated pattern such as a diamond or the number 8. 75 ball bingo is much faster than 90 ball, because some of the patterns are easier to complete and the numbers are called out more quickly.
• 80 ball bingo – This is not one of the most common games of bingo online. However, a number of bingo sites and online casinos are adding it to the menu. It’s a fast paced games and is sometimes referred to as Speed Bingo. As you’d expect, the game uses 80 numbers and each bingo card has 16 numbers printed on it, in four rows of four. Sometimes the winner is the first to hit a single line of four numbers. Which accounts for why the game can be so quick playing.
• 30 ball bingo – In this particular bingo variant there are 30 balls in play. Well there’s a surprise! It’s another version of bingo that is also called speed bingo, depending on where it’s played. It’s a super quick game, thanks to the fewer number of balls, and the game cards only having 9 numbers. The game cards are three by three square and there is generally only one winner. The first to mark all nine of their numbers.

• Progressive bingo jackpot games – When you play bingo online games you’ll encounter a number of progressive bingo jackpot games. This type of online bingo game offers a jackpot that’s constantly increasing with every game played. It’s frequently used to offer bigger jackpots for those of you looking for the best online bingo games. But can also be found attached to slots or video poker games. Progressive games are connected across a range of sites and every bet placed adds to the jackpot. This continues until someone wins at which point it’s reset to a minimum level. In bingo it can only be won by a full house under a given number of balls.
• Coverall bingo – Also called full house bingo or blackout, the objective of the game is to cover all numbers on your bingo ticket.

There are countless other variants of this very popular game. Quite frankly, we simply haven’t got enough room to list them all. Before we finish we wanted to explain how to play bingo games online, for anyone who’s never played before.

How to play online bingo games in three easy steps

• Choose your game – this is the first step, once you’ve opened an account and deposited some money. There are plenty of online games of bingo to choose from and we’ve already introduced you to a few of them. All the variations are slightly different and it depends what you want from your game. It could be you want to play a quick game. Or you want a game that’s only going to cost a few cents. You might be feeling in a certain kind of mood and are attracted by a particular theme. In the beginning, it might be better to choose the low cost games. Not forgetting there will be some that are free.
• Buy your bingo tickets/cards – this is a simple enough process, once you’ve decided how many you want. There are two choices. You can choose specific cards, or have them chosen at random for you. It’s just a matter of personal preference, as it will make no difference to your chance of winning.
• Mark your cards – now it’s time to play your bingo online games. Don’t panic you don’t need an IT degree to play this game, and you don’t even have to mark your own cards if you don’t want to. Just let the bingo game software do all the hard work. As the numbers are called out you simply mark or daub, as it’s called using the correct bingo lingo, your cards when you’ve got a matching number. If you don’t want to, most games of bingo online have an auto-daubing feature. The first player to mark off all their numbers, or mark off those making the required pattern, will be the winner. Let’s hope it’ll be you. You might need to claim your prize so you’d better pay attention. But a number of the best online bingo games award the prizes automatically.

That’s really all there is to playing bingo. On the surface it doesn’t sound all that interesting but take it from us, you’ll actually be surprised. Watching the numbers come out and hoping they match those on your card is quite exciting, especially when you only need one or two numbers to win.

What are the benefits of playing online vs live bingo?

Whether you play bingo at a land-based bingo hall or play online bingo games, there’s basically very little to distinguish between the two with regards the actual game. Basically, it pretty much the same, as in the aim is to mark off all your numbers before anyone else. However, there are some differences between the two that are worth mentioning. For a start the overall experience is very different. Sitting at home in front of your computer screen is nowhere near the same as sitting in a large bingo hall surrounded by other excited players. There are, however, a number of advantages worth discussing.

• Convenience – This is the biggy and the reason why so many people choose to play online games of bingo. It used to be that many large towns and cities had their own bingo hall. Especially in the UK it was quite usual for there to be somewhere close by you could go and enjoy a game. Times changed and the number of live venues has significantly decreased. Leaving bingo lovers with nowhere to go. If you choose to play online bingo games you can play 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And with the advent of mobile bingo games you can play almost anywhere you want to.
• Live bingo has the upper hand socially – This is one aspect where online bingo struggles to compete. There is a social element to playing bingo games online as you can interact with other players in the chat rooms. But for many people who visit live venues it’s just as much about the social element as it is to win.
• Jackpots and prizes – While the social element of the game is important, winning prizes is the main reason most people play. And therefore, the size of the prizes on offer is a consideration. The prizes on offer at online bingo sites tend to be much bigger than in the land-based venues. This is largely because there are more people playing online and therefore more money going into the prize pools.
• Variety of games online is much better – Most of the top online bingo sites offer a wide range of games to play. So many that a land-based bingo hall can’t even come close to competing. The bingo games online come with a range of different themes and some have their own unique little twists. And the bonus with an online bingo site is that you can play other games as well. For example, simple scratch card games, casino games, slots and a range of other side games.

Online bingo definitely has the edge over playing the game at a live casino. There are some good things about playing live but nowhere near as many advantages as playing bingo at an online casino. If you haven’t signed up anywhere yet we recommend you give it a go. But make sure you find the best site possible. There are plenty to choose from and a wealth of best online casino games and we will help you to find the best ones.