Two Types of Online Bingo Games
There are two basic types of
online bingo games: 90-ball bingo, which is popular in the UK and Australia, and 75-ball bingo, which is more popular in the United States and Canada. The different bingo games have a lot in common, although there are also significant differences.
In all bingo games, you start with a
bingo card on which your bingo numbers are printed. In traditional bingo, the cards were made of cardboard, but in online bingo the cards are virtual bingo cards on your computer screen. But the idea is the same.
In all bingo games, there is a stash of balls with the bingo numbers printed on them. The caller picks a ball, one at a time, and calls out the number. If the number called matches a number on your bingo card, you can mark it on your card. The caller will then set the ball aside, so the same number cannot be called twice, and go on to pick the next ball. Bingo callers often have interesting and flamboyant styles, which adds to the fun of the game.
90-Ball Bingo
The bingo card in a game of 90-ball bingo is in the form of a 3X9 grid, with three horizontal lines and nine vertical columns. Each line has five numbers and four blank spaces, so your 90-ball bingo card has fifteen numbers total on the three lines.
The numbers in the first column are always between 1 and 10; in the second column, they are from 11 to 19; then 20 to 29; and so on until the ninth column, which has numbers from 80 to 90.
| 1 |
|
24 |
34 |
|
53 |
|
86 |
| |
|
28 |
|
42 |
54 |
71 |
87 |
| 6 |
13 |
|
35 |
43 |
|
65 |
|
There are three ways to win in online 90-ball bingo:
Line means all five numbers in one of your horizontal lines have been marked. Winning a line will usually win you a modest prize.
Two Lines means all the numbers on any two lines on your bingo card have been marked. Winning two lines means you will win a bigger prize.
Full House means all fifteen numbers on your bingo card have been marked. A full house wins the biggest jackpots, which can often be quite large.
75-Ball Bingo
In 75-ball, or American, bingo, the bingo card is a 5X5 grid. At the top of the five columns are the letters B-I-N-G-O. The middle square in the grid is a Free Space. All of the other 24 spaces have numbers printed on them. The numbers in the first or "B" column are from 1 to 15, those in the "I" column are from 16 to 30, and so on until the "O" column with numbers from 61 to 75.
| B |
I |
N |
G |
O |
| 11 |
27 |
43 |
49 |
73 |
| 5 |
20 |
33 |
60 |
62 |
| 2 |
17 |
Free
Space |
46 |
63 |
| 15 |
22 |
38 |
51 |
66 |
| 14 |
25 |
44 |
53 |
72 |
There are many variations of 75-ball bingo. The differences lie in the pattern that is needed to win. One bingo game might require a horizontal line to win, another might require a vertical line, or a large X, or all the squares around the exterior of the grid, or all the numbers on the card. The important thing, of course, is that the winning pattern must be announced to all the players before the bingo game begins.
