Play Bingo!

There are few games that are as easy to learn as bingo, and even fewer that continue to give hours of fun once you have mastered the rules. Whether you are young or old, male or female, wherever you are from and whatever you do, the simplicity of bingo makes it a truly universal pastime. You can play at home with family or friends, head down to the local bingo hall, or even join a free online bingo game using your computer, tablet or smartphone. And, however you choose to participate in the game, you won’t be alone – for it’s beloved by millions around the globe.

What to Know before you play a Bingo Game

Bingo doesn’t come with a rulebook that will take half a lifetime to digest. The principles are incredibly straightforward – and what’s more, they have hardly changed since the game was first played (on which, more later).

Basically, each player receives a set of random numbers. If you’re playing one of the bingo online games, these will be displayed on your screen. In the real world, the numbers will probably be printed on bingo cards. Also for real life bingo there will be a caller, who doesn’t have a card but instead is responsible for drawing numbers blind from a pot. This random selection is done by the computer if you are playing online bingo. In both cases, pay attention! If a number called or displayed is on your card, you need to mark it off. The winner is the first person to cover all of the numbers on their card and shout “Bingo!”

Bingo: a Global Game with Local Rules

Of course, there are minor variations in the rules depending on where in the world you are playing bingo. These concern the layout of the cards, and the numbers printed on them. As in so many walks of life, the United States has one way of doing things, and Europe has another. Let’s first take a look at how the bingo cards are laid out on the Old Continent.

If you are playing European bingo (or British bingo, as some insist on calling it), your bingo card will be printed with a grid of nine rows and three columns. The first thing you will notice is that almost half of the squares on your grid are empty; only 15 (five of the nine squares in each row) will contain a number, from one to 90).

Hop across the Atlantic, and you will find bingo cards that are again printed with grids, but this time in 5×5 formation. There are fewer numbers in the American game (75, opposed to the European 90), but this version has an extra element. The letters of the word “bingo” are allocated to the columns, with each column able to contain only specific numbers. Thus, the “B” column may have numbers one to 15, the “I” column will contain only 16 to 30, and so on, rising in increments of 15 to the last letter, “O”, where only the numbers 61 to 75 may be found.

In terms of prizes – well, this all depends on the house rules. Most people who play bingo at home opt for the “full house” version (sometimes called “blackout”). That is, when you have covered all of the numbers on your card (and, of course, shouted “Bingo!” before anyone else), you are declared the winner. If you play at a bingo hall, or at a website offering free bingo games for fun, there might be more ways to win. For example, you might, in European bingo, bag a prize for covering all of the numbers in one or two rows on your bingo card. In American bingo, online or in the real world, there might be chances to win when you cover lines of numbers – horizontally, vertically or diagonally. American bingo cards always have a blank square in the middle of the grid, which you can cover at the start of the game to help you on your way to a prize.

Show me the Money

Bingo is, at its foundation, a gambling game. More than that, when you pay your stake and take your bingo card, you are putting yourself entirely in the hands of fate. The numbers on your card (or on your screen, if you are playing online) have been selected at random. The numbers drawn are also done so randomly. Other than paying attention to the game, there is nothing whatsoever you can do to influence the outcome. Put another way, bingo is one of the only games in which you can win large amounts of money by doing very nearly nothing. In that respect it’s rather like a lottery, except that if you play the lottery you have to go to the trouble of selecting your numbers; in bingo, that arduous task is taken care of for you.

If you are playing bingo at home, the stakes are probably going to be minimal if they exist at all. When you gather with family and friends for this kind of game, you are more often than not playing for pride rather than financial gain. Real world bingo halls can, and do, offer big money prizes, and that is true on the internet too. Even free bingo games online can help you turn a lucky day into a lucrative one. A word of warning though – even if you pay to play, online or in the real world, there is a chance you will lose your stake. The key word here is “chance”, because it defines bingo perfectly. We’ve said it before, but it really is worth stressing: walking away richer than when you arrived will be entirely down to luck, and to your concentration during the game.

But here’s the real beauty of bingo. You may play at home, you may venture out to a bingo club, or you may play online – choosing to enjoy (or not) the company of strangers. Whichever option you take, bingo is a game that will absorb your stress. If you don’t believe us, try it for yourself – you won’t be disappointed.

Real Life or Online Bingo – the Benefits are the Same

Apart from the abovementioned potential cash prizes, bingo has several other benefits. One of them is that it’s a truly social game, even if you play online.

Surprising? It really shouldn’t be. When you participate in bingo online games you may physically be sitting at home with your slippered feet up (surely, a benefit in itself) ,but you will have access to literally an entire world of like-minded players. Whether you are playing online bingo for money, or taking part in free bingo games for fun, you will find that the best sites offer anything from simple chat options to full-blown networking communities. When you start chatting to other players, it’s a dead cert that you will find some who share your outside interests, and plenty who will be willing to offer you tips about the game.

Another benefit of playing bingo is that it gives your mind a workout. Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of the rules; it might seem that you are doing nothing but crossing out numbers (with a pen in real life, or by clicking a mouse button or tapping your screen online), but in fact your concentration and reaction skills are hard at work. You might think that your are already a fairly alert and responsive kind of person, and maybe you are. You can put it to the test by logging in to an site offering online bingo now, and the chances are that you will be lagging behind at least some of the other players. Don’t forget, in bingo it is luck that decides on whether your numbers will be called – but it’s your ability to notice that a given number matches one on your bingo card, combined with your reaction speed, that can make the difference between winning and losing. After all, it’s no good getting a full house if you’re not the first one to shout “bingo!” The good thing is that, the more you play, the more training your concentration and reactions will get, and the better they will become.

The same benefits apply whether you are playing bingo online, at home with family, or at a bingo hall. In all circumstances there is a strong social element, and the kind of mental workout that can help you to improve basic yet vital skills that you use in many situations in everyday life.

Why Play Online Bingo?

There are many advantages to playing bingo online, the biggest being that you don’t have to leave your own home to do it. You can play in your own space, in familiar surroundings, and there is no need for the dress formalities that you might feel obliged to follow if you went to a bingo hall instead. All of this means that you will be more relaxed and comfortable, which in itself is going to be conducive to improved concentration on the game. Put on your favourite album in the background if you like (though don’t forget to pay attention to the game) – when you play bingo online at home, there’s nobody to tell you to turn it down.

Of course, we live in a mobile, connected age, and “online” no longer means exclusively “at home”. Got a spare 15 minutes with nothing to do? If you have your smartphone, tablet or laptop with you, it’s incredibly easy to log on to your favourite bingo site and play a game or two. There’s no need to limit yourself in terms of time, though. The simplicity of bingo means that the game can be a very relaxing way to spend an evening.

Like many online games, bingo also offers great opportunities for socialising. We’ve already said a word or two about the chat and networking features built in to websites offering bingo games, but there is one more point to be made here. While most of us are social animals, we’re not all social in the same way. There are the gregarious types, who find it easy to walk into a packed room and pick up conversation with complete strangers; then there are more reserved folk, who might prefer to feel more in control of a situation involving lots of new people rather than making face to face contact from the off. With online bingo, you will be connected to thousands of people from all over the world so it is likely to be a matter of minutes before you find someone to talk to while at the same time you won’t have to interact in any manner that makes you feel uncomfortable.

One other point to note is that online bingo offers the opportunity to play different kinds of the game. The physicality of a home-based or bingo hall game means that there are certain logistical limitations on the type of bingo that you engage in. Online, there’s no such barrier – leaving you free to find out which variety of this evergreen pastime is best for you.

How do you choose the best online bingo?

Bingo has always been a game loved by a lot of people, so as soon as it entered the world of the Internet, it gained extreme popularity. Many sites offer various online games that you can play with people from around the world. There are also applications that allow you to play bingo almost anywhere, anytime. However, a wide range of possibilities also creates some problems – for one, among the many online games it is hard to find the best online bingo. If you find yourself also on the search for the best online bingo game, take some time to read our tips which will help you find the perfect game for you.

Free online bingo games – the best thing for beginners?

When looking at sites that offer online bingo, you can easily spot the two main categories – free and paid games. If you are a novice player, opt for a free game. This will make it easy to see if the game suits you. Also, you should be aware that you need to make a deposit to take part in the game. If you want to play free online bingo, no deposit gives you the guarantee that you will be able to resign from the game at any time and look for something that suits you better.

Play and earn money

If free online bingo games have bored you, then you can try your hand at gambling. This gives you the opportunity to win large sums of money. On the other hand, you can also lose a lot, so you need to take both possibilities into account when playing. If you’re not willing to take a chance, you should go for free online bingo. No deposit guarantees you that you will not spend a penny on the game.

Don’t let yourself be fooled!

Before you decide to risk your money, take a look at the website where you plan to play. Look for information about it on other websites. The forums are also a valuable source of information – learn about other users’ experiences with this service. The rankings of network games may also help.

If you want to find the best online bingo games to make money, be sure to check if you like the methods of payment and the collection of winnings. Don’t pay attention to those that offer complicated payment methods. When you decide to leave the world of free online bingo, no deposit is the first thing you have to say goodbye to. Paid services mostly require a deposit payment.

Another important issue is the rules and regulations. Before accepting them, read the terms of use carefully. In this way, you will avoid any possible fraud. Take a look at the gameplay itself and see if it suits you.

Many websites with not free online bingo games offer various starter bonuses that you receive when you register. Compare a few of them and think about which one is the most beneficial. Do not forget, however, that the starter bonus is not as important as the clear and transparent rules and the simple way to make deposits and withdrawals.

Variations of online bingo

The Internet gives the creators of network games almost unlimited possibilities. As a result, new variants of popular games are being created. It’s no different with bingo.

On the Internet not only are widely known variations of this game available, namely bingo 90 and bingo 75, but by combining them with other widely known games, a whole new way of gameplay has been created. An example of such a mix is bingo slots. In this game, bingo is combined with the one-armed bandit.

When looking for your favorite bingo game, use the sites that offer free online bingo games. Try as many new variations of this game as possible. Thanks to this, you can easily find the best online bingo game for yourself!

The Best Bingo Sites Online… and Other Tips to Help you Win

Google “bingo game online” and you will receive close to three million results. Three million? How on earth are you expected to know which of the internet sites offering this game are going to work for you, or work at all?

Here, we can offer a simple tip – popularity rules. Look for the sites that are attracting the greatest number of players, for this is likely to be a good indicator of the quality of the service on offer. This applies to the games themselves, but also to the extras that any given site provides – things such as chat options, variety, and so on. Remember, the better the service, the more enjoyment you will get from the game.

The next tip concerns that old chestnut “concentration”. Whether you play bingo online, at home, or at a bingo hall, it is vital that you pay attention to the numbers on your bingo cards and the numbers being called or displayed. Play for money or play for fun, but remember that you can only win when these two sets of numbers match – and even then only if you can beat everyone else to the shout of “bingo!”

Tip number three is to avoid a trap that it is easy to fall into, especially if you are playing bingo online where numerous game styles and multi-play options may be available. Mathematically you will increase your chances of winning a game of bingo if you are playing several bingo cards at the same time. The problem is that, sound as this logic is, there’s more to it. Beginners often forget that they need to be able to manage all of their cards effectively in order to be successful at bingo, and this is impossible if you have dozens open at the same time. As a general rule of thumb, start with one card. As you get used to the game and train your concentration and reactions, you can add more – but never go beyond what is comfortably manageable. And don’t try to rush into multi-card games; there’s no hurry, bingo is supposed to be fun!

Our final tip is “don’t gamble on your first game”. If you play at a physical bingo hall, you are more or less obliged to buy your cards, and the price you pay constitutes the stake, or “bet” that you put on winning a higher amount. There is no such limitation when you play bingo online. In fact, there are many sites that offer free bingo games for fun, and these are perfect for the beginner as they give you an opportunity to familiarise yourself with the game and the way your chosen site works. Again, there’s no rush to start playing for money; ease into it, and spend some time enjoying the gameplay and social aspects of free online bingo.

Why should the elderly play on online bingo sites?

The benefits of playing bingo are invaluable – the game keeps your mind sharp and healthy, it improves levels of concentration and develops visual-motor coordination. The game has simple and easy to remember rules, so learning them takes literally a moment!

Bingo tournaments help you keep in touch with old friends and form new friendships, and they can inspire you to leave the house, which is important for elderly people who are often encouraged to play. Special bingo sets for the elderly have been created for this exact reason. They are distinguished by larger boards with much more pronounced markings, thanks to which even people with vision problems can use them. Do online bingo sites also have a positive effect on older people? Yes, of course! Find out how bingo can improve their quality of life and how to choose for them the best online bingo sites! No deposit, free, best on the web – there are hundreds of different websites advertised so, the choice is not so easy!

The benefits of online bingo for the elderly

Despite the game’s extremely simple rules, bingo is great practice for the mind of an older person. During the game, you need to focus on the numbers and on your own card, as well as mark the right box and shout out “bingo!” at the right moment. Also, when playing on online bingo sites you need to maintain a good level of concentration and carefully observe your virtual card and drawn numbers, mark the appropriate boxes by clicking and submitting (also clicking) “bingo!”. So online gameplay will have similar benefits for older people as a live tournament.

Bingo in the comfort of your own home

Thanks to online bingo sites, you can encourage older people to play their favourite game without them having to leave their home. This is especially important for those who have mobility limitations and difficulties. Maybe they would not even be able to get to the bingo tournament alone, but they can definitely play online! All you have to do is find no deposit bingo sites for them and they can start playing on a computer. They can also find the right app and play it on a phone or tablet. Thanks to this, they will have a good deal of entertainment and concentration practice without having to leave the house!

Socializing on online bingo sites

Another of the reasons why bingo is recommended for older people is the social aspect of this game. Tournaments are an opportunity to meet old friends and form new friendships. Those who oppose recommending online bingo sites to the elderly might argue that it will not enable them to maintain social contacts. Nothing can be farther from the truth! Currently, almost all, whether they are paid or no deposit bingo sites, offer their players the opportunity to chat. This means that they can make friends with players from all around the world!

How do you choose online bingo sites for the elderly?

Are you an elderly person and are you looking for the right website that won’t leave you a victim of fraud? Or maybe you’re helping out an elderly person with finding the right online bingo sites? No deposit is the first thing you should pay attention to. Thanks to this, the player will be sure that his finances are safe. No deposit bingo sites do not require any funds to start the game. This is especially important when you are testing out different websites – when you do not like one, you can stop playing on it without any unnecessary formalities and you can start playing on other online bingo sites. No deposit is very important!

Once you find a few no deposit bingo sites, it’s time to read reviews about them posted on various forums. If a site is dishonest, you will definitely find comments written about it. Also look at the graphic setting of the website – the virtual card should be large and legible, just like the way the numbers are displayed. The gameplay itself should also be very intuitive.

Bingo Then and Now

Sometime in the distant past, somebody had a simple idea. “Let’s take this round thing”, they said, “and attach it to this large box thing. Then, it will be easier to use. In fact, let’s use four of these round things, one on each corner of the box thing; we can call them wheels”.

Nobody could claim that the game of bingo is quite as old as the wheel, of course – but it does share a simplicity that means it’s hard to pin down exactly when, and who, came up with the idea. Maybe it was the Italians, who were playing something we would recognise as a form of bingo in the early 16^th century. Closer to the modern version was the French “Lotto”, popular which had gained popularity some 200 years later. Or maybe we should credit the game of bingo with the 20^th century American toy salesman Edwin S. Lowe.

Quite by chance, Lowe stumbled across a group playing a game that featured numbers on cards, which they had to match with numbers being drawn. Each player had a handful of beans, which they used as counters to cover the numbers on their cards as they were called. Asking around, Lowe discovered that, when a player had covered all their numbers, they had to shout “Beano!” to win the game. In all likelihood captured by the simplicity and universality of the game (not to mention its marketability), Lowe settled down to watch. The lightning flash of inspiration for the modern game came when one over-excited player tripped over their words and yelled not “Beano!” but “Bingo!”

The rest, as they say is history. Bingo moved on from a pastime to a cultural phenomenon recognised by most. It’s appeared on the big screen – for example in the film Hotel Transylvania, and Bad Grandpa. It has shared its name with an airline in Poland and a supermarket chain in the Balkans. It has even managed to sneak into another extremely popular game – Scrabble, where a player who makes a single word using all seven of the tiles in their rack is said to have a “bingo”.

So, it’s not just the simplicity of the rules, ease of gameplay and wide access that makes bingo such a popular pastime. When you collect your first bingo card, or log on to an online bingo game for the first time, you will also be taking your place in the history of a cultural phenomenon.

The History of Bingo

European beginnings

It may seem quite unlikely, but the history of bingo actually dates back to the beginning of the sixteenth century! Around 1530, a game called “Lo Giuoco del Lotto D’Italia” was created in Italy, which up until now is played every Saturday. It is a kind of lottery and many years later, bingo rules were created based on the initial Italian game. From Italy, the game quickly spread to France where it was called “Le Lotto”. It had become especially popular among social elites and high society.

At the beginning of the 19th century, this game also spread to Germany where bingo rules and the game itself was used in a very practical and educational way. Different variations of this game had been created to teach children the names of animals, geography, mathematics and spelling.

Bingo conquers America

At the beginning of the 20th century, the lottery, which is the predecessor of bingo, reached America and it quickly became very popular there. It was in the United States that the game was given its name that is still used today. Its creation is connected with the bingo rules used at that time. Back then, beans were used to mark numbers on the sheets that were randomly drawn using bingo balls. The person who marked the correct pattern on the sheet that matched the bingo balls numbers that were called out, shouted out “beano” which referred to the beans.

The name “bingo” was introduced by the toy manufacturer from Long Island, Edwin S. Lowe. Once, when he was playing the game, he heard a woman who won shouting “bingo” instead of “beano”. It made him think and he decided that the game he was going to produce and sell will be called Bingo.

New bingo rules

It would seem that the setting up of bingo accessories is not at all complicated. However, Edwin S. Lowe decided to make some changes to the game. For this reason he hired a professor of mathematics from Columbia University, Carl Leffler. The professor helped him to set the right number of bingo balls and create as many sheets as possible with different combinations of numbers. Together, they created over 6,000 different sheets. They were designed so that individual combinations of numbers did not repeat in columns and rows. In this way there was no situation where several people have bingo at the same time, making the bingo rules fair and square for all players.

Bingo in the casino and church

The rapid increase in popularity of bingo occurred when the Catholic Church in Pennsylvania decided to use this game to raise funds for charity. Simple bingo rules, exciting gameplay and a large winning opportunity won the hearts of the Americans. By 1934, there were over 10,000 games played per week in the United States. Lowe, seeing the popularity of his game, decided to introduce bingo balls machines to casinos. Sam Lowe opened a casino in Las Vegas, where the main attraction was bingo. The popularity of this game is not diminishing even today. Nowadays in North America itself, about 90 million dollars is spent on bingo every week!

Bingo slots – online games

With the development of online technology, bingo balls machines have also moved to the world wide web. This has allowed for the creation of new variations of the game, such as bingo slots which combine commonly known bingo rules with the one-armed bandit. Thanks to that, they conquer the hearts of future generations.

Of course, apart from novelties such as bingo slots, other variations are available on the Internet. Lovers of the traditional version of this game are also spoilt for choice and the internet has given people the opportunity to play bingo without having to leave home. The game is reaching an increasing number of recipients who can talk to each other via online chat.

Combinations such as bingo slots attract fans of other games who also are fast to appreciate the traditional variation of bingo. Thanks to this, the fan base is growing every year.

Different bingo variants

The beauty of bingo lies in its simplicity – anyone can learn the rules in just a couple of minutes. You might think that there’s nothing else that can be introduced to the game. Yet many players from around the globe have come up with new variations of bingo that can suit even the youngest of players.

Whether you’re on a long road trip or you’re at a party that needs spicing up, there is definitely a bingo variant that will be appealing to you. You can play the game traditionally using bingo sets, or you can opt for the Internet version and play on new online bingo sites. Read on to discover other ways to play your favorite game!

Bingo for youngsters

Your kid doesn’t need to have advanced math skills to be able to play with you! Nowadays, there are special bingo games that have been designed just for kids. Drawings of plants, animals and professions replace traditional numbers which makes the game a load of fun for your child. You can sit down with your kid and play it with them by being the leader – you can draw the balls and ask your child to search for the animal, place or profession on their cards. Alternatively, you can sit down with your kid and play free bingo on the Internet. There are many new online bingo sites that are kid-friendly and the graphics on some of them are really engrossing. The top bingo sites that you can find online offer your child the chance to increase their concentration levels and improve their visual-motor coordination. It’s a great way to have fun and train your brain at the same time!

Having fun with party bingo

So you don’t really associate bingo with crazy parties? What you read next might change the way you think about bingo as a game. Not only can you play free bingo on the Internet on one of the top bingo sites, but there’s also a party version of the game that can be played using colourful glasses and balls, and it’s a great way to get a party started!

The special bingo party set consists of a drawing machine, balls that come in four colors and glasses in matching colors. Players don’t have any cards in this game. When a ball is drawn, all players that hold the glass in the same colour as the ball need to take a shot. Everyone’s a winner in party bingo! If you want to invite more people to take part in party bingo than the original set allows, you can buy additional colored glasses or mark the ones you already have. Another solution is to use a bingo set you already own – just add some creativity and improvisation, and you’ll be playing party bingo in no time!

Something different – Roadkill bingo

This is definitely not one for the young kids. Roadkill bingo can be played on long road trips. Players prepare the cards themselves, and when they spot an animal that often gets killed on the road, they cross off this animal on their card. When one of them spots an animal that was run over on the roadside, only he can cross it off on his card, no other play can do so. Just like in traditional bingo, the player who crosses off the correct layout on his card is the winner.

Top bingo sites

There’s something special about live bingo tournaments, they’re a great place to form new friendships and keep in touch with old friends. On the other hand, not every player is lucky enough to have a bingo tournament organized close to home. This is where new online bingo sites come into play. Many of the top bingo sites can be played for free and the good thing about them is they can be played in the comfort of one’s home, on the way to work or whilst waiting at the doctor’s.

However, not all bingo players have the advantage of having tournaments organized near their home. Online bingo sites and mobile applications that enable gameplay anywhere and anytime are a great solution. Thanks to them you can play in the comfort of your home, on your way to work or whilst waiting at the doctor’s. One other advantage is that there are many variations of the game that can be played on new online bingo sites meaning you’ll never be left bored.