Guide to Online Bingo

Boy do we have a fun game for you to learn, and bingo is its name-o. Surely you have heard of bingo, and we are not talking about the farmer from the Scottish children’s song. Bingo is a game in which each player gets a 5×5 card that is covered in numbers and letters. The top of the card reads “B-I-N-G-O” and each square contains a unique number. Every time a number plus a letter is called, a mark is put on the player’s card in the corresponding square if they have one. Anytime a player gets five of these marks in a row in any direction, they can declare “BINGO,” and they have won the game. No two bingo cards are exactly alike, but more than one person might get a bingo at the same time. Contrary to what most people think, you can actually play bingo for real money on the internet. When most people think of bingo, they think of places like bingo halls and churches. However, it is 2023 now, and the sky is the limit when it comes to playing bingo on the internet. We will now examine some of the basics of internet bingo, such as the rules of the game and what some differences might be compared to bingo halls. By doing this, we hope to help you find a place that is right for you to play online bingo. Some of the helpful topics we will be covering in this guide are the following:Ever since the earlier online bingo games were launched in 1996, there have been more and more sites popping up all over the place that offer bingo for real money on the internet. While this explosion in popularity has made it easier to find a site that offers bingo, it has simultaneously made it more of a challenge to find a reliable site that you can trust.By examining features of each casino, such as whether their random number generator is fully randomized, or whether they are licensed by an accredited authority, our online casino reviews point you in the right direction for the best possible bingo experience on the internet. Some of these bingo site lists are designed to cover several different specific categories, such as the best mobile-friendly sites, or the best no-deposit sites for bingo. This should help you find exactly what you are looking for, no matter how obscure the search filter is.We’re very confident that our rankings reflect the very best places to play at this moment in time, in terms of the overall experience. We also recognize that not everyone wants the same thing from a bingo site. It’s quite natural to want more information about a site before deciding whether or not to sign up, and these reviews provide that information. If you’re not sure about which bingo site to choose, then we suggest reading a few of these reviews. You’ll find all the information you need to help you find the option which is best for you.The easiest way to make sure that you use a top quality site is to join one of our recommendations.A great way to find a site that you like is to simply try a few out. You can then see where you enjoy playing the most and stick to that one. You might even find that you like playing at a few different places, which is fine.The number of players playing at a site is great indication of how good it is. It makes sense that the best places are really busy with lots of players in the games, while the not so good places will likely have fewer players.Another good way to decide where to play is to look at the various bonuses, rewards, and promotions on offer. Many sites are pretty generous in this regard and at most places you can easily find out exactly what they give to new and existing customers without having to open an account.If trying to win big prizes is what appeals to you the most about playing online bingo, then it makes sense to play where there are plenty of big prizes to be won.There’s a much easier way to find out what sites have to offer than visiting them all yourself and looking for the relevant information: read reviews. We have provided a number of reviews of bingo sites, written by people that have already played them. These contain all the information you need to know and can help you make an informed decision about where to play.So, you’re a bingo newbie who has somehow landed on this corner of the internet, eh? Do not fear, because we are well prepared for your arrival. To learn about anything from the vocabulary that is frequently used in the bingo world to what the basic steps are when playing in a bingo game, you should check out our article linked below.Luckily for you, bingo is one of the most basic games on the planet, and it should not take very long at all to become adept at playing bingo. The fact that it is on the internet will just make the game easier and quicker to play, so no more excuses allowed! This is not a game of skill, so there are not a ton of strategies and rules to memorize. You basically just need eyes, ears, an arm, and a willingness to have a good time yelling “BINGO!”The game of bingo is popular for many reasons. One of the biggest reasons is that it’s really easy to learn and play. There are very few rules, and they’re about as simple as they could be, and they are no real strategy or tactics to use. Even if you’re a complete beginner to bingo, you could probably get started without any help at all. Nonetheless, we’ve provided the following step by step guide in case you do want a few pointers.Your first step towards playing online bingo is to join a bingo site. This is easy enough, because the sign up process at the vast majority of sites is really straightforward. All you have to do is fill out the online form with the required details: usually just a bit of personal information such as your name, email address, date of birth, and a username and password. Once you’ve done this you’ll need to deposit some funds and then you’re ready to start playing. The hardest part of this step is probably choosing which site to use. There are loads of bingo sites on the web, and if you don’t really know what you’re looking for it’s a challenge to work out which one you should join.Once you’re signed up at a bingo site and funded your account, your next step is to choose which game to play. Again you have lots of choice. Most sites have dozens, if not hundreds, of different games available. There are several different types of bingo, such as 80 ball and 90 ball, and several games of each type. There are a few differences between the numerous game variations available, but none of these have a major impact on how they’re played. The differences are just things like the patterns required to win prizes, the size of the prizes on offer, and the game theme. The difference that you’ll probably want to think about the most is the cost of entry. When you’re first playing you are best off playing the cheaper games. You’ll find plenty of low cost games, and you might as well start with these while you’re getting used to things. Once you’ve been playing for a while you can begin to play with higher stakes if you feel comfortable doing so. The games don’t get any harder at higher stakes, they just cost more and there are bigger prizes on offer.After selecting a game to play, you’ll then have to purchase your game cards, and each card you buy will have a certain amount of numbers on it. To win a prize you’ll either have to mark off all the numbers on the card or mark them off in a specified pattern, depending on the exact rules of the game you’ve chosen to play.Like every other aspect of online bingo, buying your cards is a simple enough process. You’ve got two decisions to make here:It doesn’t actually matter whether you choose your own cards or have them selected at random, you’ll still have the same chance of winning. The number of cards you buy does matter though. By buying multiple cards you improve your chances of winning. You also increase the cost too, so it’s basically up to you how much you want to risk. Once you’ve purchased your cards, the cost of them will be deducted from your account.It’s now time to start playing, but things don’t get any more complicated. All you have to do is watch which numbers get called out, and then mark off the corresponding numbers on your cards when they match. At most sites there’s something called an auto-daub feature, which will mark your numbers off for you. This feature makes the game even easier to play. If you’re the first player to mark off all your numbers, or mark off the required pattern, then you’ll win a prize. You might have to click a button to claim your prize, in which case you’ll need to be paying attention or it might be awarded to you automatically. If you’re using the auto-daub feature, then it will probably be awarded automatically. That’s basically all there is to bingo. It might seem like the game is boring, but you’d be surprised at just how exciting it can be watching the numbers come out and hoping that they match the numbers on your card. It’s certainly exciting when you get to the stage where you only need one or two numbers to win, especially if you’re playing for a big prize.Playing bingo over the internet has many advantages over playing live, but there’s one aspect of live play that’s missing online. It’s the social aspect, the fact that you are surrounded by other players dabbing their scorecards and chatting about your day. Playing online can never exactly replicate that environment, but there’s still a social element available because most bingo sites have chat rooms where you can interact with other players in between and during games.Although chatting via text on the computer isn’t quite the same as chatting in real life, it does introduce the social element to some extent. At most sites you’ll also find that there are additional games going on in the chat rooms. These are primarily just for fun, but there are usually some prizes up for grabs too. We’ve explained more about the chat room games at bingo sites below, along with some advice on chat room etiquette. We’ve also listed some of the more commonly used acronyms that are worth being aware of if you are going to use the chat rooms.There’s nothing too strict about bingo chat room rules (they are mostly about common courtesy), but they are there for a reason. Chatting online while playing should be fun; it shouldn’t be an opportunity for people to abuse each other.Finally, make sure you pay attention to the chat moderators. These are the individuals that are put in charge of the chat rooms and what they say goes. It’s these moderators that run those extra chat games too.Bingo sites like their chat rooms to be busy, since this can help players to enjoy themselves and develop friends which means they might just play a little longer. Therefore, most of them put up extra prizes for moderators to give away in chat games. You don’t have to get involved with the chat games if you don’t want to, but they are free to enter so you don’t have anything to lose. They are usually pretty simple, and there are loads of different variations to win at. We won’t go into all the different types of games here as there are literally hundreds of them. For the most part they can be broadly divided into three categories:Trivia games are all about answering questions. Rules and subject matter can vary, but the principle is usually as simple as the first person to correctly answer a question set by the moderator wins a prize. Number games are linked into the bingo game somehow.At the start of a game the moderator may ask all players to pick a single number. If a player picks the number that the moderator chose, then the first one to be called during the game wins a prize. Buddy games usually award prizes based on having something in common with the winner of the main game. So, for example, all players that have usernames beginning with the same letter as the username of a game winner will win a prize.Below is a list of some of the more common acronyms you’ll come across in bingo chat rooms:Well well well, it appears as if our list of great bingo sites isn’t good enough for you! That’s fine because we have plenty of in-depth bingo site reviews that can help you dig deeper into your search. These reviews all analyze different important factors such as gambling friendly payment methods, customer service, game selection, and bonus promotions to figure out if an online casino is actually a quality gambling site. Without knowing all the features that a website has to offer in each of these categories, you are stabbing in the dark as far as finding a reliable place to play. We can honestly say that no one has paid us to say anything about these specific bingo sites, they just happen to be the ones that we found to be the best after painstaking amounts of research and reel spinning. Therefore, this makes us one of the most honest review sites around, because we tell it exactly how it is, with no fluff or nonsense mixed in.We know that you are thinking, “Isn’t bingo the same game no matter where you go?” The answer to this question is yes, and no, but mostly no. Similar to the comparison between online poker and live poker, it is the same game, but there are very subtle differences to be found. Knowing these differences can help you to transition from a live bingo player to an online bingo player much easier than trying to do it cold turkey. One of the main differences between the two is that you have the option to have an internet bingo room mark the numbers on your card automatically as they come up. This is known in the online bingo world as “auto-daubing.”The convenience factor of playing online is perhaps its single biggest advantage. It’s certainly what makes it so appealing for many that do play over the internet.Live bingo venues aren’t open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but bingo sites are. It doesn’t matter what time of the day or night it is, if you want to play you’ll always find games running.The games tend to be completed much more quickly, and there’s minimal waiting around for new games to start either.Somewhat obviously, playing live has the advantage when it comes to the social element. You’re surrounded by other people and you can talk to them face to face. For a lot of people, going out to play bingo is as much about the social side as it is about the game itself. Getting out of the house and catching up with friends is a huge part of the appeal. However, the advantage isn’t as big as you might think. There’s a strong social aspect to online bingo too. At most sites there are chat rooms where you can interact with other players from all over the world, and there’s often a real sense of community. Of course, if you prefer to just concentrate on the games you don’t have to get involved with that side of things if you don’t want to, but the option is there if you do.However important the social element, the chance to win some money is largely what the game is about for most players: regardless of whether they’re playing live or on the web. Therefore, the size of the prizes on offer is obviously a consideration for them. There are some big prizes up for grabs at some bingo venues, especially at those that are part of a group where prizes and jackpots are networked across a number of venues, but generally speaking the prizes available online are more attractive. This is quite simply because there are more people playing online so there’s more money going into the prize pools.Online has the clear advantage when it comes to entry fees as well. It’s not so much that it’s significantly cheaper to play over the internet, as you’ll find plenty of cheap to enter games live, but rather that the range of entry fees online is much greater.The variety of games available on the web far surpasses that of live venues, with pretty much every site offering a wide range of games, including side games like blackjack, roulette, and slot games. With so many games available it would probably be quite a challenge to get around to playing them all.Online bingo has the edge over playing live, but you can enjoy both by joining a site to play at home and still going out to a local venue. If you haven’t tried playing online and you want to try it out, then please make sure you sign up at a decent site. There are literally hundreds of bingo sites on the web; many of them are pretty good, but there are plenty of poor ones too. There are also a few that really stand out as being top quality, and these are the ones you want to be playing at.Throughout our reviews, you might come across a listing of different varieties of bingo that each bingo room contains. These listings could be confusing to anyone who does not understand what is going on here, so we have decided to dedicate an article to this very subject. The names of the different varieties include thirty ball bingo, seventy-five ball bingo, eighty ball bingo, and ninety ball bingo. The main variable here is the number of balls used and the way you win. Let’s take a look at the most popular real money bingo games online these days.This is the classic bingo version that features 90 balls. It’s a variant that many people know and love. The tickets here feature 15 numbers between 1 and 90, distributed across three rows and nine columns. There are three ways to win when playing 90-ball bingo. If you hit all of your numbers placed on the same row before anyone else, you win a prize. The same happens if you are the first to two lines which means that you’ve completed two rows completely. Finally, you have the “Full House” for the player that manages to cross off all 15 numbers. That’s the biggest prize available, as the rewards are usually progressive. You can find the 90-ball version in one form or another across all the best casinos for real money bingo.This type of game was developed specifically for playing online and has proved to be very popular. As such, you’ll find many variations of 80 ball bingo at most sites. It’s played using game cards containing a grid four squares by four squares, with one number in each grid square for a total of 16 numbers. Just like in 75 ball bingo, the cards are always arranged so that each column contains only numbers from within a specific range. The first column is for the numbers 1-20, the second column is for the numbers 21-40, and so on. As always the winner is the first to mark off the required pattern on their game card. Again like in 75 ball, the patterns required will be different depending on which variation of the game is being played. Common patterns include a vertical line, a horizontal line, all four corners, or even every single number.If you are from the USA or other North American countries, you certainly know the 75-ball bingo version. It’s extremely popular in the region and that has spread to the internet as well. Many of the leading websites for real money bingo have several rooms with 75 ball games. The cards for this variation of bingo feature five rows and five columns. All 25 slots are filled with numbers from 1 to 75 in the classic version. The winning combinations here can vary wildly. For example, some real money bingo games require you to hit all numbers that form the shape of an X on the ticket, while others feature one or two lines that work in a similar fashion to the 90-ball bingo. Once again, the biggest cash prizes come if you hit all of your numbers before the other players.This type of bingo is also known as speed bingo. This is because, with just 30 balls in play, the games are really quick. At the moment the number of games like this type are pretty low at most sites, and some sites don’t even offer any 30 ball games at all. There are several that have a good selection though, and it’s growing in popularity all the time. The fact that it’s so quick is appealing to many players. Game cards in 30 ball contain nine numbers, filling each square in a three square by three square grid. There’s usually only one prize up for grabs in each game, and that’s awarded to the first player to mark of all their numbers.There are plenty of other versions of the game available at the top online bingo sites and casinos that offer bingo with real money. Some of them come with a progressive jackpot for those of you looking for extra excitement, while others have different numbers of balls or other ways to distribute the prizes. Here are some examples of more online bingo games you can play for real money:We’re sure that many of you will be happy to learn that you can enjoy real money online bingo on your phone or tablet. Most of the top-rated online bingo rooms have a mobile version that runs on popular devices such as iPhone, iPad, Android, and Windows Phone. Some online gambling sites will require you to download and install an app, while others are mobile responsive. That means that you only have to open them using your browser and log in to start playing real money bingo on the go.A game of chance is defined as a game in which there is nothing you can do to influence the outcome since luck is in the driver’s seat. There are a ton of ways to maximize the amount of fun you have while playing bingo. These methods include things such as searching out the best bingo sites, looking for quality bingo-related bonuses and using smart money management.One of the biggest mistakes you could make would be to join a real money bingo casino that doesn’t have a proper gambling license. The results could be catastrophic and it’s not worth it chasing lucrative prizes and promotions if there’s a risk you won’t get paid. Stick to legit real money bingo sites that we recommend, like Downtown Bingo, or at least try to be careful if you decide to pick a room on your own. There are many respectable gambling websites and online casinos out there, but there are exceptions.One of the advantages of the high house edge of the real cash bingo games is that the sites and online bingo casinos can afford to offer you excellent promotions. You can always find a large welcome bonus designed for new customers and plenty of ongoing deals for existing users. If you are smart and adjust your playing hours and games to the promotions schedule, you can earn a ton of extra prizes and reduce the house edge dramatically.One of the most important factors in bingo is the number of cards you buy. Some people believe in their luck and get only one, while others are eager to win, so they go for a ton of them. Both approaches are usually ineffective. The optimal way to play bingo online for money would be to adjust the number of cards you get based on the people and the prizes. If there is a small group of participants, only a couple of cards could give you a decent chance to win, so there’s no need to invest more. If there are lots of people playing, you better buy more cards to increase your chances or the variance will be too high and you will likely lose.We always recommend our readers to apply some form of bankroll management when gambling with real money and playing casino bingo is no exception. You don’t want to lose everything after several rounds, just because you were reckless with your spending. Make sure to buy cards for only a small chunk of our total bankroll and give yourself enough of a chance to get lucky. Losing streaks are common in bingo and you need to be able to take them without busting.Now we will take a look at a few aspects of playing bingo online that you may not be familiar with: jackpots, tournaments, and side games. None of these are particularly complicated topics, but if you’ve never played online bingo before you may appreciate some additional information on them. You’ll understand the term jackpot of course, but you may not know that there are several different types of jackpots you can play for online.The chance to win a really big prize is one of several reasons why players find online bingo so appealing. Most bingo sites offer a range of jackpot games and some of these can feature very large prizes. Sometimes the prizes are a little more modest, but the majority of jackpot games are extremely popular with players. The rules of these vary from one game to the next, but the basic principle is always along similar lines to most bingo games having to meet specific criteria in order to win a prize.These criteria can technically be anything, but they are generally something like having to mark off your numbers in a particular pattern or having to mark off all your numbers before a certain amount of numbers are called. What makes jackpot games different is the size of the prize and the fact that, usually, there’s no guarantee that anyone will win the main prize. Most of them fall into one of four categories: fixed, guaranteed, progressive, and sliding. Fixed jackpot games are where the prize is a fixed amount of money, regardless of how many people enter the game. Guaranteed jackpot games are slightly different; the prize is at least a certain amount, but it can increase if enough people enter. Sometimes the term guaranteed jackpot can also be used to describe a game where the big prize will definitely be won. Progressive jackpot games are where the prize increases each time it’s not won, and rolls over to the next scheduled game. Sliding jackpots are kind of the reverse, in that they decrease rather than increase. In a sliding jackpot game the prize starts out at a certain amount, but then it reduces once a certain amount of numbers have been called. Each type of jackpot game has its own merits so there’s not really a best type. With that being said, it’s progressive jackpots that tend to be the largest, so these are the ones to go for if you want to go after the really big money.Bingo sites offer various types of tournaments to make their games more exciting. The two most common tournament formats are scheduled and leader-board tournaments.Scheduled tournaments usually require players to pay an entry fee, which allows them to participate in a set number of games over a period of time ranging from a single night to a month or more. Points are awarded to players for taking part, and the winners of the games receive more points. At the end of the tournament, the player with the highest number of points wins the prize, and there are also consolation prizes for runners-up.Leader-board tournaments are similar, but without an entry fee. Players earn points for each game they enter, and these points are added to a leader-board. The player with the most points at the end of the tournament period wins the prize, and only certain games may be eligible for points at some sites.If you enjoy playing something a bit different to bingo from time to time, then you’ll probably appreciate the side games that are available at most bingo sites. These typically include popular casino games such as blackjack and roulette. At some sites you’ll find quite a large selection of online slot machine games, too. You’ll also often find a range of instant win games, such as scratch cards for example. You may be interested solely in playing bingo, in which case the side games won’t be of any interest to you. You don’t have to play them, but it’s great to have the option if you do like to mix it up every now and again.If you’re not exactly sure if you want to play online bingo for real money, there are several ways to decide. The first would be to try some free bingo and see if you like the experience. That’s not exactly the same as playing for cash, though. Things are different when you have money at stake. With that in mind, here are some of our top reasons to play real money bingo.Playing bingo for real money isn’t just about the cash you can win. In fact, the main driving force for people who like to play bingo games is the emotions that come with it. For now, let’s say you won’t run out of offers that can deliver additional real money prizes. On the negative side, we feel obliged to warn you that the house edge in bingo is quite significant compared to some other popular casino games.If you have decided to try online bingo for real money and you need some help starting out, don’t worry. The process is relatively easy and doesn’t require much time or effort. Let’s take a look at all the steps you need to go through.We obviously recommend that you join one of our top-rated online bingo sites at this stage. Here’s a reminder of them.We rate these bingo sites very highly, but we should point that there are other top-quality bingo casinos and gambling sites. If you decide to look beyond our recommendations, though, please make sure you carry out some due diligence. Not all online bingo casinos can be trusted.When you make your choice of the real money online bingo casinos available to you, you should proceed and open a new account. This is fairly simple to do and won’t take more than several minutes. You need to provide your username and password, and fill in some personal information like your name and country of residence.If you want to play online bingo with real cash, you’re going to need to fund your account. You can usually pick between popular payment methods like credit and debit cards, PayPal, other wallets, Bitcoin, and more.At this point, nothing stops you from playing real money bingo and going for prizes. Just browse around and see what versions are available. Pick the one you like the most and try your luck. You will usually find many friendly players to chat with during the bingo games on the internet.Hopefully you’ll reach this step at some point. If you get lucky and win some cash, you will get the opportunity to enjoy your real money prizes. Simply go to the cashier and request a payout. The best online casinos with bingo will allow you to use the same payment option you deposited with for withdrawals. As you can see, it doesn’t take much to play online bingo with real money. If you have any problems during the steps described here, you can always contact the customer support team of the gambling sites or bingo casino you selected. The staff is usually friendly and willing to help.A bingo bonus is basically extra funds added into your online bingo account, typically in return for making a deposit. There are two main types:The main principle for each of these is largely the same. The biggest difference is simply that sign up bonuses are offered to new customers and reloads are offered to existing customers.Bonuses offered by bingo sites aren’t completely free money due to the terms and conditions that apply, which can vary in strictness. These conditions outline what you can and cannot do with the bonus funds and what is required before making a withdrawal, making it important to read and understand the conditions before accepting a bonus. For example, at some sites, any bonus funds you are given can be withdrawn as soon as you have spent a certain amount buying game cards. At other sites, the bonus funds are only for buying game cards, and they cannot be withdrawn at any time. While accepting a bonus is usually the right thing to do, you should be aware of any restrictions that apply and what requirements you have to meet before being able to withdraw.Unlike bonuses that are based on deposits, rewards schemes are based on how much you play and are credited to your account as a way for the site to thank you. As a general rule, the more you play the more valuable your rewards will be, but it’s not always quite that straightforward. The value of your rewards will vary depending on the site, and it’s important to understand how the rewards scheme works to get the best value for your play.Online bingo is appealing for a whole host of reasons. It’s exciting, it’s easy to learn, there are lots of different games, there are great bonuses available, and there are lots of attractive prizes up for grabs. There are two ways you can play bingo online for free, and we’ve explained both of these below.Virtually every single gambling site on the web offers sign up bonuses to new customers as an incentive to join up. You usually have to make a deposit to claim these bonuses, and this is not different at most bingo sites. However, there are also some bingo sites that offer no deposit bonuses. These bonuses are basically completely free funds that are added to your account just for signing up. You can then use these funds to play games and try and win some prizes. You get all the fun of playing and also the opportunity to win some money. There are a couple of catches though, as you might expect:These vary from one site to another and they can be quite strict, although at some places they are fairly relaxed.There are also some bingo sites that are just completely free to play at. If you enjoy playing bingo just for fun and don’t want to spend any money, then these are probably going to appeal to you. You can play as much as you like and it won’t cost you a thing. The drawback with these sites is that they offer very little in the way of prizes. However, if you simply enjoy playing the game and prefer not to spend money, then at least you have some options with a chance of winning a prize or two.Had enough bingo for one day? Well, there is no need to worry, because there are plenty of other casino games to be found all over the internet. We have done a lot of research on which sites are the best for each different casino game. By analyzing important casino features such as bonus promotions, gaming software, and banking options, we are able to narrow the long list of online casinos down to just a few quality picks in each category. Some of the popular casino games that we have recommended sites to play on include blackjack, roulette, craps, video poker, baccarat, and live dealer games. Below, you will find a link to each game guide which will lead you to more information on that game, such as what strategies to use and what the basic rules are: