4 tips for playing online bingo

People have been playing bingo in various forms since the 18th century. Those who enjoyed the pastime back then had no idea that one day we could all buy tickets and play online against players from all over the world. Online bingo is big business these days, and with online casinos and betting sites adding bingo to their roster of games that trend does not look likely to change any time soon. So should you dive right in with both feet? Perhaps not, because even if you consider yourself a bingo veteran who has frequented halls up and down the land, there are a few crucial differences when purchasing tickets online that you should know. For absolute beginners to online bingo—maybe you are a casino enthusiast keen to get into the game—here is a quick guide to the two main types available.

Learning the ropes: 75-ball bingo

As the name suggests, this bingo game is played with 75 balls numbered, you guessed it, 1-75. Players can purchase one ticket or a strip of six, usually known as a card. The more tickets you have, the more chance you have of winning. Each ticket features 25 squares in a 5×5 formation, and while the centre square is typically a free space the other 24 feature numbers listed in columns. Remember, you can choose your tickets to ensure you get a nice range of numbers. To win you must daub off the numbers in the pre-ordained pattern: this could be a straight line, the corners or a ‘coverall’, e.g. a full house. If you are the first player to do so you will win a prize, and if you do so within a specified number of turns you will land the jackpot!

4. Be choosy

When you decide how many tickets you want to purchase, you will notice that you can actually choose which strips you buy. Is this a bit of quirky fun? Oh no: this is central to enhancing your chances of winning. Ideally you want a lovely spread of numbers between 1-75 or 1-90 (depending on the bingo variant you are playing) as, theoretically at least, this will give you the best chance of success. Each number has an equal chance of being drawn, but how often do you think the first eight numbers drawn will be 1-8? Very, very rarely, that’s how. So make sure your tickets have a nice even spread.