If you're keen to experience bingo online, then this guide covers all the rules of bingo. We look at the different variants of the game and teach you their bingo rules to win. There will be a piece discussing the tips you should use and looking at the best ways to practice bingo.
Bingo Game Rules
Bingo is indeed one of the most simplistic games you can play. If you know how to count, that is about as much skill there is when it comes to playing. The bingo game is a much-loved pastime for many and for those new to the game, like yourself, you will come to appreciate just why this game is one of the most thrilling gaming options you could hope to find inside the best online casinos we have recommended for Kiwi players.
✅ Bingo can be played live or as a virtual machine
✅ There are different variations of bingo to play online
✅ Bingo is a lottery classed game based on random numbers
The bingo game rules are simple and if you have played it before, then you will be amazed how online bingo has evolved, so much so, you could play with your eyes closed!
Not only will you learn from this guide how to play bingo, but we will share with you the chances of winning and from those odds what player wins equate to.
Bingo is wholly a random numbers game; it is a game that is found in the category of lottery and sometimes categorised in the menu of games by online casinos as 'Specialty' games.
Now, let us look at the different rules for all you new players that are going to be participating in the game anytime soon.
90-ball Bingo Rules
90-ball bingo is your more traditional game, known best and played most inside bingo halls and here online. Knowing how to play bingo NZ players can use the same principles to play in both environments, the same rules and principles apply when playing bingo whether it is online or offline, so to speak.
How to play bingo instructions:
- Players are to purchase a bingo gaming card, often referred to as a ticket.
- A single card contains three rows of numbers with 5 random numbers per row.
- The bingo caller i.e. the machine, will drop numbered balls at random.
- Players must mark off the same numbers that correspond to their ticket.
Note: At this point we must note that with virtual machines of bingo, the rules of playing somewhat change. There are no individual prizes per line as you would normally get with land-based bingo games. Virtual bingo is an all-in game with a one-off jackpot for all matching numbers.
- Prizes can be won per line. Thusly, bingo allows you to win three times in one session.
- Once you have marked all 15 numbers on a single ticket and before anyone else, you win the main jackpot of that session.
Online Vs Real Games
There are changes when taking bingo as a game principle that is traditionally played as a social game. Bingo is a full-blooded multiplayer game with participants competing against one another. Putting that into a virtual machine just isn't possible for practical and obvious reasons.
All the virtual bingo machines are, therefore, solo games. This means you will not be able to challenge for each line prize and you normally would in a 'real' game of bingo.
When you load up a bingo game online, you will be playing the single round for all required numbers.
Gaming Options
With online bingo, there are a number of gaming options to bear in mind. The amount you purchase a bingo card at can affect the size of the jackpot. With 'real' bingo a player can normally by a book that offers all 90 numbers spread over 6 cards. Not all online virtual games do this. You will find that some bingo cards provide the full 90 with no separation to the numbers, then there are some games with player options for you to regulate more or the game and how you play and to what prize value you will win.
Virtual bingo also has a gaming modulator so you can play in auto-mode. Simply select the number of games and hit auto. You can put your feet up, lean back and watch the numbers drop.
Note: All online bingo games are fully accessible to mobile smartphone users.
Live Bingo Rooms
Bingo online is not just confined to virtual machine games. There are a number, though rare, unique bingo sites that offer players a chance to play against each other inside of specialist live bingo rooms.
Live bingo takes the game to a whole new level with more familiar surroundings. Players will have multiplayer experiences, interaction and communication can be had via the rooms Chat option and each room has their own individual jackpot to be won.
Playing live is certainly more dynamic and for any true bingo fan, this is the format you're going to want to play all day and night.
There are a series of rooms that require reservation beforehand, primarily because they are too popular to fit enough players in. You want rooms to be fair, so rather have 1 million people around the world in one bingo room, the numbers are drastically reduced to give people a fairer opportunity.
Jackpots and Payouts
Another benefit of playing online bingo games is the winnings. When it comes to playing any other form of online casino game, for example, slots, slots are not independent of the casino that offers them. Slot-x in New Zealand is being played in some other part of the world, for the same jackpot prize. Bingo jackpots and bingo rooms are independent of the casino you join and that means, when you play in that live bingo room, only those in that room at that time can win the jackpot because it is not connected to the wider casino network.
80-Ball Bingo
80-ball is a variant of bingo, not as widely played as the traditional form of bingo but nevertheless provides an alternative to how you can play and win real money from the game.
It provides faster gaming for obvious reasons and still conforms to the basic rules of play in that you have to match the number displayed on your ticket/card.
How to Play 80-ball
The number are 1 through to 80. With an online format of this game, your card or ticket will look slightly different from what the 90-ball game provides. The grid of the card is now played with 16 numbers as opposed to the 15 of a traditional card.
Just like any virtual machine, you will be playing for the full 16 numbers in one go, so this variant is also not sectioned into row categories for a win at a time.
You can indeed select more than one single ticket so you can play with all 80 numbers. Remember, the more tickets you play with the requirement to pay more will boost the value of the jackpot you can win.
- Load the 80-ball bingo game.
- Select the value you wish to purchase the ticket for and how many tickets.
- You can then select auto or play manually.
- The numbers will drop from the machine and, in turn, highlight those on the ticket that match.
- Matching all 16 on a ticket leads to a win.
There are some 80-ball games online that do allow you to win minor prizes for landing a horizontal win of 4 numbers, diagonal of 4 and a vertical of 4. You can also win a prize for getting each cornered numbers of the grid and the central 4 numbers. This completes just the first round of betting.
The second allows you to win with both two central lines completed, the four corners and central square and the two central vertical rows.
For the third betting, the final one before the full house, you can win from three horizontal lines, a horizontal and diagonal and vertical, or from completing three vertical rows.
75-ball Bingo Rules
Another variation of the traditional 90-ball game, 75-ball is actually one of the more popular variants of the game. For American players, this is their traditional form of bingo gameplay. Here you will find the grid is completely different forming a 5 x 5 layout with 25 areas, all numbered with the exception of the middle square. 75-ball still plays with the same rules in that you must have all numbers marked in order to win the jackpot.
How to Play 75-Ball
Row one consists of random 5 random numbers between 1 and 15.
Row two consists of random 5 random numbers between 16 and 30.
Row three consists of random 4 random numbers (plus free space) between 31 and 45.
Row four consists of random 5 random numbers between 46 and 60.
Row Five consists of random 5 random numbers between 61 and 75.
This is your card or ticket and with this, there are many ways in which you can win single prizes. Like all other virtual games, the prizes you win are determined in value by the amount you purchase a ticket for.
- Load the 75-ball bingo game.
- Select the value you wish to purchase the ticket for and how many tickets.
- You can then select auto or play manually.
- The numbers will drop from the machine and, in turn, highlight those on the ticket that match.
- Matching all 24 on a ticket leads to a jackpot win.
Winning patterns include:
- Double Line Win: Completion of two full lines running diagonally, horizontal and vertical.
- X Win: Two alternating diagonal lines forming an 'X' on the ticket
- Full House (blackout): Covering all numbers to win the jackpot.
Tips on How to Play Bingo
As with any online casino game, player strategies are always available. Here we highlight a number of tips that will help you play, win and gain advantage over the other players looking to beat you to the game's jackpot prize.
- Know the Game: Learn the rules before you play.
- Learning: Practice on free demo games to find the variant of bingo you prefer.
- Rewards: Use special bingo bonuses to boost your bankroll to bet with.
- Timing: Don't play bingo when you think it might be a busy time too.
- Better Odds: Play using multiple tickets to help increase your odds.
- Cheaper Gaming: It's easier to build small moderate wins by betting low, than hoping to win big by paying more.
Daniel Chapman is our Editor-in-Chief. A man of many talents, he has been with OCNZ for the past three years. He graduated from the University of Waikato with a Master of Arts degree, so he knows what he is doing when it comes to ensuring that all of the content we publish is epic.