Real Money Online Bingo Explained
Bingo is one of Britain’s most popular gambling pastimes. For years, these games existed solely in the domain of brick-and-mortar bingo halls, but today they can be enjoyed online at a range of different bingo sites. Online bingo can be played either for free or for real money, but it’s only in the latter format where players have the chance of landing a real cash prize.
As with all online casino games, bingo has many different variants. Below we’ve outlined some of the most popular, all of which you’ll find at the best real money bingo sites.
90 Ball Bingo
90 ball bingo is the favoured variant for many online bingo players. Players are typically required to buy a strip of six cards or tickets for each round, with each ticket made up of 27 squares on a 9×3 grid. Columns cover the length of the entire strip of cards, the first of which contains numbers one to nine. The columns then ascend in sequential order, with column two containing numbers 10 to 19, column 3 containing 20 to 29, and so on up to 90. 90 ball players can earn prizes in a couple of different ways: filling in one or two horizontal lines will see players win a small cash prize, while completing a full house, which involves crossing off the whole strip, will earn players a larger jackpot.
80 Ball Bingo
Since there are fewer numbers in play, 80 ball bingo games are shorter than 90 ball versions. Players will be issued a card composed of 16 numbers presented on a 4×4 grid. Horizontal lines also count as wins here, but players can make use of vertical and diagonal lines too. In addition to this, players will be made aware of the matching patterns available to them; these patterns are easily recognisable, such as a diamond or a cross, and generate prizes when crossed off.
75 Ball Bingo
The word ‘BINGO’ will be emblazoned across the top of your 75 ball bingo card, with a 5×5 grid located below. Numbers in the B column range from 1 to 15, then 16 to 30 in the I column, and so on across to 61 to 75 in the O column. In the centre of the grid, half way down the N column, the spot will already be crossed off before a ball has been called, and this is typically represented by a star. The three standard bingo lines – horizontal, vertical and diagonal – are all active in this game, as are specified patterns. To earn the top prize, players will need to cross off all 24 spots in what’s known as the coverall.
30 Ball Speed Bingo
As the name suggests, this is a much faster bingo variant played on a 3×3 grid with ten numbers in each column. Since there are fewer numbers in play, most bingo sites will only pay out real money prizes when players have ticked off all the numbers on their card.
Blackout Bingo
Blackout bingo is a higher stakes game that only has one route to success: simply cross off all the numbers on your card. These games can take place on any 90, 80, or 75 bingo card, and the difficulty of winning is reflected in the size of the prize.