Bingo has historically been one of the most popular forms of entertainment, with its simplicity appealing to millions of people around the world.
The game was traditionally seen as an exclusively working-class pursuit, particularly where the United Kingdom was concerned.
That stereotype led to a major dip in bingo’s popularity towards the end of the last century as people turned to pursuits that were viewed as being trendier.
However, the creation of the internet helped to spark a resurgence in the game, with gambling operators seeing opportunities to introduce it to a completely different demographic.
Fast forward to 2020 and there are a plethora of online bingo sites operating, each of which try to offer their own unique twist on this iconic game.
Read on as we take a closer look at some of the most popular versions of bingo games currently available to play online.
90-Ball Bingo
The most commonly used version of online bingo is 90-ball bingo, which generally forms an integral part of leading sites such as 888 Ladies Bingo.
The numbers are randomly called out by the ‘caller’ and if they appear on a ticket they are marked off by the game’s software or manually by the player.
Cash prizes are awarded for the first player(s) who complete a single line, two lines and the full house, with the latter generating the largest amount.
The payout is determined by the number of players who opted into the game and the cost per ticket, with the site creaming off a percentage to cover their operating costs.
75-Ball Bingo
This version of the game is most popular in North America, with the tickets formatted in a 5×5 grid as opposed to 3×9 set-up in 90-ball bingo.
Each spot on the chart in 75-ball bingo contains a number, apart from the centre square which is labelled as “FREE”.
In addition to lines and full houses, this version of bingo often offers prizes if players complete pre-determined patterns such as letters or crosses.
With less numbers to call 75-ball bingo can be fast and furious, giving it much greater appeal to players at the lower end of the age scale.
Bingo Roulette
If you love playing casino games then Bingo Roulette will be right up your street, as it seamlessly blends these two popular games into one.
Your bingo card is transformed into a game of roulette and each one you buy is a strip of five random numbers from the roulette table.
The caller is replaced with a spinning roulette wheel and ball, which are used to reveal the numbers of the game.
Players can buy a maximum of 96 tickets per game and the first person to fill five numbers is the winner of the full house prize.
Flash Fives
Flash Fives is another innovative development which merges casinos and bingo to form a unique twist on this hugely popular game.
It is played with playing cards instead of numbered bingo balls, with each ticket called a ‘hand’, and includes five playing cards out of the standard 52-card deck.
A caller calls out playing cards randomly and if they appear on the player’s ticket, they are covered by a chip.
The first player to cover all five playing cards on a ticket wins the game and receives the full house prize pot into their bingo account.
Online Bingo Games – The Final Word
Operators are continually looking for ways to add a different twist to bingo and more exciting new games are expected to be launched over the next couple of years. The online bingo boom is undoubtedly here to stay!
