Bingo is a varied and fascinating game that takes on many different types — yet the principle of bingo always remains the same!
You may be interested in learning to play online bingo but are unsure which games to start on. That’s understandable and something we at Unibet can help with.
We’ve created a massive bingo suite with various types of bingo to suit every player. And this guide will show you how those bingo games work, and what types of bingo we have on offer.
You’ll learn the differences between the major bingo games, as well as the terminology used across many of the variations.
It will help you understand bingo in greater depth and set you on your way to becoming a master at bingo!
Different types of bingo
The aim of bingo remains the same in whatever game you play. You buy a card(s) and wait for the numbers to be announced. If you fill a line before anyone else, you win. If you secure a Full House before anyone else, you win as well!
But within these basic principles of bingo there are many different rules and methods, varying cards and interesting jackpots that make the game even more fun. Below you will find the different types of bingo, as well as the wide variety of jackpots on offer.
90 Ball Bingo
This type of bingo is probably the one you’re most familiar with if you’ve played bingo in a hall or club before. 90 Ball Bingo is very straightforward. You will buy a card that has a random set of numbers from 1-90 on it. These numbers are set across nine columns and three rows. There are five numbers and four gaps per line. The aim is to complete a line before anyone else, and then go for a Full House.
What’s great about 90 Ball Bingo is that it’s very much a classic game. The 9x3 ticket dates back hundreds of years and 90 Ball Bingo is seen as the godfather of the game. Bingo is thought to have originated in Europe and became popular in British towns at the start of the 1900s.
If you’ve ever walked into a bingo hall and seen the tables set out, with prizes to be won and dauber pens at he ready, then you’ve probably also encountered 90 Ball Bingo.
There are three prizes to win in 90 Ball Bingo: 1 line, 2 lines and Full House. If more than one player hits the prize at the same time, it is shared (unless stipulated in the specific games rules).
90 Ball Bingo is probably the easiest bingo game to understand and the one many newcomers to bingo will head to. It’s reasonably fast but not overly complicated, making it the perfect game when you’re having an introduction to bingo.
75 Ball Bingo
This version of bingo is quite different from 90 Ball Bingo — but the general principles remain the same. In 75 Ball Bingo there are only 75 numbers available, rather than 90. And the numbers are scattered on a different card to the one you receive in 90 Ball.
When you enter the suite for a 75 Ball Bingo game, you will buy your ticket and a number of cards (depending on the game). Each card will be split into a 5x5 grid, with ‘B-I-N-G-O’ running across the top. Your numbers sit in these rows, under a certain letter. This is important as we shall now see.
When a ball is called, it will be allocated a number AND letter. For example, N71 is called. If that matches the number and letter on your card, you can mark it. Don’t worry, our online bingo player will mark the card for you, so you don’t have to do anything but watch!
The beauty of 75 Ball Bingo is that there are more pay lines than 90 Ball Bingo. The 75 Ball Bingo pay lines are as follows:
- 1 line
- 2 lines
- 3 lines
- 4 lines
- Full House
It is important to remember that Line 1 can be claimed vertically, horizontally or diagonally. However, lines 2, 3 and 4 can only be claimed horizontally. The Full House comes when your card is complete.
75 Ball Variant Bingo
75 Ball Variant Bingo is very similar to 75 Ball Bingo but with one key change. The big factor to know about 75 Ball Variant Bingo is that when you buy a ticket, you get three bingo cards. This means all 75 numbers available to each player are spread across three cards.
75 Ball Variant Bingo effectively ensures your numbers are more likely to pop up. Of course, they still need to be assigned a letter! But the beauty of 75 Ball Variant Bingo is you have three cards to watch over in one ticket.
Beginners Bingo for free
Here at Unibet we want to make sure you know exactly how the game works before you start playing bingo online. That’s why you can now get seven days’ access to the Beginners Bingo room and play for free! It’s a great way of getting used to the game and understanding the rules and various win lines.
Remember, the bingo halls all have a set ticket price, so you can always buy a ticket that is suitable to your range. Never feel as though you are playing outside of your comfort zone. Bingo is a fun game and one of the least technical games in the Unibet's online casino suite, so can be played at all abilities!
Different jackpots in Bingo
Online bingo offers a huge variety of jackpots that you should be aware of when you join a game. This does not correlate with players winning lines, but is instead the jackpot for whenever the game finishes. Usually this is within a certain number of balls being drawn. The sooner anyone gets a full house, the larger the jackpot will be that is then shared among the line and full house winners. You will see the jackpot totals at the start of the game.
Here are some of the jackpot types that can be triggered when the game is finished. Some players like to play on games with certain jackpots.
Fixed jackpot
A jackpot of a certain amount is fixed before the game even starts. For example, the Arena hall may have a fixed jackpot of $200 for 57 balls or fewer. Of course, there are still prizes for if you win lines or the Full House and the game lasts longer than 57 balls, but the jackpot cannot be obtained.
Progressive jackpot
This is when the jackpot is progressively bigger the earlier you win. For example in Grand Prix bingo, the jackpot will be highest if you can win in 37 balls. This jackpot amount decreases as the amount of balls increase.
Escalator jackpot
Escalator jackpots occur over a number of games. If the jackpot isn’t won in one game it gets turned over to the next one. The more games the jackpot isn’t won, the greater the escalated jackpot becomes.
Community jackpot
This is a popular jackpot when you’re hitting a bad streak in bingo, because even if you don’t win the game or a line, you can still win a share of the jackpot. Whoever claims the Full House and therefore ends the game will get a percentage of the community jackpot. The rest will be shared among all players who had a ticket in the game.
Bingo tournaments
Bingo tournaments are a great way to improve your bingo range and also compete with others for big cash prizes. We have created a huge number of tournaments in our bingo suite, so there is always something for everyone!
Tournaments work by pitting players against each other, so you’re competing with other bingo enthusiasts. When you join a tournament, you will have a period of time to complete certain tasks. This could be collecting tournament points through bingo wins or securing the biggest win in a specific game.
Each tournament will specify which games you can play on in order to secure qualifying points for that tournament. For example, in Big Bang Bingo, you can play on seven different bingo games in order to collect points. Whoever collects the most points over the five-day tournament wins their share in a $1,000 prize pool.
Basic bingo tournaments are free to opt in, so there is little risk from the player. The risk only comes with you paying for bingo tickets on the games. But if you were going to do that anyway, you might as well enter a tournament and see if you can win bonus prizes!