Bingo Tutorial:
Master the Basics of Bingo

Bingo History

Any good Bingo guides starts with the history as a foundation. For the last few hundred years, bingo has worked into the culture of multiple European countries and eventually found its way into the United States. Despite the time and distance it's traveled, gamblers are still enjoying the same game as it’s been played since day one.

History credits the creation of bingo to Italy in the 1500s. During the 14th century, they had quickly developed a passion for betting on games of chance. They invented a lottery game which they referred to as ‘Lo Giuoco Del Lotto D’Italia.’ Lo Giuoco Del Lotto D’Italia was considered the first version of modern-day bingo.

The French were the next culture to embrace bingo. The upper class favored it, which they referred to as ‘Le Lotto,’ in the 1770s. The structure they followed wasn’t very different from the one players know and love today. Using bingo sheets featuring a 9×3 grid, players would follow the lead of a bingo caller, who would randomly select a wooden chip numbered 1-90. If a player had the chosen number on their board, they would mark it. The first player to cover an entire line of 9 was the winner.

As bingo grew in popularity in the 1800s it found its way to Germany. Rather than serving as a source of entertainment, it was used as an educational tool. By playing the Bingo, children were able to learn spelling, math, and history.

In the roaring 1920s, bingo gained a following in the United States. While the evolution of the game, and its name, are highly speculated, we do know that it was originally played under the name ‘beano.’ This stemmed from the player’s use of beans as card markers. Legend has it that during a game one very enthusiastic player declared her victory by yelling ‘bingo,’ rather than ‘beano.’ It stuck, and is still what we call it almost a hundred years later. A toy salesman named Edward Lowe further revolutionized the game by working to develop a system to increase number combinations on bingo cards. His charitable work with one Pennsylvanian church (who used the game for fundraising), helped contribute to the rise in the game’s popularity. More recently, an organization in the United States launched the country’s first entirely charitable online bingo website (www.ticketyboogames.org).

How to Play Bingo

Fortunately for bingo fanatics, the game can be enjoyed either in-person or from the comfort of your own home in an online format. Both offer slightly different experiences but deliver the same excitement none-the-less. (Wondering what the future of bingo will look like? The development of mobile bingo apps is on the rise!)

Land-Based Bingo:

The first necessary measure for a bingo game is to purchase admission. Depending on the venue, the player may be able to do this beforehand, or on-site. After players have found their seats, and it’s almost time to begin, the Bingo Caller will first announce that occasion’s prizes. When the Caller has completed the introduction, they’ll say ‘eyes down,’ indicating that it’s time for the game to begin. The Caller will pick and announce numbers using their selected method (traditional balls from a bingo tumbler, or from the use of a Random Number Generator (RNG)). When one of the numbers announced appears on a player’s card, the player will mark that square off.

The game continues until a player yells ‘bingo!’, which signals that they’ve marked off all the numbers that form a winning pattern on their card. Their card is checked by a staff member, and the game will either end, or continue, depending on the rules of the venue, and the number of prizes up for grabs.

Online Bingo:

For those who seek the thrill of betting but are reluctant to leave the comfort of their home, try online bingo. With the demand for at-home entertainment increasing, online bingo has become one of the most rapidly growing variations of online gambling. In 2004 the UK had 20 online bingo sites, and today you can find over 500 of them across the web.

The process of online bingo is similar to that of land-based: You enter in a (virtual) game, choose the number of cards you’d like, listen to the numbers being called, and declare when you’ve got a winning card. However online, the talking must be done via chat, the cards are marked on your computer screen, and a win is announced with the click of a mouse. Just like bingo played at a traditional casino, card styles and winning patterns can differ from game to game. Online bingo is already prominent in the United States and Europe and is expected to grow in Spain, Asia, and Latin America.

Bingo Rules

While different bingo venues and halls have different rules, the same general guidelines are applied everywhere; however, we’ve listed the general guidelines for both land and online-based casinos below:

Bingo:

Technicalities often differ between bingo halls, but there are common rules that you’ll need to follow, regardless of your venue:

• Get in (the game), or get out (of the hall): audience members who aren’t in play, are not permitted in the bingo hall
• Players are expected to remain quiet so that all other players can clearly hear the caller so that he/she doesn’t need to repeat numbers
• The only time the caller should be addressed during the game is if a player is requesting for the numbers to be called out slower or at a louder volume

Bingo Online:

In the case of online bingo games, there isn’t a need for restrictions on body language or noise level. The rules players are required to follow will vary from platform to platform. Before a game, especially your first experience, players are encouraged to read the rules and regulations that the website presents. Doing so will ensure a smooth game.

Just like any other type of betting game, bingo has odds. In bingo, the caller will traditionally choose from balls numbered 1 through 75. When the first call is made, the odds of a specific number on your card is 1 in 75. As the game progresses, with each ball selected, those odds increase. The more numbers that are chosen, the longer a game continues, and the higher the chance that each particular number has of being called. Go figure; if you stay in the game long enough, eventually you’re guaranteed to end up with a winning combination.

The Tippett Theory:

A theory regarding bingo odds, developed by L. H. C. Tippett, claims that the more numbers that are called in a game, the higher the odds are that those numbers will be closer to the set’s median (number 38). To take advantage of that, players expecting a longer game should (if possible) seek out cards with a surplus of numbers close to the median, and players expecting a shorter game should keep their eye out for a card with very high and very low numbers. The length of a game can be estimated by how easy it is to achieve a winning combination.

Bingo Strategy

One of the reasons why bingo is such a crowd-pleaser is because it doesn’t require much practice or strategy. Because it’s a game based almost entirely on luck, both novices and experts alike have equal chances of winning. Players can, however, take advantage of tips and techniques to try to swing the odds in their favor.

Bingo Tactics

The most common bingo tactic used, is playing with multiple cards at the same time. The more cards mean the more possible winning combinations, so it’s a no-brainer. It’s even more ideal if your assortment of cards incorporates a wide variety of numbers. The danger in a greater number of cards is not having time to check all the cards when a number’s called. Players should aim to have the maximum number of cards that they’re able to keep track of. Keeping ‘your eyes on the prize’ and maintaining focus during the game, will ensure that you mark your card properly. (Bonus: online bingo often offers an ‘Auto-Daub’ mode, which will mark off the called numbers on your card for you!)