Bingo Rules

Bingo Summary

To play Bingo or online bingo first thing you need to know is Bingo rules. Bingo is kind of like a lottery, and the basic Bingo rules are simply this: each player purchases one or more cards divided into numbered and blank squares. A Bingo banker picks numbers randomly, usually up to 75 or 90 in all. As the numbers are called, all of the players scan their Bingo card or cards to see if that number appears. If the number appears it is marked off for the duration of the game. According to Bingo rules the first player to achieve a card (or a line) in which all of the numbers have been called shouts "Bingo" and collects the stake money (usually less a specified percentage, if that is permitted by local law).

How to Play Bingo

By the Bingo rules a Bingo card contains 24 numbered spaces and one free space (blank), with which you play Bingo. The numbers are assigned at random on each card and are arranged in five columns of five numbers each by five rows (5 x 5 = 25 in total including the blank square).

- The numbers in the ‘B’ column are between 1 and 15;

- The numbers in the ‘I’ column are between 16 and 30;

- The numbers in the ‘N’ column (containing four numbers and the free space) are between 31 and 45;

- The numbers in the ‘G’ column are between 46 and 60;

- And, finally, the numbers in the O column are between 61 and 75.

Bingo players have thousands of unique (unduplicated) cards to choose from. Some manufacturers print unduplicated series of 6,000 Bingo cards. There are also series of 9,000 bingo cards available. According to Bingo rules cards always have a series number printed on them. For example, card number 1252 will always have the same numbers in the same spaces.

Bingo players buy cards with numbers on them in a 5 x 5 grid corresponding to the five letters in the word B-I-N-G-O, as it was described above. By Bingo rules numbers such as B-2 or O-68 are then drawn at random (out of a possible 75 in American Bingo, and 90 in European Bingo called Tombola) until one player completes a 'Bingo' line with five numbers in a vertical, horizontal or diagonal row on one of their cards and wins the prize.

The Bingo numbers are announced quickly by the banker, so you must pay careful attention to the numbers that are called and mark them quickly and accurately on  Bingo your card(s). The caller keeps calling numbers until one or more players claim Bingo. Then according to Bingo rules the game stops and the numbers are verified. If there is a winner, the prize is awarded and a new Bingo game begins with new cards. If there is more than one winner, the prize is split among all the winners.

When playing online bingo, Bingo cards are randomly selected for the player. By Bingo rules most online bingo games give you 3 or 4 cards. Other cards games let you take more. Every online bingo game has a banker or a display board for the bingo numbers. The online bingo pattern is also display Bingo rules for online bingo.