Bingo Online: Play Bingo Online
Bingo is a very popular game in the US, with bingo halls located all over the country. However, many people nowadays prefer playing online bingo, and if you’re one of them, you’ve come to the right page. In this detailed guide, we’ll help you get the best possible online bingo experience. First of all, we’ll present some of the best bingo platforms available for US players.
Best bingo game providers
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How does online bingo work?
Bingo is one of the simplest games of chance out there. Even if you have no experience playing bingo whatsoever, you shouldn’t have any issues getting into the swing of things and enjoying the game with your friends (and other players in the US). First of all, you need to join a bingo site and open an account, provided that you want to play online bingo. If you’re playing it in a bingo hall, you can jump straight to buying bingo cards, which leads us to the second step.
Second, you need to choose a bingo room, as online bingo sites usually have more than one. Each room is unique, so make sure to study them all to pick the one you’ll enjoy the most. Drawings take place regularly in every room, but the time between two drawings might be different depending on the room you select. Next, you need to buy a bingo ticket to take part in the drawing. There are many versions of bingo, but the most popular one has 25 random numbers on a 5×5 grid. You need to buy a card to take part in a bingo game.
Finally, when the drawing starts, you’ll have to cross out the numbers that are selected. The first player to cross out five numbers in a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) has made a bingo and is the winner, receiving a monetary prize.
The legality of online bingo in the United States
Bingo belongs to the category of social gambling, meaning it’s not really “pure” gambling such as slots or roulette, but it still needs to be regulated. That said, bingo is still illegal in some US states and heavily regulated in others. Speaking of online bingo, however, it’s safe to say that it’s only completely legal in the states that legalized all forms of online gambling, such as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Michigan, and Nevada.
Each of these states has regulated bingo in its own way, so it’s worth checking out what you can and cannot expect from online bingo sites if you’re in one of them. New Jersey was the first state to legalize online gambling, meaning online bingo has been legal in the Garden State the longest. Other states joined later.
One thing is certain — online gambling is under huge expansion in the United States, and online bingo is a very popular game with thousands of fans in the country. This means that we’ll probably see many other states legalize this form of gambling in the near future, especially because bingo is not considered high-level gambling. That’s the main reason why it’s listed under social gambling — a separate category with different rules to casino gambling.
That said, many real money online casinos offer bingo games as part of their offer. In fact, they have a decent selection of various bingo games. Online casino gambling is available in all states listed in this part of the article.
Free & real money bingo
The world of online bingo presents players with 2 simple but very different choices when deciding to play bingo. Playing for free or for real money both have their pros and cons. Let’s take a look.
Online bingo for free
One way to play bingo online is without using real money. If you’re new to the world of bingo, this would probably be the best way to start. Instead of using actual money, you’ll get fake coins that you can use to purchase bingo tickets. If you get a bingo, you’ll also get a reward in the form of fake coins.
Even though you’re not playing for real, you can still experience the social aspect of playing bingo, which means hanging out with other fellow bingo lovers and having fun together.
There are plenty of bingo platforms that offer bingo for free. The good news is that many of them also offer real money bingo, which means you can switch to playing for actual cash amounts any time you want. To do that, you’ll have to become a registered member and make a deposit.
Let’s explore this more serious form of bingo play.
Online bingo for real money
Real money bingo is the real deal as it also offers you a chance to win lucrative prizes in addition to having fun with other bingo lovers.
There are far more real money bingo platforms than free ones out there, but they also require you to open an account.
The registration process is usually very easy. You’ll have to provide some essential info about you, including your name, username, email, SSN, and more (depending on the site). Registration is necessary because you need to make a deposit and use the deposited funds to buy bingo tickets.
You’ll notice that some tickets are more expensive than others, but that’s mainly because some final prizes are bigger than others. Simply put, more expensive bingo tickets usually mean more money for the winner. Another benefit of playing bingo for real money is the ability to claim various bonuses offered by bingo sites, but we’ll get to that later.
4 Bingo variations you can play online
Below are some of the most popular versions of online bingo in the US right now.
30 Ball Bingo
This type of bingo is also called Speed Bingo as rounds last much shorter compared to other forms since only 30 balls are in the game. Cards have a total of nine numbers on a 3×3 grid. The good news is that you can still win hefty prizes if you make a bingo.
75 ball bingo
Instead of the traditional 90 balls, this type of bingo uses 75 of them, and the goal is to make a pattern on your grid. Patterns may vary per game. For example, you might need to make a triangle or pyramid to call bingo.
80 ball bingo
80-ball bingo is played on a 4×4 card, and players need to make a pattern of winning numbers as indicated on the bingo card. It’s very similar to 90-ball bingo, except that it features fewer balls and is created exclusively for online players.
90 ball bingo
The bingo played with 90 balls is considered traditional bingo, and it’s also the most popular variation. The goal is to mark either one or two lines or get a full house within 90 calls. If you manage to reach your goal within 45 balls, the prize is even bigger.
5 bingo strategies you should know
Bingo is a simple game of chance and unlike some other table games, it does not require much skill or any complicated strategy or technique. Having said that, below are some tips and strategies which some bingo players rely on.
Granville strategy
American stock market analyst Joseph E. Granville published this simple system in 1977. The strategy always picks a ticket that has the same amount of high and low numbers, odd and even numbers, and numbers that end 0 – 9.
Tippett strategy
L.H.C Tippett was an English mathematician who came up with another simple strategy. First, always choose tickets that feature numbers closer to 1 and 75 for short bingo games. For long bingo games, always choose tickets that have numbers closer to 37 and 38.
Manage your bankroll
Budget plays an important role in playing any gambling game, and bingo is not an exception. There are no special strategies regarding the budget. The only rule you should consider is setting your win and loss limits and end your bingo session once you reach either.
Check number patterns
Before any game, it’s a good idea to check whether card patterns will be static, crazy, or Wild. Online bingo sites have been known to change winning number patterns to keep games fresh.
Strategy for picking the right bingo games
Before starting to play a bingo game, it’s important to closely analyze the platform offering it, available bonuses, prizes, security, and more. We will expand on this in the next section.
What to look for in an online provider?
Before settling for one bingo site, you need to pay attention to several things to get the best possible experience. Here’s a quick checklist for you.
- Make sure it’s available in your state.
- Check out the available bingo games and their variations.
- Check the welcome bonus and whether it applies to bingo games.
- Explore other bonuses for regular customers.
- Read more about the overall bingo site on our professional reviews.
- Check available deposit and withdrawal methods.
- Check the quality of customer support.
- Pay attention to deposit and withdrawal limits.
Types of bingo bonuses
Here are some of the most popular types of bingo bonuses.
- No deposit bonus — This is usually a small amount of money awarded to players who become registered members in an online casino or on a bingo platform. Sometimes, you get access to free-roll bingo rolls instead of receiving money. Another name for this type of bonus is the sign-up bonus.
- Welcome bonus — Welcome bonuses are awarded to new players who decide to open an account and make a deposit to an online bingo site. They are usually related to the amount you deposit. For instance, a 100% welcome bonus will give you the amount of bonus money that equals your deposit amount.
- Cashback bonus — This bonus gives you some of your lost money back. For example, if you lose $100 on playing bingo and a 10% cashback bonus is activated, you’ll get $10 back to your account, and you can use them to play bingo again.
- Reload bonus — Reload bonuses are similar to welcome deposit bonuses, except that they are usually aimed at regular customers and are not as lucrative. For instance, a reload bonus might award you 50% on your deposit, so if you deposit $100, you’ll get $50 in bonuses.
Advantages & disadvantages of bingo bonuses
Advantages of Bingo Bonuses
- Great motivation — New players who claim a welcome bingo bonus can be motivated by receiving an additional sum. This means you can enjoy your experience even more and not worry about losing your money.
- A way to explore bingo games — You can use the bingo bonus money to analyze the site and try plenty of bingo variations available on it.
- Variety of bonuses — Bonuses for bingo games come in all shapes and sizes, including no deposit bonuses, free tickets, reload bonuses, cashback, and more.
- Earn prizes while learning to play — If you’re a total novice in the world of bingo, a welcome bonus can help you learn to play the game without losing your deposited money.
Disadvantages of Bingo Bonuses
- Wagering requirements — Many bonuses need to be wagered through a certain number of times before they become available for withdrawal. Sometimes, the wagering requirements can be quite high, which players might not like.
- Expiry dates — Most online bingo bonuses have expiration periods, after which they are not available to you anymore. If the bonus is available for 15 days, you must spend it or meet the wagering requirements during that period. If you fail to do that, the bonus will be forfeited.
- Frequency — There are plenty of online bonuses for casino games, but bingo-specific ones aren’t that frequent. For example, bonuses aimed at online video slots are much more frequent simply because slots are more popular than online bingo.>
Is online bingo rigged?
It’s a fair question. One thing we can say for sure is that all the online bingo sites featured on this page are not rigged. They are all licensed and regulated by official regulatory bodies, which means they underwent thorough fairness and trustworthiness checks. Moreover, these bingo sites use a Random Number Generator (RNG) technology, which is used in all online gambling games and ensures that the outcome is always random. In other words, the numbers that are drawn are completely arbitrary — the possibility that they are set up or rigged in any way is non-existent. That said, there are plenty of unregulated bingo platforms out there, and you want to be careful with them to avoid possible complications.
Payment and withdrawal bingo sites
To play bingo for real money, you first need to use one of the payment options to load your bingo account with funds. The good news is that most platforms offering online bingo accept the most popular payment methods, including credit and debit cards, e-wallets, bank transfer, and more. Still, each platform accepts a different selection of payment options, so you need to pick the one that accepts your preferred one. This also applies to withdrawals. Mind you, the list of withdrawal methods is often slightly different from the deposit one, as not all methods that are used for depositing are available for cashing out. Also, it’s important to keep an eye on the minimum and maximum deposit and withdrawal limits when selecting a bingo platform.
Your Questions Answered
The history of bingo
Some forms of early bingo are said to have originated in ancient China. However, what’s closest to the modern form of bingo is a game called Il Gioco del Lotto d’Italia, or the Italian Lottery. The game quickly spread across Europe in the 18th century, including France, where French nobility named it Le Lotto.
The game was standardized and introduced in US carnivals by Hugh J. Ward, as it became popular in Pittsburgh and in the area of Western Pennsylvania. Ward even copyrighted the game and published a book of rules in 1933.
Another person who popularized bingo in the US was Edwin Lowe, who produced two additional versions of bingo and introduced it to New Yorkers.
The game’s popularity continued to increase throughout the 20th century. Moreover, it underwent a revival of sorts with the introduction of online bingo.