The game of bingo needs little introduction. You’ve probably seen bingo halls scattered across the city on your travels, however you no longer need to visit one to win big. Thanks to our top sites, you can shout ‘bingo!’ from the comforts of home.

If you’re new to online bingo, you might need a little guidance. That’s where we come in. Check out our beginner’s guide for a quick run through everything you need to know before you get started.

Beginner’s Guide to Online Bingo

The basics

The most popular games are often those which are the easiest to play. You’ll be glad to know that bingo definitely falls into that category. It is a fun game of chance that just about anyone can play. In its bare form, it’s similar to a lottery. You kick things off by purchasing a ticket which features a grid of numbers. Numbers are called out at regular intervals. Your aim is for all of the numbers features on one of your tickets to be called out. Unlike a lottery which draws a set amount of numbers, bingo continues until a player wins.

There are a few variants of online bingo available but the basic rule set is the same. The most popular game is the classic 90-ball version. In this version, players will receive a bingo ticket with 15 numbers on it, like the one illustrated below:

Each card has 3 rows each containing 5 numbers. There are 9 columns on the card which helps to order the numbers, so the first column features numbers 1 - 9, column two contains numbers 10 -19 and so on. The empty spaces are irrelevant to the game. Numbers will be called at random and if they match those on your ticket, they will be crossed off. Most games payout in 3 stages:

• The first player to cross off all the numbers on 1 line
• The first player to cross off all the numbers on 2 lines
• The first player to cross off all the numbers on 3 lines - this is bingo (or house)

As you are playing against other bingo players, it’s possible that more than one player can win at the same time. When this happens, the prize is divided equally among the winners.

Bingo variations

In addition to the traditional 90-ball game, there are other popular bingo game variations. These include 80-ball bingo which uses a 4x4 bingo ticket with 16 numbers, and 75-ball (often referred to as American bingo), which uses a 5x5 ticket with 24 numbers on your ticket.

Jackpots

While some players play purely for fun, many players are looking to make a tidy profit. So the first question many of you will be asking is ‘how much can I win?’ The jackpot for winners varies largely, and can range between a few pounds up to tens of thousands, depending on the type of game you choose. Progressive bingo games feature the biggest jackpots currently available - you could land a life-changing 7-figures payout! As you can imagine, landing such a huge jackpot isn’t so easy. A progressive jackpot will only payout if a player wins in under a certain number of calls.

Play bingo!

Now that we’ve taken you through the ins and outs, you’re probably eager to get started. If you want to take advantage of the best bingo bonuses and promotions on the market, we recommend choosing from our list of top bingo sites. Our team of experts has scoured the internet and picked out the cream of the crop. All you need to do is compare, choose and play bingo!