Online bingo is a great source of entertainment worldwide. You only need to search using the phrase “Internet bingo” to see how many sites there are available to you as an online bingo player, at the last count in January 2015 when this article was updated there were over 400!
This article aims to arm you with all the information you need to make an informed choice when deciding on which site to play at. We will take you step by step through the different types of online bingo games you can play. There are sites where a software download is required and others that you can simply register too and play immediately after you have completed the registration process.
If you are new to online bingo you may be asking the question “What is the difference between online bingo and land bingo?”. Online bingo has much more to offer than land bingo….
Play ANYTIME
The main difference has to be that with online bingo you can play twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred and sixty five days a year if you so wish.
Ever missed a night out at land bingo because you car wont start? Not feeling too well? Bad weather conditions? With online bingo this isn’t something you ever need to worry about.
Online Bingo sites do not close for Christmas or bank holidays, they do not close due to staff illness or unforeseen acts of nature.
Your home – your rules
Playing online bingo means that you are sat in the comfort of your own home. This means that if you are a smoker you can still smoke! If you want to talk whilst a bingo game is playing, you can – nobody will “shhhhhhhhhh” you! If you win big, you can scream and shout and be a complete fruit loop with no funny looks and best of all, you never need to miss an episode of your favourite TV program!
Chat Games
These aren’t available at land bingo. They are games that are played in the chat rooms where you can win loyalty points. Loyalty points at most sites can be exchanged for money to buy bingo tickets.
An example of a chat game played is “Trivia” or “Quiz”
While you are playing bingo the Chat Monitor will ask a question, the first person to answer that question correctly will win, for example, 1000 loyalty points which equate to £/$ 1 of free bingo.
Some sites will play chat games for Bonus Bucks – again, these are equivalent to free money.
What land bingo hall just gives you free money to play bingo with? I’ve never sat in a bingo hall and one of the staff come over and give me a pound/dollar to play with.
Loyalty Schemes
Most online bingo sites offer a loyalty scheme. It varies between sites and software platforms as to the benefits offered but in general it works on the concept of the more bingo you play the more free money you earn.
You can read more about loyalty schemes here.
Auto Dab / Daub – Auto Claim
At land bingo, once the game has started you must stay at your table and mark off your cards…..playing online bingo you can leave your cards playing at not even be sat at your PC!
Most online bingo sites give you the option of letting the system do all the work for you or marking your cards yourself. Even if you choose the later option of marking the cards yourself, you will never miss a win as the system automatically stops a game when there is a winner.
How many times have you been sat in the bingo hall and someone has missed a claim because they didn’t shout loud enough or shout before the next number was called? This NEVER happens whilst playing online bingo.
Some bingo players like to change the colour of their dabbers for one line, two lines and full house – this option is available on some online bingo sites – you can evem change your dabber shape!
Card Sorting
This is an option you can set at many online bingo sites. It will ensure that your best card always shows first. Unlike at land bingo where you have to be eagle eyed to see which of your cards is nearest to winning.
Your cards will also change colour the nearer you get to Bingo, in general this is from when you only have three numbers to go.
Free Bingo
Many online bingo sites offer a free bingo room. These are great for trying a sites software and for when its nearing the end of the month and the purses (or wallets) aren’t as full as they once were.
Land bingo halls occasionally have free bingo sessions but they don’t provide free bingo 24 hours a day seven days a week.
You can read more about free bingo online here.
Bingo Variants
A lot of online bingo sites offer several different bingo variants of the bingo game to their players. All have both 75 and 90 ball bingo but since the game arrived on the Internet we have seen further versions added. You can now play 75 ball pattern and multiline as well as multipart, 30 ball, 50 ball and 80 ball as well as the traditional 90 ball bingo.
Read more about bingo variants here.
