Bingo Fest

A typical bingo dauber or bingo marker, which is commonly used by bingo players at bingo halls across the U.S.

Single games often have multiple bingos; for example, the players first plays for a single line; after that, play goes on until a full card is called; then, play continues for a consolation full card.

Players often play multiple cards for each game; 30 is not an unusual number. Because of the large numbers of cards played by each player, most halls have the players sit at tables to which they often fasten their cards with adhesive tape. To mark cards faster the players usually use special markers called daubers. At commercial halls, after calling the number the caller then displays the next number on a television monitor; bingo cannot be called until that number is called aloud, however.

Bingo is often used as an instructional tool in American primary schools and in teaching English as a foreign language in many countries. Typically, the numbers are replaced with beginning reader words (such as those drawn from the Dolch word lists), pictures, or unsolved math problems. Recently many teachers have taken to using software to automate the creation of bingo cards, as it is slow and laborious to do it by hand for large numbers of cards.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.

The numbers which are called in a game of bingo, may be drawn utilizing a number of methods to randomly generating the ball call. With the expansion of computer technology in bingo, electronic random number generators are now common place in most jurisdictions. However, some jurisdictions require mechanical ball draws which may utilize a randomly shuffled deck of bingo calling cards, a mechanical ball blower that mixes ping pong balls with blown air or a cage which is turned to mix small wooden balls. All methods essentially generate a random string of numbers by which players match to their bingo cards.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.

A typical American bingo card (showing with yellow dots some of the numbers selected)

The most common Bingo cards are flat pieces of cardboard or disposable paper which contain 25 squares arranged in five vertical columns and five horizontal rows. In addition, Dual dab, or “double-action” cards have two numbers in each square. Each space in the grid contains a number, except there may be one or more “Free” spaces, which are considered filled. Typically the game is played utilizing 75 numbers. The letters B, I, N, G, O are pre-printed above the five vertical columns, with one letter appearing above each column. The center space may be marked “Free”. The printed numbers on the card commonly correspond to the following arrangement: 1 to 15 in the B column; 16 to 30 in the I column; 31 to 45 in the N column; 46 to 60 in the G column and 61 to 75 in the O column, but in some cases, there can be the numbers (1-75) in any of the columns. In U-Pick’Em bingo and other variants of bingo, players are issued three 25 number cards which contain all 75 numbers that may be drawn. Players then mark which numbers they wish to play and then daub those numbers according to the numbers drawn.

There are about 5.52*10²⁶, (exactly 15⁵ × 14⁵ × 13⁵ × 12⁵ × 11⁴) possible arrangements of the numbers on a bingo card.

The most chips one can place on a Bingo board without having a Bingo is 19, not counting the free space. In order for this to happen, only one empty cell can reside in each row and each column, and at least one empty cell must be in each diagonal, for instance:

O O _ O O
O _ O O O
O O F O _
O O O _ O
_ O O O O

Note: in addition to a straight line, many bingo halls consider other patterns as a valid “bingo”, usually in special games. For example, in the illustration above, the 2×2 square of marked squares in the upper right-hand corner would be considered a “postage stamp”. Another common special game requires players to cover the four corners.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.

Bingo is a game of chance played with randomly drawn numbers which players match against numbers that have been pre-printed on 5×5 matrices. The matrices may be printed on paper, card stock or electronically represented and are referred to as “cards.” Many versions conclude the game when the first person to achieve a specified pattern from the drawn numbers. The winner is usually required to call out the word “Bingo!”, which alerts the other players and caller of a possible “win”. All wins are checked for accuracy before the win is officially confirmed at which time the prize is secured and a new game is begun. In this version of bingo, players compete against one another for the prize or “jackpot”.

Alternative methods of play try to increase participation by creating excitement. Since its invention in 1934, modern bingo has evolved into multiple variations, with each jurisdiction’s gambling laws regulating how the game is played. There are also nearly unlimited patterns that may be specified for play. Some patterns only require one number to be matched, up to cover-all games which award the jackpot for covering an entire card and certain games award prizes to players for matching no numbers or achieving no pattern.

Links

• Bingo at the Open Directory Project
• BBC article on Bingo Calling
• History of Bingo

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.

The prevalence of the game Bingo online has dramatically increased the number of online gamers and many online gaming community members in the UK have taken up to start learning and participating in bingo. For those interested in knowing the popularity the game has reached in the UK, here are a few details: As per the statistics, each person in the country draws about 24 numbers each minute. The game lasts around five minutes in an average full game in the country and the time a person takes to figure out his ticket has won is approximately 30 seconds. There are a reported 700 bingo halls where frequent bingo games and tournaments are held regularly.

There is a supposed three hundred million bingo players all over the country and the number is still growing. And the most common thing that anyone can guess, PayPal is used as the payment processing service for playing bingo online and to pay online too. Most users use the service and the funds are transferred as soon as possible from most bingo sites after announcing winners of a tournament. The survey was taken in a dynamic state of the advent of the game and it has been estimated that the numbers are increasing rapidly and may got to reach high numbers in a few years after many learn and start promoting the game by calling their friends to play online. Also, many users prefer joining UK bingo sites just to be at a place that offers the best prizes. Bingo online is growing on Internet for more than twelve years, since this famous type of gaming became the game of selection for the people of different ages. There is the profusion of online bingo sites that the player may select from and play bingo on this web site.^[1]

References

This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.

Since the introduction of the electronic Random Number Generator (RNG) in Bingo Halls in the UK, the usage of the nicknames above in mainstream Bingo has dramatically decreased. Bingo with an electronic RNG is much less time consuming and it has been discovered that replacing the nicknames with a simple repetition (in the pattern “All the fives, fifty five” or “Two and four, twenty four”), has allowed bingo halls to focus on the more lucrative business of Mechanised Cash Bingo (MCB), known in Gala Bingo Clubs as Party Bingo, Mecca Bingo Clubs as Cashline & most independent clubs refer to it as either the two previously mentioned names or ‘table top’ (relating to the fact that the boards are usually built into the table in front of the player) or ‘Mini Cash Bingo’.

It is perhaps nostalgic to note that the usage of these nicknames tends to be greater where the focus of playing bingo is upon fun rather than big business; this includes British holiday resort chains such as Haven, British Holidays and Pontins, and also church halls, social clubs etc.

Bingo originates from the Italian lottery, Lo Giuoco del Lotto D’Italia. From Italy, the game spread to France and was known as Le Lotto, played by the French aristocracy. Bingo as we know it today was used in 19th century Germany as an educational tool to teach children multiplication tables, spelling and even history.

This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.

A typical “dabber” or “dauber”, used for both U.S. and U.K. bingo tickets

In New Zealand and Australia, housie is often used as a fund raiser by churches, sports teams, and other groups, and raffles are sold before the game.

Bingo, which used to be known as Housey Housey in the United Kingdom, is an expanding and highly profitable business, with many companies competing for the customers’ money. It too is often organised by churches, charities and social and sports clubs as a way to raise funds.

The three largest companies with bingo halls in the United Kingdom are:

• Mecca Bingo Ltd. (part of The Rank Group plc)
• Gala Bingo (Gala Coral Group Ltd.)

In Northern Ireland, one of the largest bingo club groups is the Planet Bingo Group, with seven clubs in the following towns/cities:

Antrim
Carrickfergus
Belfast
Newtownards
Portadown

Online Bingo is also becoming increasingly popular with many different companies launching sites including Ladbrokes and The Sun.

As well as offering the familiar Housie/Bingo played by marking numbered books, most large clubs have their tables modified for the playing of Cash Housie or Mechanised Cash Bingo [Parti Bingo] (using coin slots or, increasingly in the 21st century, an electronic credit system). This is highly profitable for the operator, with a typical “take” of fifty percent of the stake.

Mechanised cash bingo differs from paper bingo, because it is played on a plastic bingo board, that is 4×4 square, and split up into four columns of colours. The customer chooses when they want to play, and insert a credit into a coin slot. The company involved will then use a computer (called a stage rig controller) to automatically take a “participation fee” which is set by the operator (usually between 40% and 60%). The rest of the credit is then put into the prize pool to be played for. There are only 80 numbers in play. The numbers are called a lot faster by the caller (usually around 1.5 seconds a number) and when a customer has a winning combination they press a claim button to stop the game. This is profitable for the operator as the games are so fast, and a huge parfee can be made in a few minutes. Winning combinations are usually any line down, across, diagonal, four corners or four centre squares.

In Northern Ireland bingo clubs, where the laws governing bingo games are different from in England, Scotland and Wales, it is common, when playing “parti bingo” for the caller to announce that a position or “card” has won, and ending the game, without the participation of the person playing. This enables the customer to play more positions in hope of a better chance of winning.

This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.