Bingo may have had its heyday in the 1920s and had revivals in the 1960s and 1980s, but it is still a hugely popular game the world over. Bingo has consistently had to change with the times to keep itself relevant. From art-deco theatres and halls to the electronic bingo of the 80s and mobile bingo of the 2000s, bingo has consistently evolved. The latest incarnation of the game sees Bitcoin bingo come to the screens of your tablets, smartphones, and computers. Is this version any different from those before it, and why might you consider betting on bingo with bitcoins? Do you need to learn all sorts of lingo and terminology to enjoy this game?
Bingo games can be found in Bitcoin casinos, but you’d be better off joining a bona fide bingo room. These often have a greater array of games for you to play. Wherever you choose to play, there are some things you need to know about bingo.
The ideal place to start your BTC bingo experience is to check out the three most popular versions of the game. Speed bingo and 30-ball bingo are options you can explore at your leisure, but we’d recommend you begin with 75, 80, and 90-ball bingo, as these are the most common.
75-ball bingo is the popular bingo variant in the United States and uses a 5×5 grid of numbers. The middle square on the card is often empty or pre-filled. The objective of 75-ball bingo is to cover the entire card. You can win a prize by marking all the numbers on your card as they are called out before any other player. This type of bingo game is known as a “Coverall” for obvious reasons.
80-ball bingo is, in many ways, rather like the 75-ball game. The card is smaller, though, being 4×4 in size. The primary difference between this game and 75-ball bingo is that you are looking to complete patterns. The patterns will differ from game to game. For instance, a game may allow you to cover just the four corner numbers, create a cross, or cover the four middle squares. There may be multiple prizes or just one. Special bingo games may be more adventurous, asking to complete picture patterns, such as teacups, Christmas trees, or others.
90-ball bingo is the UK’s bingo game of choice and arguably the one that has the most excitement behind it. These cards work differently. They come in a 3×9 grid, with five numbers on each of the three rows, accompanied by blank spaces. Don’t worry about the blank spaces – they mean nothing. This design is because numbers one to nine appear in the first column of the great, numbers 10-19 in the second, etc.
There are three prizes up for grabs in 90-ball bingo games. Completing a single line of numbers grants you the first prize. Completing two lines gets you another one. Covering the entire card is called a “house” and offers you the jackpot prize. The same player may win all three prizes, or several players may share in the spoils. Some of the jackpot 90-ball bingo games may have a predetermined number of calls, and if the prize has not been won by that call, it will roll over into the next game, getting bigger each time. These may be known as snowball or progressive games.
Of course, bitcoin bingo is a game of chance. No one would deny that luck plays the most important part in this crypto gambling game. If you don’t get decent cards, or your numbers aren’t called, you won’t win. Like a typical lotto, there is nothing you can do to influence your odds of success. However, we still have a few tips that are worth considering if you want to make your bitcoin bingo game more enjoyable. These include:
Bingo cards are often cheap, so we would recommend purchasing more than one card. Unlike with land-based bingo, you won’t be required to keep tabs on the numbers as they are drawn – they are crossed off automatically – so get yourself several cards.
Online bingo has its vocabulary and terminology, and we’re not just talking about call numbers, such as “Kelly’s Eye Number One” and “Two Fat Ladies Eighty-Eight” or “Two Little Ducks Twenty-Two”. Terms such as GTD, Roomies, 1TG, and 2TG are worth understanding. There are top bingo lingo guides out there to check out, and we’ve covered a few of these terms below in our FAQ guide to help you get started.
If you’re playing in a Bitcoin bingo room (as opposed to instant play bingo at a casino), you will encounter chat hosts. It is their job to keep you entertained. However, they may also have “teasers”, namely trivia questions. Some of these can provide additional prizes, such as free tickets, so keep your eyes peeled for those.
Look out for games that don’t cap the number of calls. This means that they will continue until there is a winner. Once you’ve found these games, opt to play the ones with the fewest players. Sure, with only a handful of players, the pot won’t be worth as much, but there will be fewer players between you and a win.
Be very careful when playing networked bingo games. Most bingo sites are part of a network, and players at your room’s “sister sites” are often invited to join your games. In short, players from several bingo sites end up playing the same games. This means that if you’re playing a network bingo game, a player may win the prize you are aiming for, even if they aren’t a member of your site. Conversely, you could also end up nicking their prize. Either way, the number of players in a game may be far more than those participating from your site.
Many Bitcoin bingo rooms have active communities of players and lots of different rooms. Many players form friendships with other competitors and regularly chat with them and the hosts. This makes bingo one of the friendliest of all Bitcoin betting games. There is a lot more fun and excitement to be had this way, rather than playing instant win bingo games at Bitcoin casinos.
While you could always opt to play bingo with fiat currencies, we’d recommend Bitcoin as the way to go. Bitcoin bingo is ideal as cryptocurrencies offer far quicker withdrawal times, lower fees than many fiat currency payment methods, and a great deal of anonymity. This is handy, even if you want to get friendly with some of the other players in your bingo community, as it keeps your activities hidden from prying eyes elsewhere.
Betting on bingo with bitcoins is a lot of fun, especially when you only need a call or two to pocket a prize. Not all Bitcoin casinos offer the games, though, so you may wish to explore top, dedicated bingo rooms as well as casinos. Wherever you choose to play, be sure that your selected site offers the following things…
There is no point risking any of your bitcoins if you aren’t playing on a secure and licensed site. Fortunately, most of the best domains are licensed, regulated, and certified as offering fair games, reliable payouts, and excellent support.
If you prefer 75-ball, 80-ball, or 90-ball bingo, then you need to be sure that your bitcoin betting site offers those games. Some only offer one or two of the options, while most of the best sites offer all three, and perhaps even others, such as Speed Bingo and 30-ball bingo, as briefly mentioned earlier.
We would recommend a bona fide bingo room over a bitcoin casino. They tend to offer more rooms, ensuring that there is less waiting time between the games. Moreover, because they are live games, not RNG video bingo or instant win titles, there is more excitement, and your stake doesn’t determine the amount you can win.
Opt to play in proper Bitcoin bingo rooms, and you could find yourself on the receiving end of bingo bonuses. These may include deposit offers, free tickets, buy one get one free (BOGOF) deals and offers, and much more besides. Bingo promos tend to appear less frequently at Bitcoin casinos.
Not all sites accept BTC for wagers. Oddly enough, some only permit Bitcoin deposits and withdrawals. This isn’t going to do. Be sure your chosen site lets you purchase tickets with BTC, too.
If that sounds like a lot of work, don’t worry. We’ve put together a top list of recommended Bitcoin bingo sites and casinos for you right here on our page. Any of these should work as a treat for you. Don’t hesitate to check out our reviews and give them a thumbing over to find the ideal Bitcoin bingo site for you.
Before you get lost in the fun and exciting world of bitcoin bingo, take a quick look at our FAQ for answers to some common bingo-related questions, including:
This is an RNG (random number generator) bingo game. It is not played with other players and has a limited number of calls. You’ll want to play live bingo games instead, and your best shot of finding them is at proper bitcoin bingo rooms rather than casinos.
A roomie is you or anyone else that is a member of a bitcoin bingo site. As you regularly play bingo games in chat rooms, you will be called a roomie.
GTD is bingo terminology, and it means guaranteed. If you see the term “GTD” posted next to a cash prize, it means that the prize pot listed is guaranteed to be won by at least one player, if not more, during the next game.
Call numbers originated in land-based bingo. They are fun little phrases attached to each number, originally to help players differentiate between the numbers. Aside from the ones already mentioned, other common call numbers include “Top of the Shop Ninety”, “Key in the Door Number Four”, “Unlucky for Some Thirteen”, and “Sweet Sixteen”. Before you ask, no - not all numbers have calls.
Again, this is more bingo lingo for you. 1TG means One to Go, and 2TG means Two to Go. In short, if you see this, this means that you have one or two numbers left to call until you win. Some 90-ball bitcoin bingo games offer consolation prizes if you finish needing just one or two numbers, so if you see 1TG or 2TG prizes up for grabs in a game, you’re guaranteed to pocket some sort of prize if you “almost” win.