While the game of bingo is centuries old, online bingo didn’t really take off until the mid 2000s. Today, you can either play bingo at a site that specializes in bingo, or go to a large gambling site that will offer bingo along side with sports betting, poker, casino, etc.
Online bingo is usually played directly in the web browser. If you want to play bingo on your smartphone or tablet, you can download an app or play in the browser of the mobile device.
Traditionally, different types of bingo has been played in different parts of the world, but this is beginning to chance due to the advent of online bingo rooms. For instance, 90 ball bingo used to be a hobby chiefly for U.S players, but 90 ball bingo is now played all over the world. 90 ball bingo is played with 90 bingo balls and a pretty straight forward 5 x 5 square bingo card, unlike the predominantly British 75 ball bingo which is played with 75 bingo balls and has a bingo card that – at least at first glance – looks a more complicated. But don’t worry, learning how to play 75 ball bingo is easy, especially online where you bingo cards are checked automatically. You never risk losing a prize just because your didn’t notice a bingo when you play bingo online.
80 ball bingo is popular in the Nordic countries, but can also be found in quite a few international bingo rooms online. Compared to 75 ball bingo and 90 ball bingo, 80 ball bingo is more rare and have fewer players. 80 ball bingo is usually played with a 4 x 4 square bingo card.
30 ball bingo is fast type of bingo, usually played with a 3 x 3 bingo card. You must mark your entire bingo card (all nine squares) to win something. This type of bingo will probably become more popular as more and more bingo enthusiast start playing bingo on their cell phones when they have a few moments pause in their daily life.
Within these four main categories (30 ball, 75 ball, 80 ball and 90 ball bingo) you can find a lot of variations, such as pattern bingo and variant bingo. When you play pattern bingo, your goal is to fully mark the pattern displayed on the bingo card.
Bingo chat
Bingo rooms online typically offer bingo chat, where you can chat with other bingo players. Sometimes bingo chat hosts will show up and arrange little contests in the chat window, where you can win small prizes (usually bonus money or a free bingo card). There are usually certain rules that must be followed in the bingo chat, e.g. no cursing. If someone creates a hostile environment, you can report them to the chat mod.
Some bingo rooms have taken the social aspect of bingo a step further, and will offer forum functions and the possibility of setting up your own online bingo profile and add bingo friends to a friends list. When a person has been added to your friends list, the two of you can exchange private messages.