Online Bingo Tips

This online bingo what's it all about then?

Well it's bingo (you know housey housey-two fat ladies and all that) but played on a computer. Just like a bingo hall - lots of real people on lots of computers playing bingo.

Right - well thanks for pointing out the bleedin obvious!-How is it different to the bingo I've played in a bingo hall?

No need to get shirty! Online bingo is pretty much the same as bingo in a bingo club only you've got a computer to do the hard work for you. In a normal game of bingo the player (that's you) has to keep up with the numbers being called and mark them off on their bingo tickets. However, in online bingo the computer will mark the numbers off for you so you'll never miss out on a prize because you forgot to shout "bingo" or you missed a number that had been called.

Yeah but I like to mark the numbers off - makes the bingo more interesting for me!

Well that's ok too! Online bingo sites always give players the option to mark off the numbers themselves with their mouse. (that's that thing you move the arrow around the screen with) You'll also find that at online bingo sites you get a much wider choice of bingo games than you'll find in land clubs. Often you can play 90 ball, 80 ball and 75 ball bingo all within the space of ten minutes - so lots of games for you try.

Alright smarty pants! So how do I pay for the bingo tickets? - I'm used to dealing in cash.

Most folks use a debit or credit card which they register with the online bingo site. The online bingo site will charge the card everytime the bingo player wants to top up their account (that's called a deposit). Some people prefer not to use a debit or credit card and they might use something like UKash or Paysafecard. Both of these payment methods let you top up a bingo account with cash (often at a PayPoint in a convenience store) and then you use it to credit your bingo account through the bingo website. When you want to buy bingo tickets the bingo site will debit you bingo site account for the cost of the tickets. The same thing applies to when you play fruit machines and slots at the bingo site - each spin will result in you bingo account being debited.

And if I win some money?

Well, if you win online bingo sites offer a number of ways to withdraw your winnings. However, to help them comply with the law bingo sites prefer you to withdraw the money in the same way you put it in. It's also worth mentioning that if you get a bonus (free bingo money) from an online bingo site they sometimes attach conditions to that money before you can withdraw it. You should read the rules about the bonus condition on each bingo site before you take advantage.

Ok so I've signed up got my money in the account and now all I can see is people in the chat room talking rubbish!

Ah! Although it looks like jibberish in the chat room they are actually using lots of little short hands to make typing the chat easier. So you'll probably see someone saying "lol" in the chat - that means 'laugh out loud'. Most bingo sites have a bingo lingo section where they translate all these short hand chat terms, so you should check that out.

Great I'll do that. I'm seeing a lot of chat about a "progressive jackpot" what the heck is that?

A progressive jackpot is bingo prize money that you can win on top of a normal bingo prize. It's called a progressive because the prize is always growing or progressing. As people play bingo for lines and houses a small amount of money goes towards building a big jackpot. At most bingo sites you can win this jackpot by getting bingo in a certain number of bingo calls. For example, a lot of full house bingos go with between 50 and 60 numbers called and to win a progressive Jackpot you might have to get full house in under 40 calls. Progressive jackpot winners are rare and are something which bingo players would love to win as they are often worth thousands of pounds.

Fine I'm all set! Anything else I should know?

You'll pick it all up very quickly! Bingo is a fun game and nice way to spend some leisure time. Don't forget that playing bingo is a form of gambling and you should visit www.gambleaware.co.uk to find out more about how gambling can affect you. If you've got any questions that you can't find the answer to, we'd be happy to help - just go to the contact us section of this website by clicking here. Enjoy and Good Luck!