New to bingo, whether in a hall or online? Or are you a 90 ball bingo loyalist and fancy trying out a game of 5 line bingo? You might find our guide helpful – on this page we go through the rules of four of the most popular forms of bingo played on bingo sites – 90 ball bingo, 75 ball bingo, 80 ball bingo and 5 line (Swedish) bingo.
90 ball bingo is the most common form of bingo played in the UK and is played both in bingo halls and online – pretty much every bingo site you play on will offer 90 ball bingo! As can be expected, there are 90 balls in play.
The bingo cards in this game are made up of three horizontal rows and nine columns. There are fifteen numbers printed on each card, ranging from 1-90 and printed randomly. The online game is usually played with strips of six tickets with all 90 numbers in play, although they can also be bought individually.
There are three chances of winning a prize – by getting one line, two lines or full house. Sometimes the same person can win all three prizes! One line requires marking off all the numbers on one line, two lines requires marking off all the numbers on two lines, and full house requires marking off all the numbers on the card.
75 ball bingo is another common form of bingo, and is the favourite version in the USA, where it is played in bingo clubs. It’s another form that you’ll find on most UK bingo sites, so you’ll likely become familiar with it quickly. With only 75 balls in play, these bingo games tend to be quicker than 90 ball bingo games.
The bingo cards in this game are 5×5 squares, with the centre square usually marked off as a free space. Sometimes the cards are marked with patterns, and the first person to stamp off all the numbers on the pattern wins. There’s only one chance to win with this game, no one or two line prizes – so it can get a bit more intense than 90 ball bingo!
Another form of bingo you might see at your favourite bingo site is 80 ball bingo. In this game, each ticket is made up of 16 squares in 4×4. Every square contains a number, and every number from 1-80 will appear on a strip – five tickets.
There are four types of 80 ball bingo.
5 line bingo is also known as Swedish bingo, and involves – yes, you guessed it – 5 lines on your bingo card! There are 75 balls in play, but there are some key differences from 75 ball bingo. The first is that the word ‘BINGO’ is printed along the top of the 5×5 card – with one letter above each column.
There is also no free space in the centre of the card like in 75 ball bingo. And instead of just one way to win, there’s five! Here are the different ways to win:
Most games will allow for a full horizontal, diagonal or vertical line to be counted as a win.