Top Tips for Getting Started at a Bingo Site

Bingo is a game that has been in existence for many years. The online version of it is a much more recent phenomenon though.

The first example of a digital bingo game has been traced back to 1996. This was free to play and it was called Bingo Zone.

Then a second provider emerged two years later with Bingo Blitz, but it was not until the 2000s that playing bingo online really caught on. These days it is very popular indeed and there are lots of fantastic bingo sites to choose from.

Anyone thinking of playing for the first time needs to know the ropes though. That is what we will be covering in this article.

Getting Started at an Online Bingo Site

In this guide we will talk about everything from choosing the best site to play at to understanding the basics of bingo rules. By the finish, you will know all you need to get started.

Selecting a Bingo Site

Before you can begin playing online bingo games, you must choose a site and create your account. There are certain things that should influence your choice of site:

• Security
• Games
• Payment methods

The first of these is extremely important. Playing bingo online will involve financial transactions and the submission of personal and banking data. It is essential that you are aware of cyber security and select a site that will protect your data.

The best way to be sure of that is to check that it is a licensed online bingo operator. You can also look to see if the site uses SSL encryption software for financial and data transactions.

Following this, you will also want to pick a site that offers a decent selection of bingo games. If there is not enough variation in terms of the gaming, you will grow bored with the site.

Finally, make sure that there is more than one way to make deposits and receive winnings. Everything from bank transfers to e-wallets should be available.

Starting to Play Bingo Games

Once you have decided on a site and created your account, it will be time to get started. The basic idea of bingo is that you mark off numbers on your card as the bingo caller reads them out.

With online bingo the cards are electronic and the numbers appear on screen instead of being called out, but otherwise the rules are the same. There are two main variants of bingo:

• 90 Ball
• 75 Ball

The first is more popular in the UK, while the second is bigger in Australia and the US. A 90 Ball bingo card has three rows of nine columns. A 75 Ball card has five rows and five columns with a star in the middle.

In a 90 Ball game you can score a one-line win, a two-line win or a full house. That is where you manage to mark off every number on your card before the other players. 75 Ball games allow you to mark off numbers diagonally as well as vertically and horizontally. 

There are also newer versions of the basic game to be found at online bingo sites. 80 Ball is a rapid fire format with just 16 numbers. With Pattern Bingo, you play by trying to mark off numbers in a set pattern on your card.

Some Useful Online Bingo Tips

• Avoid peak periods

The popularity of online bingo means that there are periods during the day when the top sites have lots of people using them. Those are the times when you should avoid logging in.

That is because the more players there are in a bingo game, the worse your winning odds become. Logging into the site during the daytime when it is quieter will really improve your chances of being a winner

• Play multiple cards

Because bingo is very much a numbers game, you can enhance your chances by playing multiple cards at the same time. This is a particularly useful tip if you are playing online bingo.

It would be hard for a newcomer to keep track of several cards in a live bingo hall, but the online game is different. Any chosen numbers that you have on your cards are marked off automatically, so there is no risk of getting confused.

Getting started at a bingo site is nothing to be afraid of. Choose your site wisely and follow our tips to give yourself the best chance of winning.