If the thought of bingo conjures images of ladies of a certain age meeting at the church hall for charity fundraisers, it is time to join the 2020s. Without doubt, bingo games like that take place regularly in and around Prescott, and they raise money for some worthy causes, too. But the advent of the online age has seen the launch of new types of bingo games that appeal to a wider audience and age range.
The trend started in the UK about five years ago, when several of the big bingo brands launched online games. At the same time, they devoted most of their marketing budget to reinventing online bingo to appeal to a younger audience, with everything from Nicole Scherzinger singing about it to Heather Graham dressing up as a fox.
Bingo, and similar games like keno, are available at most of the major US online casinos. The Gambling Sites online casino comparison site offers a useful list of reputable casinos that US players can visit. Let’s take a look at some of the bingo games you can try.
90-ball bingo
The standard bingo game has 90 balls and you are given a card with three rows of five numbers. Prizes are awarded for the first player to fill a row, then two rows and finally three rows, known as a full house.
80 ball bingo
This variation has 80 balls and a 4×4 grid of numbers. Typically, you need to complete a specific pattern, perhaps four in a vertical line, or all four corners, and so on. The different challenges keep it interesting.
30 ball bingo
Ideal for the online age, this fast version of the game has just 30 balls and a 3×3 number grid. Usually it is a simple race to a full house, and a game can be over in little more than a minute.
Death bingo
Here’s a really fun game that turns regular bingo principles on their head. The game uses 90 balls and a 5×5 grid. You check off your numbers as usual, but completing a line means elimination from the game. The winner is the last player left standing. It’s a great idea, although be warned, it can get quite tense!
Keno
The ancient game of Keno is a little like a cross between bingo and Lotto. Like lotto, you get to choose your numbers, but the difference is that you can choose how many you want to pick. Keno itself has variations, but the most common is an 80-ball number set from which you choose 10, known as “spots”. Matching numbers are called “catches.” Typically, a game will offer a small prize for 5 catches, right up to a jackpot for 10. Prizes vary, but just as an illustration, a $1 bet might win you $3 for five catches up to $100,000 for ten.
These are just a few of the bingo-style games that are trending at the moment. If you’ve ever watched your Grandma head off to play bingo of an afternoon and wondered what goes on behind those closed doors, now is the time to venture online and find out.
