Online Bingo
Online Bingo isn't 'too' different from its traditional counterpart and is essentially the same game only supplemented with some 'modern' amenities that aren't usually found in land-based bingo halls. In other words, it's significantly different than your standard church or charity variety, but the principles remain the same.
An easy game to play no matter where you are, Bingo in its online variety is no different in this sense and, in fact, it's probably even easier, depending on how you look at it. All it takes is a few clicks and you're already on your way to playing online!
There are, however, some differences between the playing online and playing 'live' on land and in many cases, these differences make the online bingo games even more attractive.
Unlike the contraptions used in land-based halls to spin the balls and select random numbers, online bingo sites use random number generators - the same type of machines used for dealing cards in online poker and other online casino games. This is important as it literally guarantees a 'random' experience (so long as, of course, you're playing at a reputable site with independently verified generators and figures; the sites profiled on GamblingPlanet, of course, meet this criteria).
Other differences include the 'auto-daub' feature online where players can check a box and have their numbers automatically daubed/marked without having to do so themselves. A bit lazy, we know, but it actually makes the game go faster and ensure that you don't miss a 'Bingo' if you're easily distracted or not paying attention.
Players also generally have access to "Best Card Sorting" and "Best Card Highlighting" features, which automatically arrange and highlight a player's cards which are closest to bingo.
With such options available, players are then freer to take advantage of another difference between the online and land-based varieties, which is "chatting". In land-based casinos talking is usually forbidden but online, operators encourage communication at the table, and have made it easy for players to chat with others. As far as prizes go, the variety of rewards online is equal to that of land-based bingo halls and quickly becoming even more lucrative.
As more and more players sign-up online and create accounts, online bingo operators can come up with even more valuable prizes, including several progressive jackpots.
75-Ball and 90-Ball Games
There are 2 types of bingo that players from around the world can generally choose from: 75-ball and 90-ball games. North America plays 75-ball (5x5 card w/ free space) while the UK and other parts of the world play 90-ball (9x3 card). Both varieties are very popular. Regardless of the pattern to be achieved, the aim of 75-ball always remains the same: mark off the numbers to get the needed pattern.
In 90-ball, each card has 3 horizontal lines and nine vertical. Each line has 5 numbers, which means each card then has 15. The 1st column contains numbers 1-10; the 2nd, 11-20; 3rd, 21-30; and so on and so forth up until 81-90 in the 9th column.
A typical game of 90-ball bingo is played in 3 stages: one line, two lines, and Full House. In a one line game, players need to complete a full horizontal line across one card (= 5 numbers marked) whereas a two line game requires, you guessed it: completing any two marked lines horizontally across one card (= 10 numbers).
Finally, the "Full House" requires that all of the numbers be marked off (= all 15) just like in a normal 75-ball 'Cover-all' game. The prizes increase with each phase so the Full House is, obviously, always the largest prize.
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