75 ball bingo originated in the US and offers much faster bingo games than 90 ball bingo. A lot of people actually prefer 75 ball bingo not only because it’s faster, but also because they have a better chance of winning; with 75 ball bingo you can work through more cards than in other bingo games.
How does 75-ball bingo work?
As you’ve probably guessed, 75 ball bingo is so-called because there are 75 balls involved and the numbers 1-75 are used in each game. The cards that are used in this game all have five horizontal rows and five vertical rows, with the word BINGO displayed clearly across the top of the card. Each letter of the word BINGO corresponds to one of the columns. If the caller shouts out ‘B14’, for example, the players would only look down their B column to see if they had the number 14. This arrangement makes for a total of 25 spaces, however only 24 of these are actually used for numbers; you’ll see that one space is left without a number. This space is called the Free Space.You’ll probably realise that certain numbers appear only under particular letters, making it a bit easier to remember where the numbers are. This also enables you to play lots of different cards at the same time if you’re playing bingo in a land-based casino. With online games, numbers are automatically marked off, so you don’t have to worry about finding them yourself.
This numbering system goes as follows:
B column, numbers 1-15I column, numbers 16-30N column, numbers 31-45G column, numbers 46-60O column, numbers 61-75
Types of game
75 ball bingo games are great for those who are after a bit more variety when it comes to online bingo games. There are three main ways of winning that you should be aware of. The first is a blackout, where you cover all 24 numbers. The second is by getting a horizontal, vertical or diagonal row of numbers. The third is by getting numbers that match a specific pattern. You can shout ‘Bingo!’ and collect your winnings if you’re the first to meet any of these requirements.
One line games
One line games are so-called because you need to get a line of numbers. That line may be horizontal, vertical or diagonal. Once you’ve scored a winning line, the game may end, or it may continue to full house.
Full house
Also known as blackout, getting a full house means getting each and every number on your card.
Pattern bingo
Pattern bingo makes things a bit more exciting and interesting than standard games. Cards will come with a pattern on them and you have to get all of the numbers that are part of that pattern to win. There are loads of different variations and it makes every game different from the last. There are also themed patterns – at Christmas, for example, you could find a snowman, while on Valentine’s Day there could be a heart.
Jackpots and payouts
As is the case with most other games, the more expensive cards yield the bigger jackpots. Note that the number of players can also affect the amount of money in the jackpot; a good way of increasing your chances of winning is by going for a less popular bingo room with fewer players, though the quieter rooms may have smaller jackpots. Usually there’s only one winner with 75 ball jackpot games, though the prizes can be pretty big. Some jackpot prizes have included cars, holidays and £10,000.
How do I mark off numbers?
One of the best things about online bingo is that all the numbers are automatically marked off for you and you will be notified if you’ve won, even if you happened to be in the other room when the winning number was called out. Some bingo sites do let you mark off your own numbers, however.