Types of bingo

Each card has 15 numbers arranged across 3 rows and 9 columns, with 5 numbers per row and 4 blank cells per row. A caller opens with "eyes down" to signal the start, then calls numbers one at a time as they're randomly selected — by mechanical ball draw, numbered chips pulled from a bag, or an electronic random number generator.

UK callers traditionally use nicknames for each number (two fat ladies for 88, for instance), though this is less common in Australia and New Zealand. Numbers range from 1 to 90, and a game typically lasts between four and four and a half minutes.

The game is called Housie in Australia and New Zealand, but the rules are identical to UK bingo.

American and Canadian cards are a 5×5 grid with every cell filled — 25 numbers per card, including a free space in the centre. Numbers range from 1 to 75, called out randomly the same way as in the UK version.

Most US bingo is run by churches and charities, though commercial bingo also operates in Nevada casinos and in bingo halls often found alongside Native American casinos.

Both formats are available at online bingo sites. There are no balls and no caller — everything runs through a random number generator. Most software includes an auto-daub mode, which matters because most online players run multiple cards at once and can't mark them manually fast enough.

Chat rooms are standard at most online bingo sites. Many players find the social side just as appealing as the game itself — you can talk and meet people mid-session, which is strictly off-limits in a land-based bingo hall. Chat games often offer extra prizes too.