Bingo is an extraordinarily popular game and it’s popularity comes about because of two main reasons: It’s easy to play and it has numerous variations. Here we’ll have a general look at how 90 ball bingo works as a game, exploring the ways that you win prizes within the game and how it is set up. It is, of course, worth noting that not every single game follows the same rules. There may be different versions of 90 ball bingo depending on the theme of the game, but generally speaking this is how it works.
The Premise
You buy a number of tickets for the game, which have each got squares across nine columns and three rows for a total of 27 separate spaces. Within those spaces there will be fifteen numbers and twelve blank spaces, with the fifteen numbers split so that there are five on each row. The numbers are randomly assigned and will range from 1 to 90 – hence it being a 90 ball game.
You can buy single tickets or strips of tickets, depending on how many you want to have for the upcoming game. A strip is made up of six tickets and you can buy up to six strips per game, or 36 tickets in total. As mentioned at the start, some individual games might allow for more than that but that is the normal starting point in traditional 90 ball bingo.
The game is played by balls being drawn at random, with each ball having a number from 1 to 90 assigned to it. Every time a ball is drawn that matches the number in one of the squares on your ticket, that number is ‘marked off’. You’re aiming to mark off a given number of balls in order to win prizes, as we’ll cover now.
Winning
90 ball bingo games normally offer you three ways to win a prize. The first is to get a line on your ticket. This involves all five of the numbers on your ticket being marked off, having been drawn at random. The line must be horizontal in traditional 90 ball games, so if your ticket happens to have three numbers on top of one another in a vertical fashion and you mark them all off that sadly counts for nothing.
Once a player or players has won the line, the next prize is awarded to the player who first gets to mark off 2 lines on their ticket. Again, this is horizontal and this time you’ll need to mark off ten numbers across two lines. The numbers that were marked off on the first line count towards your search for 2 lines and it can be any two of the three lines.
The final prize is awarded to the player who gets House or Bingo. This is won by marking off all of the numbers on your ticket. Once again the numbers previously marked off count towards your search for House, so you don’t need to start again. Whether the prize is for 1 line, 2 lines or House, it can be won by more than one person and will be shared equally between all of those who win it.
Sometimes a 90 ball bingo game will only be played for 1 line and House or even just House on its own. Each prize will have a guaranteed amount of winnings and this pot will increase depending on the number of players taking part in the game. That means that even if you’re the only person in the room you’ll have something to take home when you win.
Features & Jackpots
Plenty of 90 ball bingo games also offer additional prizes to those awarded for 1 line, 2 lines or House. Some of them will have a ‘feature’, which is normally an additional game playable by whoever wins House. Often this is a chance to win money supplementary to the House prize and it is awarded according to luck, as opposed to any skill on the part of the House winner. Not all 90 ball bingo rooms have features, but the majority do.
As for jackpots, normally these are progressive amounts of money that can be won by triggering a specific thing within the game. Games will often have a minimum jackpot amount, such as £10,000, that is added upon daily according to how many people have taken part in the game. Some games will have a qualification criteria for the jackpot, like having to buy at least six tickets, for example.
One of the normal ways for the jackpot to be ‘triggered’ is for House to be awarded within a certain number of calls. Each time a ball is drawn and announced that is known as a ‘call’ and the jackpot can be won if House is called within, say 35 calls. Each room and game has their own rule for the jackpot, if there is one, and it is not uncommon for 50% of the jackpot to be given to the winner of House and the remaining 50% to be spread between all of the other players according to how many tickets they have bought. Once more, this is not necessarily the case in every room or with every game, but it is common practice.
Example Games on Gala Site
The Gala website has numerous 90 ball bingo games for your enjoyment, with the following being some examples of such:
- The Chase – Based on the hit TV show
- Big Banker Bingo – A Gala exclusive game
- Emmerdale – Based on the TV soap and a Gala exclusive
- Coronation Street – Another Gala exclusive based on a TV show
- Rush – A fast-paced game with a fun feature and a quick turnover
