With the explosion in popularity of online bingo, more and more people are joining in the fun of online bingo, with loads of sites bringing you plenty of amazing prizes and jackpots without you ever having to step foot out of the house! Online bingo sites are also fantastic places to socialise, with many sites providing various games rooms and forums. Not only are they a great way to make new friends and share bingo tales and gossip, but you’ll also find regular special games that will give you fantastic treats such as extra bingo points, meaning free bingo for you!
But for new players, joining the online bingo community can feel like you are stepping into a brand new world. Much like its offline counterpart, online bingo is chock full of special phrases. Visit a few online bingo websites and you’ll find key terms repeated again and again that you may not be familiar with. And the minute you enter a bingo chat room you’ll be bombarded with loads of friendly players chatting at you in what can seem like confusing numbers and letters.
However, getting to grips with online bingo terms need not be daunting. Here are some of the main phrases and words you’ll come across, along with a list of the most popular abbreviations used in the great online chatrooms. Familiarise yourself with them, and you’ll be a bingo pro in no time!
Key Bingo Terms
75 Ball Bingo – a form of bingo popular in the USA and Canada. 75 balls are used from 1-75. To play you need to purchase between 1-24 cards and the object of the game is to be the first player to bingo on patterns selected at the beginning of the game. Patterns for 75 ball bingo include coverall, heart and flower.
90 Ball Bingo – 90 balls (numbered 1-90) are used in this game, which is most familiar to UK players. Tickets have three horizontal lines of five numbers, meaning each card has 15 numbers. The object of the game is to complete horizontal lines, and is played in stages. The first is a single line across, the second two lines across, and the third for all numbers (a full house) on the strip. Prizes increase in value for each successful pattern, meaning the games jackpot is awarded to the first player to complete a Full House.
Bingo Cards – the cards used in the game, which will have randomly generated numbers arranged in patterns. Card’s can be pre purchased in some games, and sometimes online sites will let you change your numbers if you are not happy with them.
BPs – BPs stand for Bingo Points. Online bingo sites will give these away to players which they can then use to buy bingo cards. Ways to win BP’s often include referring a friend, submitting a player profile or purchasing cards.
Chat Rooms – often online bingo sites will have chat rooms, where you can catch up on bingo gossip and win BP’s or special prizes. They are a great way to enhance your online bingo experience.
CMs – Chat Managers. These are people who monitor the chat rooms in an online bingo site and assist players with games. They are always friendly, so if you get stuck at all, they will be happy to help!
Coverall Games – In 75 ball bingo, a coverall games means you must cover all the numbers on your card. Cover all the numbers in the fewest number of calls and you’ll be the winner! Often a site will set the number of calls (e.g. 44 or less).
Deposits/Deposit Bonuses – Whenever you place money in your online account, you make a deposit. Deposit bonuses are when a site pays you back a percentage of the money you put in. So say you deposit £10 and the deposit bonus is 100%- this means you’ll get an extra £10 for free! Often this will be when you sign up, and look out for sites that will give you bonues for life.
Game Rooms – Where you play bingo! These will be either 75 or 90 ball.
Instant Win Games – In addition to bingo games, some sites offer instant win games that can be played between bingo games, or even as you play bingo. These will also be linked to your account, so any money you win will be added to your total!
Payout – A payout is when money you have won gets paid back to you through the credit or debit card register to your account. You can request a payout at any time from a site, although many set minimum payouts. (also known as Withdrawals)
Progressive Jackpots – In progressive games, a separate pot of cash is put aside and is won when a player bingos in a set number of calls or less. If no one wins then the jackpot is rolled onto the next progressive jackpot game.
Redeem Points – What you do to change your bingo points in bingo games!
Roomies – The term for players who are chatting together in a chat room.
Tourneys – Short for tournaments, which some online sites regularly hold.
Wagers – A wager equates to the total amount a player stakes on a game
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