Sampling The Different Bingo Games

There are a variety of different games that fall under the heading of bingo. Bingo is not just one game, even though the mechanics of play are the same for all versions. The popular game of luck and chance evolved from the sixteenth century Italian lottery that was so popular in Europe. Bingo is from the lottery family of games and is very popular with people around the world.

The game evolved differently in the United Kingdom than it did in America. The British version of the game is based on ninety numbers and is played on a card that has nine columns and three rows. Each row has five numbers that represent a line. A regular bingo is when a player completes one line. There are also games for two and three lines with the three line game being the coverall. It is also known as a full house or housie. This is the version of the game played in the United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland.

The game was also very popular in the United States, when it arrived from France. It was restructured by a toy salesman who saw the potential of the game. The American version is played with seventy five numbers on a square playing grid that is five numbers by five numbers. The letters of the word bingo are across the top of the column so each column has a letter so the American version of the game is played with letters and numbers. The center of the grid contains a free space. A regular bingo is scored when the player completes a vertical, horizontal or diagonal line. Sometimes the four corners counts as a regular bingo. There are also coverall games and pattern games since the square shape of the card allows for the formations of many different patterns. There is an eighty number version of the game now that is a faster version of the American version of the game.

Progressive jackpot games are games that offer large jackpots that increase every time the game is played. The bingo must be scored within a specified number of calls, or the jackpot reverts to a lesser amount. There are also games like Lucky Number Bingo and Speed Ball and other variations as different companies develop their own variations.

Players can expand their horizons by trying the different versions and games. One of the ways of tempting the player is through the use of the online bingo bonus.