BINGO - Bingo is one of the easiest games to play and on line bingo is not much different than playing in traditional land-based bingo halls. Playing bingo online, players can make use of optional features which make playing the game easier, such as auto-daub. Auto-daub automatically marks off the numbers on cards as they are called, so players don't have to. Most software providers support other gaming features as "Best Card Sorting" and "Best Card Highlighting" where players cards are sorted and highlighted by closest to bingo. Some of these features are designed to free players to enjoy the communal pleasantries of the chat features. There are also a great variety of games to play to suit just about every interested bingo player. Most of the top sites offer several bingo games. Some inexpensive game rooms appeal to the player who may want to play for just a 10 cents or 10 pence. Some bingo games only allow players to purchase the same amount of cards so you are not constantly competing against the "high rollers" out there who buy many cards for the same game.

Getting Started: Some operators require players to download free software to play their games. Other operators use Java or Flash based games that allow you to play immediately online after registering a player account.

To win the largest prizes, users must fund an account, but free bingo games are also available offering players a way to win smaller amounts of money with no risk of gambling. Some online bingo sites offer no deposit bingo with sandbox play. This will allow the player to get the hang of the system without a cash investment, but no monetary value can be gained.

Most sites accept a standard range of e-wallet funding options, such as eWalletXpress, Quicktender, UseMyWallet, and Credit Cards. Sites often provide a number of incentives to deposit, including matching bonuses where the site will reward depositing players by matching a percentage of their deposit.

Chat: The Chat application brings a different dimension to gaming. This is where all the players of a game can meet and chat during games of bingo. Whereas in land-based bingo where talking is strictly forbidden during a game, it is actively encouraged in online bingo. Chat functions as an effective retention tool, aimed especially at the predominantly female audience.

It is customary for players to congratulate winning players with comments like "WTG," or "Way To Go." Much like instant messaging, online bingo chat communities have their own acronyms which are often used in replace of often repeated sentences.

CM stands for "chat monitor". The CM works for the bingo site as the host of a chat room and plays a role in welcoming players and creating a friendly and communal atmosphere in the room. This includes, but is not limited to, congratulating players when they win a game as well as playing chat games in-between bingo. Most sites have a chat protocol known as chat etiquette or chatiquette.

Bingo Networks:There are a number of sites that will have the same promotions, similar graphics, the same bingo rooms and the same CMs. This occurs because they are part of a bingo "network". In simple terms, this means a number of different sites (or "front ends") are playing with the same numbers for the same jackpot (i.e., the same back end). Multiple sites act as doorways to a single game, leading to larger pools of players in chat rooms and more sizeable pots to win, in an arrangement known as White Label Gaming. While the bingo software is the same, the brand owners are responsible for the look and feel of the site, together with any promotions they wish to offer. This is an important feature of online bingo in that it is critical that any site have enough players to have a decent sized game. Hence, the bingo network that "shares" players.

Some Bingo Facts: Bingo is a game where a random selection of numbers is pulled either manually or electronically from a hopper full of moving balls, each with a unique number. Players have to match these numbers on cards or tickets and the first to complete their card, wins. There are two main variants of the game – 75-ball bingo played principally in the US and 90-ball bingo, played mostly in the UK, parts of Europe and Australasia.

You first have to purchase bingo cards or tickets with pre-selected numbers on them, and then mark (daub) the numbers as they are called by the computer. At most on line bingo sites, Auto-Daub can be selected, which marks your card automatically, although even without Auto-Daub, the system will call bingo for you – so there is no danger of missing a winning card.

Each game has a pre-determined pattern which has to match with the called numbers. The first player to match the pattern wins Bingo. If this is achieved within a preset number of balls (displayed for each game), you will win the jackpot. If not, you will win the prize for that game. If more than one player wins, the prize or jackpot is shared accordingly

75-Ball Bingo - 75 ball bingo is the most popular bingo game, played throughout the USA, Canada and South America. 75 balls can be called and these are in five columns of 15 balls. Each column "belongs" to the BINGO letter at the top - a feature that is used in many bingo chat games.
B - Balls numbered 1 to 15
I - Balls numbered 16 to 30
N - Balls numbered 31 to 45
G - Balls numbered 46 to 60
O - Balls numbered 61 to 75

In 75-ball bingo, the cards have 25 squares, five across and five down – each column marked with a letter B-I-N-G-O. The card is filled with a random selection of numbers from 1-75.

The objective of each bingo game is to match the bingo pattern for that game with the balls called. Patterns can be static, in which case the pattern is shaded on each card to help you. Patterns can also be animated in which case "bingo" can be achieved on any of the patterns used in that game. There are over 6000 pattern combinations possible varying from a simple “4-corners” to a coverall or bingo blackout pattern.

The game prize goes to the first player(s) to achieve the pattern. Each game also has a “balls to jackpot” number. If the winner achieves the pattern within this number of balls, then he wins the jackpot – usually a progressive prize.

90-Ball Bingo - In the 90-Ball bingo game the cards are called Tickets and each Ticket has three rows and nine columns. Each Card contains all 90 numbers distributed throughout the six Tickets. Five out of the nine squares in each row contain numbers ranging from 1 to 90 and the rest are blank. When a Strip is played, every possible number from 1 to 90 is called and therefore, a number is daubed at each bingo call.

Each 90 ball bingo game has three winning patterns and three chances to win – a single horizontal line, two horizontal lines or all three horizontal lines (also called Full House). The winning patterns (one, two or three horizontal lines) each has a separate prize and as soon as the first line is won, the game continues until a player achieves two horizontal lines and finally all three lines (or Full House) for the major prize. A Jackpot is also paid for any player who achieves the Full House within the Balls to Jackpot figure shown for that game

Make sure you understand the house rules too.