The objective of bingo is to complete a line or pattern on a bingo card by crossing out the numbers that are drawn from the bingo drawing machine.  Most bingo cards have the five letters ‘b,’ ‘i,’ ‘n,’ ‘g,’ and ‘o’ printed on the top of the card, and a group of numbers listed below each letter.

Online bingo follows the same basic rules that they use at your local bingo hall or at most casinos.  Most bingo games follow one of two basic formats, 90 ball bingo or 75 ball bingo.

Every bingo card has 25 squares, 24 of which have a number between one and seventy-five, or one in ninety, and each number represents one of the 75, or 90 balls in the machine.  If a ball is drawn from the machine matches one of the numbers on the card that number is crossed off the card.  The first player to cross off a line, a winning pattern, or all the numbers on the card is the winner.  Note: the square in the center of the card is does not contain a number, and is a free square which means a player can use this square to form a winning line or pattern.

The Balls

The bingo balls used in 75-ball bingo are numbered between one and seventy-five. Each ball also has a letter:

• Bingo balls 1 to 15 have the letter B and are usually colored blue
• Bingo balls 16 to 30 have the letter I and are usually colored red
• Bingo balls 31 to 45 have the letter N and are usually colored white
• Bingo balls 46 to 60 have the letter G and are usually colored green
• Bingo balls 61 to 75 have the letter O and are usually colored yellow

The bingo balls used in 90-ball bingo are numbered between one and ninety. Each ball also has a letter:

• Bingo balls 1 to 18 have the letter B and are usually colored blue
• Bingo balls 19 to 36 have the letter I and are usually colored red
• Bingo balls 37 to 54 have the letter N and are usually colored white
• Bingo balls 55 to 72 have the letter G and are usually colored green
• Bingo balls 73 to 90 have the letter O and are usually colored yellow

Prizes

The prize for each game changes depending on how many players are in the game and the price of a bingo card.  The more it costs to purchase a bingo card the bigger the potential prize. If you are playing online the prize amount will always be displayed somewhere on the screen.

In many online bingo halls there are also progressive jackpots that can be awarded if a card wins within a certain number of balls. These jackpots increase with every card sold.

If any two or more players win with the same number of balls the prize is normally shared equally among all of the winners.