Everything You Need To Know About Playing Bingo Online

If you've landed here on our site, the chances are you're already somewhat familiar with the bingo phenomenon; it is, after all, one of the most popular games in the world! And for good reason, too. Bingo is easy to play, can be enjoyed by everyone, and offers the chance to win big prizes. 

You might be surprised to find out how long bingo has been around.  In the UK, it first began to make a name for itself in the 1960s, with bingo halls cropping up in most major towns and cities. But the game has been enjoyed in one form or another for centuries beforehand. 

These days, of course, many of us play online, with a huge range of bingo games available at the tips of our fingers, no matter when and where we prefer to play. That's the magic of the internet, after all.

If you're new to the game and are looking for a great online bingo experience, look no further than Jackpotjoy.  

In this ultimate beginner’s guide, we'll take you through everything you need to know about playing bingo online, from the rules of the game to the different types of games and jackpots available.  

So, ready to kickstart your online bingo experience?  

What’s the objective of the game? 

Playing bingo is easy, simple, and fun. The objective is the same whether you're playing online or in person: to be the first person to mark all of the numbers off your bingo card. Doing so will earn you a fabulous prize! 

So how does it all work? Well, no matter what format you're playing the game in, you will always be given a bingo card, or ticket, which will feature a set of random numbers. And there will always be a “caller”, which is a person who uses a random number generator to reveal numbers that hopefully match with those on your card. 

You might be familiar with the iconic bingo machine – a device that features a cage filled with bingo balls, each one displaying a unique number. In land-based bingo, the bingo caller stands at the front and reads out the numbers generated by the bingo machine. If you're playing online, the numbers will be displayed automatically, and, in some games, there might be a host who calls out the numbers as they come up. 

The gameplay is pretty straightforward. If a number is called that matches one on your bingo card, you mark it off! Now, as online bingo is more fast-paced than your traditional bingo hall, you may be wondering how you can keep as the chosen numbers pop up on your screen. Don't worry – when you play online bingo with us, our autoplay feature ensures that numbers are marked off your cards automatically, so sit back and relax, and let us handle the rest.

Why play bingo online? 

The main benefit of playing online versus in person is that you can play online bingo wherever, whenever. That means that no matter how your schedule might look, we've got a game to suit you.  

Our mobile app allows you to take the game on the go to – so you can work your downtime around your own schedule.  

What prizes can you win in bingo? 

Now for the part you’ve been waiting for: the prizes! What exactly is up for grabs in a game of bingo?  

Remember, the aim of the game is to be the first player to mark off all the numbers on your ticket. That's not the only time a prize can be given out in a game of bingo, however, so let's have a look at all the different prizes available, and how you can win them: 

• Line: Depending on the type of game you're playing, a prize may be given out to the first person to achieve a line in a game of bingo. A line is achieved by crossing off all the numbers along any horizontal line on your bingo card.  
• Two Lines: This one is fairly self-explanatory. Prizes may be given out to the first player in a game to achieve two lines – crossing off all numbers along any two horizontal lines on your bingo card.  
• Full house: You achieve a full house when you mark off all the numbers on your bingo card. Be the first player to do this and win the top prize (it could be a big win!) 
• Pre-determined win pattern: Certain games may require you to mark off a pre-determined pattern to win. You might be asked to mark off numbers in all four corners of your ticket, for example, or to create a shape like a cross. Win patterns usually appear in 75-ball bingo games, and there will typically only be one winner.  
• Jackpots: In addition to the fabulous full house prize, some of our bingo games feature amazing jackpot prizes! Some jackpots are given out subject to conditions (for example, you might be required to win a full house on a certain number), whilst some must drop once a day! 

Usually, the types of prizes available in a bingo game will depend on the type of game you’re playing. The prizes given out in 90-ball bingo will be different to those available in 75-ball bingo, for example.  

We'll delve deeper into the different prizes available in each game when we discuss the different bingo formats, right about… now.  

What are the different online bingo formats? 

You can play bingo online in several different formats, but the most common bingo styles are 90-ball and 75-ball bingo. While the 90-ball variant of the game is more commonly played throughout the UK, the 75-ball version is favoured in the USA.  

The main difference between the two is (you guessed it) the number of balls used to play with. As their names may suggest, 90-ball bingo is played with 90 balls, while 75-ball bingo uses 75.  

The bingo cards used for each game will differ, too. In 90-ball bingo, your bingo card will feature 27 squares – three horizontal columns and nine vertical ones. With 75-ball bingo, however, your card will feature a 5x5 grid (that’s 25 squares altogether). 

Typically, 90-ball bingo players can win prizes for being the first person to mark off one line, two lines or a full house. With 75-ball bingo, however, there is usually only one winner – the first person to successfully complete the win pre-determined pattern, which will be shown before the game starts. 

Here at Jackpotjoy, we also offer 80-ball bingo, a game that's played with (wait for it…) 80 balls. Your 80-ball bingo card will contain four rows of four numbers – 16 overall.  

Depending on which 80-ball bingo game you play, prizes can be given out to the first player to achieve a line or a full house, or the first player to achieve a pre-determined winning pattern.  

Don’t worry if you can't quite remember the exact prizes you're playing for. When you join a game of bingo with us, the available prizes will be shown on the left-hand side of your screen throughout the game. We like to make life easy for our players, after all! 

What are the different bingo titles available on Jackpotjoy? 

Here at Jackpotjoy, we've got a range of 75, 80 and 90-ball bingo titles, each with its own unique features. Our brilliant chat function is available to use with every game, too, so you can connect with other bingo fans in our Jackpotjoy community while you play. 

Stick around, and we'll give you a whistle-stop tour of the different bingo games on offer. 

80 Ball Bingo

Bingo 80 is a relatively new addition to our roster, launched in celebration of Jackpotjoy’s 20th birthday. As well as being played with 80 balls, this game also features a nostalgic 1980s-themed bingo room complete with retro graphics and a synth-filled soundtrack. 

Prizes are given out to the first players to win a line and a full house. There's also a Progressive Jackpot to play for, which will be awarded if a player wins a Full House on the number 80. 

75 Ball Bingo 

We offer a selection of 75-ball bingo titles, all with fabulous Progressive Jackpots up for grabs.  

As mentioned, most 75-ball bingo games see players compete to mark off a pattern on their bingo cards to win. This isn’t the case with all our 75-ball games, however.  

Superlinks 75 offers two different game versions – a classic pattern-based game, and a five-line version of the game. In five-line bingo, the first player to complete one, two, three and four lines will win prizes, as well as the first player to complete a full house. That's five chances to win all in all. There'll also be an awesome 'Super Jackpot' up for grabs in this game! (Sound a bit confusing? Don't worry – you can read all about the rules of the game here on our blog.) 

If you're looking for more 75-ball bingo games, we also offer Speed Bingo, which features a pumping soundtrack and tickets from just 1p! 

90 Ball Bingo 

This classic version is one of the oldest known bingo styles, dating back around five centuries.  

Amongst our most popular 90-ball titles is Sapphire Bingo, where you can win up to £1000 for a full house. As well as the standard Progressive Jackpot, this game also offers an addition Powerbolts Jackpot prize that can be won several times throughout the day.  

Joy Bingo is a 90-ball bingo game that offers the three standard prizes – one for a line, two lines and a full house.  

Our Session Bingo rooms 

With our Session Bingo rooms, you can play a mixture of different bingo games. A session costs £5, and you'll be given 15 tickets containing a random mix of 75, 80 and 90-ball games. That's 15 chances to win each time you play!  

There are four sessions scheduled each day – at 10am, 1pm, 7pm and 11pm GMT, so you can play whenever it suits you. 

Playing bingo for free with Jackpotjoy 

We also offer daily opportunities to play bingo for free here at Jackpotjoy. Play Off Palace Daily and Play Off Palace Weekly are our free-to-play bingo games, where you can bag yourself up to £1000 in cash! 

To get your hands on tickets for Play Off Palace games, you need to play one of our qualifying games: Sapphire Bingo or Session Bingo. Qualifying games will be marked with the 'PP' symbol.  

If you successfully win a line, two lines or a full house, we'll reward you with six tickets for that day's Place off Palace Daily game, as well as six tickets for the weekly game. 

Which online bingo jackpots does Jackpotjoy offer? 

If you've already dipped your toes in the online bingo pool, you may have spotted that several of our games feature special jackpot prizes. But what exactly are they, and how can you win?  We'll give you the rundown on all our available bingo jackpots below. 

Progressive Jackpots 

Many of our online bingo titles offer the chance to win a Progressive Jackpot prize. With Progressive Jackpots, a percentage of each ticket purchased will go into the prize fund. That means that the more players in a game, the higher the jackpot value will be. 

All Progressive Jackpots have a fixed seed value (or starting value) which can vary from £10 to £400. Jackpot values can grow much larger than their seed values, though, and the longer they go unclaimed, the bigger they'll grow! 

Special Jackpots  

A range of special jackpots feature throughout some of our selected bingo games – from our Super Jackpots to our Community Jackpot prize. Keep reading to find out more about how each prize funds are built up, and when they're dished out. 

Let's start with Super Jackpots. These are fixed cash prizes that will be given out to the first player who wins a Full House within a certain number of calls. That number can change from room to room.  

In Superlinks Bingo, for example, the Super Jackpot will go to the first person to win within 38 ball calls.  

Sapphire Bingo features the Powerbolts Jackpot, which offers two prizes. The Maxi Bolt Jackpot must be won with 38 calls and must be awarded by 10pm each day.  

The Mini Bolt Jackpot is a smaller prize that can be won several times a day to the first person to call a Full House within a certain number of calls. 

Joy Bingo features the fabulous Super Jackpot, which is a fixed value cash prize that is awarded to the first player in the game to win a full house in 42 calls or fewer. Games offering the Super Jackpot will be marked with the symbol 'SJ', so you'll know what prize you're playing for when you enter the Joy Bingo room.  

The Super Jackpot could be a community prize, where 50% of the winnings are awarded to the first person to call house, regardless of how many calls it takes. The remaining 50% is shared between all the other players in the game. 

Playing in our bingo rooms – how does it work? 

Once you've purchased your bingo tickets and entered the room, the game will start at the designated time and begins when the first ball has been drawn.  

If a number that has been called appears on your card, it will be automatically crossed off your ticket, thanks to our autoplay feature. That means you can sit back and relax, or converse with your fellow players without worrying about missing out on a big win! 

Numbered balls will continue to be drawn until all winning patterns have been awarded. Any prizes you win will be credited to your account automatically.  

Our Jackpotjoy community 

Here at Jackpotjoy, we cherish our close-knit community of players. Our chat rooms help members engage with one another and with our friendly Chat Hosts, creating an enjoyable and safe experience for all our members. 

As well as plenty of bingo-based chatter to be had, our hosts frequently run community games in the chat function.  

You can participate in quizzes and general knowledge games by typing your answers into the chat. We also offer interactive media games that will appear at the top of your chat window. And who knows, there might be a prize or two in for you as well! 

If you love our chat rooms, then we think you'll love the conversations happening over on our socials too – give us a like or a follow to keep up to date with the latest goss and join in our fabulous competitions.  

Playing Bingo on your mobile 

One of the best things about online bingo is that you really can take it anywhere! 

Only got 10 minutes to spare? With the Jackpotjoy mobile app, you can get instant access to our range of games on the go. Our app features all our bingo games (as well as all your slots, Slingo and casino favourites), so you can play the games you love wherever you are. 

Download our app now for Apple or Android. 

Your questions, answered

Still got questions? No problem. We've compiled some of the most common bingo-related questions into a handy FAQ. You can also check out our support centre, or contact us via email or live chat. Our friendly advisers are here 24/7 to help with your queries!

How much does it cost to play online bingo at Jackpotjoy? 

Tickets to play bingo start at just 1p! You can play Speed Bingo, Tiki Bingo and Cloud Bingo for just a penny. 

If you're looking for great value, check out our Session Bingo room where you can play an hour of bingo for just £5. 

How can I buy bingo tickets? 

Our selection of bingo games can be found on our online bingo page. Bingo games will display the price of tickets, the number of players, and the prizes money up for grabs. 

Once you've made your selection, you can purchase tickets by selecting the 'Buy' button in the bottom left corner of your screen if you're on mobile, or the 'Buy Tickets' button beneath the countdown if you're on your computer. 

There's also an option to purchase tickets in advance of games so you won't miss out. 

How can you win at bingo?  

Bingo is, first and foremost, a game of chance. However, there are a few things you can do to increase your odds of bagging yourself some cash. 

Find games with more ways to win. Take Superlinks 75; this game offers five ways to win instead of the standard three. You could even try playing at off-peak hours to reduce the number of competitors you're up against. 

Head over to our blog where you can find our full list of tips on how to win bingo. 

How can I access the chat feature? 

If you're playing a game of bingo on your computer or laptop, the chat window will open automatically on the right-hand side of your screen. If you're playing on mobile or tablet, tap the 'Chat' button from the options on the bottom of your screen. 

All you have to do to get started is type your message. You'll then be connected to thousands of online bingo fans as you play! 

How can I find my chat host? 

Our chat hosts are super easy to spot. Just look out for the word 'HOST' at the end of their username when you join the chat.  

And that's all you need to know to get started with online bingo! Now all that's left to do is to join in the fun and try our dab-tastic bingo games a try for yourself. Take a look at our collection of games or become a member to get started.