Bingo Rules - Play and Win at Online Casinos Guide

Darko Ilievski by Darko Ilievski Reading time: 16min

Of all of the different titles that you can play in casinos online, bingo is one that has some of the most consistent rules. In fact, the range of bingo rules is actually fairly narrow compared to other genres with the exception of some small variations in very specific situations. Here we want to help Canadian players learn how these titles work and what the play procedures and win conditions are like to make it easier to come out ahead and maximize your chances of having an awesome experience.

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Online Casino Bingo Rules and Regulations

A good place to start in learning how to play bingo is simply understanding the actual procedure of how rounds go from the player's side of things. That may seem obvious, but players are often surprised when they think they know exactly how everything works but discover that they were actually missing something pretty big in the process. The more you know about what you're playing, the more opportunities you have to craft the experience into something you'll like, and we here at Online-Casinos Canada want to make that as easy as possible by breaking everything down in what follows.

  • 1. Choose Your Bingo Game

    Before you can really pick which title you want to play, you have to know what's available in the genre. On the most basic level, that includes learning the rules of bingo for multiple formats like 75-ball, 90-ball and other styles. It also includes learning the different available patterns and ways to win in specific formats like learning what the different types of 75-ball patterns look like and what their names are. Further complicating the decision is the fact that many online casinos offer up different pay distributions.

    For players who are just starting out, it's a good idea to try a little bit of everything to see what you like and what appeals to you. However, this shouldn't just be done at random. Instead, it should be with aim to figure out which type of bingo game rules you prefer and which don't really resonate with you. Once you have that figured out, then you can more easily pick out the type of real money options that fit more of what you're looking for.

  • 2. Purchase Your Game Tickets

    With a particular variation in mind, you next have to buy your tickets. The cost of each ticket is determined by your specific bingo casino game rules, but you can almost always choose to purchase them within a given range. It's common to see tickets cost as little as C$0.25 apiece, and sometimes lower. Additionally, ticket prices as high as C$10 each aren't rare either. With that said, the specific range will simply depend on where you're playing and which particular title you're playing with.

    The two main things to consider are the total amount you want to spend per round and the resulting variance of how you split that among a number of tickets. The more tickets you have, the lower the variance. For example, a player who wants to spend C$10 total could buy one ticket for C$10 or ten tickets for C$1 apiece. The total spend is the same, but the latter option will have fewer swings and a lower volatility or variance. It's completely up to you how you set this up, and it's largely a matter of personal taste.

  • 3. Mark Off Your Numbers

    After getting your tickets and starting your play, numbers will start to be called. When you have a matching number, you mark it off on your tickets by doing what's called daubing. The more cards you play, the more you would normally have to pay attention to this so that you don't miss any numbers. In land-based games, this is something that would limit how many tickets or cards you could play at once because you could only accurately keep up your daubing to a certain extent.

    However, when you play online, most sites have what's known as auto daubing as a part of their online casino bingo rules. This means that the software will automatically daub any matching numbers that you miss. Since it's typically a regulatory requirement, it's incredibly common for both PC and mobile players. Additionally, it makes it much easier and less stressful to play several tickets at once since you don't have to be worried about missing out when certain numbers are called.

  • 4. Claim Any Winnings

    If you want to know what are the rules of bingo online compared to the land-based space, then how you claim your winnings is a good place to look. That's because you don't really have to do anything when you play on the Internet to claim those payouts. Instead, they're just automatically added to your account balance. This is much different than playing in a land-based hall where you have to manually bring your cards or tickets up to have them verified and to redeem your payouts.

    This is one thing that many Canadian players prefer about playing in the online environment. Not having to manually claim prizes is really convenient, and this goes along with how playing on the Internet is more convenient in other ways as well.

  • 5. Play Again

    After your current round is over, there's nothing stopping you from jumping right back in for the next round. Most sets of online bingo casino game rules actually make it really easy to simply play another set of tickets with the same price and other parameters as your previous round. You'll frequently see a button that says something like "Play Again" or similar that will ask for a quick yes or no confirmation before putting you right back into the game.

    However, nothing says you have to play in the same way. In fact, you're more than welcome to change anything about your bet sizing or the rest of your experience in just a couple of mouse clicks or taps on the screen of a mobile device. Along these lines, it's much easier to jump between different types of games than what you would see in a land-based venue.

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Free Online Bingo vs Real Money Bingo Games

The free games are a really important part of the overall experience and culture of online bingo. In fact, virtually all online rooms have plenty of options to play without any risk whether you are playing on mobile apps or desktop. These are frequently labeled in a way that makes them easy to identify with titles like "Free Beginners Rooms" or "Demo Mode Rooms." For players who are looking to get some practical experience with learning the different bingo game rules, this is probably the fastest and easiest way to do it since you get to see everything play out normally in real time.

Once you have used those demo versions to get a feel for how things go, you may decide to jump into the real money games. You'll notice that, for the most part, these operate in the exact same ways as the free versions. The only differences are that you pay for your tickets ahead of time before play starts, and then you're automatically paid out any winnings once the round is over. While this may seem like a small difference, it can lead to some serious practical pros and cons for one over the other.

Advantages of Playing for Real Money

Playing at the best real money bingo casinos have some serious advantages over playing for free even though the free titles are great for learning the rules. Here we want to give you an idea of what you can look for when considering which version of play is the best for you.

  • Playing for real adds a level of excitement that's different than if you're playing the demo versions because the wins become a completely different experience.
  • The number of promotions, bonuses, and other deals that you can take advantage of greatly increases when you're making real money deposits for your play.
  • While it's not incredibly common, it's also not super rare to see certain variations not available for free play. As a result, you have a slightly better game selection when playing for real.

90 Ball Bingo Rules and Gameplay

As one of the most popular styles of play, 90-ball bingo rules are set up in a way that encourages a lot of action. This title uses three rows of nine columns with each row showing five numbers with four empty positions. The nine columns correspond to random numbers from 1-9, 10-19, 20-29 and so on all the way up to 80-90 in the final column. From there, wins are determined by completing horizontal lines of five numbers, and it's a race to see who can get all three lines filled first. In what follows, we'll show you a step-by-step approach to getting started. You can also take a look at our guide to bingo rules for everything you need on how to play the game.

  1. Start off by choosing your bet size per ticket and purchasing the number of tickets that you want to play for the given round.
  2. Once the numbers begin calling, you're looking to try to be the first person to complete a horizontal line of five numbers.
  3. After that happens, 90-ball bingo casino rules allow for an additional winner for the person who hits two complete lines next.
  4. Finally, what's typically the biggest payout goes to the player who is able to land a full house, which means all 15 of their numbers are called.
  5. From here, especially with the quick game rounds, you can jump straight into another game if you would like.

75 Ball Bingo Rules - Match the Pattern

When a lot of people ask how is bingo played, they're actually asking how to play the 75-ball style since that's what a lot of people think "bingo" means as a game. This gives you an idea of the overwhelming popularity of this style on the global stage. You'll play this title with a 5x5 ticket. In each column, five numbers are chosen at random to create the ticket from 1-15 for the first column, 2-30 for the second, and so on. Wins are based on who covers the numbers to create a predetermined pattern before everyone else.

  1. To begin, you choose your number of tickets and the cost per ticket. Since 75-ball rounds last longer than most other styles, some players compensate by playing more tickets or using larger bets.
  2. Make sure that you know the predetermined pattern before the numbers start being called. This helps to give you a better idea of how close you are to winning, which is a big part of the overall gameplay.
  3. In some situations, the only prize goes to the first person to make the given pattern. However, in styles of 75-ball bingo casino game rules, multiple winners can be determined by whoever gets their second, third and so on.
  4. With payout structures that include more than one prize, the biggest wins are given to players who make the pattern the soonest.
  5. Once all of the winners are determined, the round is finished, and you're free to join in on another.

80 Ball and 30 Ball Speed Bingo Rules

The 30-ball and 80-ball games are a bit less popular than the 75-ball and 90-ball styles. Nonetheless, Canadian players can still find plenty of places to get in on the action with these variations. Having so many types to pick from is great news for players who want a different kind of experience instead of sticking to the same thing over and over again. In what follows, we'll show you what goes into each of these options and what makes them so different from the more popular variations. Don't forget to brush up on the best bingo strategies to significantly increase your chances of winning big in 2024.

  • How to Win 80 Ball Bingo Games

    Many people consider the 80-ball style to be a variation of the 75-ball style, and it's easy to see why. This is another pattern-based game based on a square grid of numbers shown on the tickets. However, instead of being 5x5, it's 4x4, and 20 numbers are chosen from in each respective column. This means you can find 1-20 on the first, 21-40 on the second and so on. Numbers are chosen at random, and you can actually win in a few different ways just depending on the particular 80-ball bingo rules being used in that particular case.

    • Any Line Wins: When you make a line horizontally all the way across, you pick up a win in this variation. Sometimes, you can get a prize for each line made within so many numbers being drawn.
    • Any Line + Full House: A full house means that you have covered the entire card, so players get paid first for getting a horizontal line and second for getting their ticket completely full of all 16 numbers.
    • Any Line + Column + Full House: This three-stage structure first gives payouts for the first horizontal row and column, respectively, filled with numbers that have hit. Finally, the final prize is given for filling the card.
    • Full House or Pattern: Specific patterns can be given ahead of time that will win, just like 75-ball tickets. However, in these games, you can often get paid another prize for picking up a full house as well.
  • Win Playing 30 Ball Speed Bingo

    Have you ever wondered how is bingo played if you don't have much time to devote to a long set of numbers being called? The answer is found in the 30-ball speed rounds. Your tickets only have three rows and three columns with numbers chosen at random with 1-10 on the first, 11-20 on the second and 21-30 on the third column. Wins are only given for filling up the entire card, so you don't have to worry about making rows, columns or other patterns. Instead, if you hit your nine numbers before anyone else, you get the payout for that round.

strategies of bingo

Bingo Winning Strategies - Do They Work?

One major misconception that many people have about the genre is that they don't think any strategy is involved. The truth of the matter is that there are real bingo strategies and tips that can help you to not only have a better experience but also to increase your average chances of coming out ahead.

Game selection is a big deal, for example, and selecting a title with a higher RTP can improve your winning chances a lot. It's also helpful to play with bonuses and other promotions so that you can maximize the value that you get from your sessions by getting paid for playing something that you would have been playing anyway. Tactics like these and others can really add up and make a serious difference in the long run.

Top Tips for Choosing the Best Games To Play

One of the most important online bingo tips that we could give anyone is to be selective about which titles you pick to play. Not all of them are created equal, and that's before you even consider other elements like jackpots or betting stakes. In what follows, we want to walk you through a straightforward process that will help you to get started without missing any of the most important tips and tricks that we could give you. Along these lines, we'll show you exactly what to do so that you can get started off on the right foot.

  • Choose a Licensed Bingo Online Casino: Picking an option that's fully licensed and legit is extremely important. This will mean that the games pay what they are said to, and it means you'll get your cash outs quickly and reliably.
  • Pick Out the Bonus That Fits: From the different bonuses and offers available, pick out the promotion that fits what you're looking for the best. This will allow you to get paid for playing the titles that you love.
  • Select Your Title of Choice: Several different variations are available at the sites we recommend. Pick out which one looks the best to you based on the potential payouts, RTP percentage and the fun factor.
  • Buy Your Tickets to Play: At this point, you simply purchase the number of tickets you want at the price per ticket that fits your budget. However, you may want to think about things in terms of the total cost per round instead of the price of individual tickets and cards.
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Bonuses and Promotions at Real Money Online Casinos

Canadian players have a variety of promotional offers available at our recommended casino sites. What's so great about the selection is that you can find offers at different deposit amounts and for different types of players at different budget levels. This helps to create a particularly inclusive environment, which is exactly what allows most people to enjoy what these titles have to offer.

No Deposit Bonuses

With no deposit down, you can get free spins or a free chip with these types of offers. The free spins deals have you play a number of turns on a popular game in order to get your free money in the form of winnings from those spins. In either case, you can then play with chances for real money payouts according to the various terms and conditions. Because the free spins deals often require you to continue playing slots, we prefer the no deposit free chip approach for bingo players.

  • 888

    888 Is Our Recommended Site for 2024

    For players who want to get in on the action without making a deposit, our recommendation is 888 Casino. They give you a free chip worth C$88 that you can use to play a wide array of titles, including online bingo. This makes it perfect for Canadian fans who want a chance to win some real money prizes without having to actually add anything to their account. It's a low risk option that's perfect for players on a budget, and the flexibility to play a wide range of titles is a plus as well.

Minimum Deposit Bonus

Many sites offer up options to make a rather small deposit to take advantage of a bonus or special offer. The most common levels for minimum deposit online casinos are $1, $5 and $10, all in Canadian dollars. However, those at the $1 and $5 minimum deposit levels frequently only allow you to play slots because several of them are based around free spins or slots-exclusive terms and conditions. With that said, plenty of options at the $10 level make it easy to play with a variety of different types of bingo game rules, which makes it the perfect level for people who love this genre.

  • Cosmo Casino

    Play with $10 at Cosmo Casino

    You can play with just a $10 deposit at Cosmo Casino and have some opportunities to take down serious prizes. You even have real chances to become a millionaire because you're given 150 opportunities to win on the Mega Money Wheel title. Not only can you win a variety of payouts that you can then use on a wide selection of titles, but you can really hit millionaire status on a single one of these spins that you get. That makes it a tremendous value for a small minimum deposit.

Best Online Casinos in Canada for Bingo in 2024

To make it as easy as possible to find the best fit for you to play with, we have full reviews of all of the top names available to Canadian players. Our proprietary rating system breaks down everything that you need to know in a way that you can quickly and easily pick out the option that appeals the most to you and get in on the action in just a few moments. Down below, you'll see our top recommendations based on our in-depth analysis of what each individual place has to offer.

  1. 1 Sign-Up Offer 100% Match Bonus Up To $1600
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  8. 8 Sign-Up Offer 100% Match Bonus Up To $480
  9. 9 Sign-Up Offer 400% Match Bonus Up To $4
  10. 10 Sign-Up Offer 100% Match Bonus Up To $1500
  11. Load More

Are Bingo and Keno the Same?

Observant players will notice that keno and bingo look a lot alike, so they make wonder if they're actually under the same genre or perhaps if keno is a part of the greater genre overall. While they do have some similarities, most people consider keno to be its own particular genre because its fundamental nature is different. In short, the main thing to look for is that keno titles have the player choose the numbers instead of getting a ticket that's randomly assigned, something you can easily see if you want to try out a few free keno titles.

Another element of this is that keno has you play exclusively against the house instead of going up against other players. Along these lines, your chances of winning, and the size of the prizes that you can win (outside of progressives) stay the same no matter how many people take part in that betting round. Since you get to select your own numbers, much of keno strategy is about selecting the right games and the right "pick" values, which tell you how many numbers you get to choose per drawing.

Learn Bingo Rules and Practice with No Download Free Bingo Games

By far, the easiest way to learn to play and learn the different types of bingo casino game rules is to play in the demo modes for free. This allows you to go through all of the play mechanics and see exactly what it's like if you decide to play for real money in the future. Experiencing this type of practice is the most comprehensive learning tool we have for titles like this, and it gets you ready to claim a juicy bonus and jump into shooting for some serious payouts. You can learn the simple rules and play for free with no download and no registration on our site. We have 90 ball, 75 ball, 80 ball, and more and you can learn all the different rules and regulations as well as how to win while playing for fun.

FAQs

  • What are the rules of bingo at online casinos in Canada?

    In short, you select your game and ticket price with chances to win based on how the numbers are called.
  • What does house or blackout mean?

    A full house or blackout means you have covered every available position on your ticket or card.
  • How do I know the games aren't rigged?

    Audits happen regularly from regulatory bodies at our recommended sites.
  • Is it possible to cheat in bingo?

    Players (and the house) are not able to cheat in these online games at reputable sites.
  • Are there progressive jackpots available?

    Yes, some games have progressive jackpots included.
  • Are there different bingo game rules online compared to bingo halls?

    Some of the rules can be the same, but some are different, like not needing to manually claim your wins.
  • How much do real money bingo tickets cost?

    It's not rare to see tickets cost as little as $0.05 apiece.
  • Can I really win money with a no deposit bonus?

    Yes, real money wins are available with these promotions.
  • Do I need to download software to play bingo online?

    No download is required, and you can play straight from your browser window.
  • What are bingo etiquette rules?

    Chat rooms available at most of these sites, and you're required to not use bad language or be aggressive or offensive to other players.
About the Author
 Darko Ilievski
Darko Ilievski - Managing Editor

Darko is an accomplished managing editor with more than 5 years of experience in the online gambling industry. With a wealth of knowledge at his disposal, he oversees the quality and accuracy of gaming content and specializes in researching and unloading high-quality reviews and articles. Darko also creates engaging and compelling content for various sectors at Online-Casinos.ca