Bingo is said to have started in 1530 in Italy, and today it is one of the most popular games in the world. There are two main varieties of the game, one played in North America, and the other in the UK, parts of Europe, Australia and parts of South America. Most of the rules remain the same in both varieties, and the main differences are: the layout of the bingo card or ticket; the numbers that are included on them; and the number of possible winners. Both varieties can be played online.

The variety played in North America is the 75-ball bingo. This type of bingo is played with 75 numbers, as the name says. The bingo card is divided in a grid of 5 horizontal rows and 5 vertical columns, and each square in the grid contains a number. This makes up to a card containing 25 numbers. Each column is headed by one letter of the word Bingo. The numbers start under the letter B from 1-15; 16-30 under the letter I; 31-45 under the letter N, and so on to up to 75. The central square often shows “free square” and it considered as already being marked (it has the same purpose as the Joker in card games).

The 75-ball bingo game ends when the first player covers the aimed pattern on the card, and there is only one possible winner. There are a huge number of different patterns, and they go from the simplest ones to very complicated shapes. For example, an L pattern requires the player to cover every square in the first column and the bottom row of the grid. Some websites offer over 300 different varieties of patterns, and this is why the game is also referred to as “pattern bingo”. The hardest pattern is the coverall pattern, and it usually brings the biggest Jackpot. In this pattern a player must mark off all the numbers on in the grid. Speed Bingo the same as 75-ball bingo, but the numbers are called much quicker.

In the 90-ball bingo, also called the traditional bingo, the bingo card is called a ticket, and it is divided in three horizontal lines and nine columns. Each ticket contains 15 numbers, five in each horizontal line, and the rest of the squares are left blank. The first column contains the numbers from 1-10, the second the numbers from 11-2, the third has numbers from 21-30, and so on until the last column which contains numbers from 81-90.

The 90-ball version of the game has three stages called one line, two lines, and full house. There is a prize for finishing each stage of the game therefore a total of three prizes is awarded per game. The player who is the first one to mark off all the numbers in the first line (5 numbers total) will receive one prize; the player who is the first one to mark off all the numbers in two lines (10 numbers total) will be given a larger prize; while the biggest prize goes to the player who is the first one to cover all the numbers on the ticket (15 numbers total) known as the full house.

Progressive jackpots that are sometimes offered in online bingo halls are available for both varieties of the game. These jackpots get bigger with each game until they are won, which means they can become very big.

To win a progressive jackpot in the 90-ball bingo a player has to mark off a full house (all the 15 numbers) before a certain number of balls have been called.

In the 75-ball version one must cover a blackout or coverall pattern (each of the 25 numbers) before a certain number of balls have been called.