90 Ball Bingo is the most popular version of bingo that is played in the UK (United Kingdom) and Australia. If you live in Canada or America you will be mostly familiar with the 75 Ball version of Bingo, but don’t worry, the rules are practically the same. 90 Ball Bingo gets its name because 90 balls are used in the game all with numbers on them from 1 - 90.
How is the Game Played?
The game is played the same as 75 ball bingo, but we will go over the basics in case you are not familiar with the 75 ball version. The game starts by players purchasing bingo tickets (see picture below), a machine is then used to pick random numbers ranging from 1 – 90 which is then called by a bingo caller. Players simply mark the called numbers of their bingo cards if they have them. The first person to successful make a pattern (stated below) shouts “bingo” and they win.
90 Ball Bingo Card
The picture to the left is known as a strip of bingo tickets. The strip is divided up into 6 separate tickets. Players usually buy a full strip - instead of individual tickets - as it can be easier to play, but you can purchase as many as you like…even just the one.
One Bingo tickets is made up of a 9 x 3 grid that consists of random numbers between 1 - 90, with empty spaces between numbers. Each ticket consists of 15 numbers each, with 90 numbers in a full strip. Buying a strip can make the game easier to play as every number that gets called out is printed on your card, this way you know you cannot miss any numbers that get called out.
The Prize Money
The money you can win varies depending on how many players are participating, how many tickets a player buys and how much each ticket cost that game. Each player will have 3 chances to win each game, unlike 75 ball where players usually only get 1 chance. The pot that players can win gets split up into 3 amounts, each for each part of the game and each part goes up in money. The first part (1 line) being the least amount and the last part (full house) being the most you can win.
You can then get the added bonus of having the chance to win a progressive jackpot each game. This is usually won by making the full house pattern in under a certain amount of called numbers. The progressive jackpots are usually high amounts of money that are in the £1000s. They are not often won however.
3 Parts to the Game
The game consists of 3 parts:
- 1 line
- 2 lines
- Full house
1 Line
To win the 1 line you need to be the first player to get all the numbers in a horizontal line on a ticket, it does not matter which of the 3 lines that you fill.
2 Lines
To win the 2 lines you need to be the first player to get all of the numbers on 2 horizontal lines, again it does not matter which 2 of the 3 lines you fill. You do however have to make sure they are on the same ticket. Getting two 1 lines on different tickets on a strip does not count.
Full House
To win the full house you need to be the first bingo player to get all the numbers on your ticket.
If you successfully make any of the above patterns first you need to yell "BINGO" if you fail to yell "BINGO" first when you make a pattern and someone else yells 1 number after you they will win. If more than one person shouts "BINGO" at the same time they will share the money that is in the pot.
