Bingo is a game of chance where each player has to mark off numbers that are randomly drawn by a caller. The numbers are printed on different bingo cards that players purchase. When a player marks off all of the called numbers, they are the winner. Nowadays, people have turned to online bingo as it is simpler and easier to play, and players are able to play at any time. The popularity of online bingo resulted in launching hundreds of bingo sites, offering numerous bingo rooms and bingo games.
The most popular bingo games that can be found on all sites are the 90-ball, 75-ball, 80-ball, and 52-ball bingo. These games can be found in many online bingo rooms and they came with different jackpots and promotions. However, 90-ball and 75-ball bingo, known as the UK and the US bingo games, are the games that people enjoy the most.
If you are interested to learn how the UK and the US bingo games work and what is the difference between them, continue reading below! And don’t forget to tell us which one is your favourite.
UK Bingo
UK Bingo or 90-ball bingo is the game that is played in Britain the most. The UK version of bingo uses 90 balls, numbered from one to 90, and the bingo cards are arranged into nine columns and three rows. Each row contains five numbers and four empty spaces.
To play 90-ball bingo, you have to purchase at least one bingo ticket. However, to increase the chances of winning, players usually purchase a full strip, that is six bingo tickets. This allows them to cover every single number from one to 90 to appear on the squares. But, this doesn’t guarantee you a win, because each ticket contains a random combination of numbers.
Each 90-ball bingo game has three levels of a win per ticket - one line, two lines, and three lines. A three-line win on the same ticket is called House. In this game, it is possible for two or more players to share the winning numbers, so the prize will be divided by the number of winners. The prize that can be won in a 90-ball bingo game depends on the number of players that are playing.
In line with the 90-ball bingo, bingo callers often use bingo calls, alternative slang terms for the different numbers.
US Bingo
The US bingo variant is known as the 75-ball bingo and it appears to be a lot more dynamic as there are more patterns that can form winning combinations. The 75-ball bingo is played with numbers from one to 75, placed on a bingo ticket that has five columns which are split into 25 squares filled with 24 numbers. However, not all squares are filled, there are certain variants where the midmost place on the ticket remains empty, i.e. is marked with a star or another symbol.
In the US version of bingo, the tickets contain the word BINGO displayed along the top of the card and each column of numbers is placed under a letter:
- The B column contains five random numbers ranging from 1 through 15;
- The I column contains five numbers ranging from 16 through 30;
- The N column contains four numbers (with one black space) ranging from 31 to 45;
- The G column contains five numbers ranging from 46 to 60;
- The O column contains five numbers ranging from 61 to 75.
Unlike 90-ball bingo, the US bingo cards are independent one from another and they don’t run in strips. This means that if you play with more than one card, you might have duplicate numbers. For that reason, the 75-ball bingo is slightly slower than the 90-ball bingo.
To win in 75-ball bingo, you need to match at least one winning line. At the start of the game, players are told which winning line they are playing for. There are more than 300 patterns available in this type of bingo. Some of the most popular are the double line, blackout, and X. The prizes depend on the winning patterns that the game will feature.
What’s the difference between them?
If you’ve read the descriptions of both 90-ball and 75-ball bingo, you will probably learn what is the same and what is different between them. However, let’s explain that a little bit more.
First of all, the main difference between a US bingo ticket and a UK bingo ticket can be seen at the top of the tickets. A US ticket has the letters B, I, N, G, O printed at the top and they set the 5x5 grid. On the other side, a UK ticket has six blocks which makes it possible to claim all numbers if you purchase six tickets. On the contrary, a US bingo ticket is unique and players who have more tickets might have duplicate numbers.
Another noticeable difference between the UK and the US bingo is the way of forming winning patterns. In 75-ball game, players are told which pattern they are playing (whether it is a star, diagonal lines, letters, etc.) and they have to mark the numbers that correspond to the particular pattern. Opposite of this is the 90-ball game which has one line, two lines, or three lines that players have to mark. Furthermore, the 90-ball bingo is played at a faster pace compared to the 75-ball bingo.
However, one thing is certain - both of the bingo games are fun to play, and they come with amazing bonuses and jackpots!