How to play bingo?

Bingo is a numbers game, similar to Lotto and Keno, linking together luck and speed.

The different types of bingo

There are two main sorts of bingo: the 90 ball version - very popular in the UK and Australia - and the 75 ball version, which is most popular in the US.

• 90 ball bingo

90 balls are placed in a container. Each player buys one or more game cards, each one with a unique winning combination of numbers.

The cards have 6 boxes, each one made up of 3 lines and 9 columns. Each line has 5 numbers, which means that each box has a total of 15 numbers between 1 and 90.

Players cross off the numbers that feature on their tickets as and when the 90 corresponding numbered balls are drawn. In order to win, you have to match the line you make with the winning combination when you cross off the numbers.

There are different winnings for each of the different varieties: one complete line, two complete lines or all of the lines completed on the card will give you different winning amounts.

The game is over when a player manages to complete a winning game model on his/her card and shouts "Bingo!" After that, a new game begins. If two players shout "Bingo!" at the same time, they share the winnings.

• 75 ball bingo

75 boules are placed in acontainer with five columns, each one containing 15 numbers. Each of these five columns carries the name of one of the letters in the word "BINGO".

Each player buys one or more game cards, each one with a unique winning combination of numbers.

In the 75 ball bingo game, the game cards are made up of 25 boxes (5 lines and 5 columns). 24 of these boxes have a number between 1 and 75, and the box in the middle has the word "free" or an equivalent. In this version too, each of the five columns carries the name of one of the letters in the word "BINGO"

Players cross off the numbers that feature on their tickets as and when the 75 corresponding numbered balls are drawn. In order to win, you have to match the line you make with the winning combination when you cross off the numbers.

When you play 75 ball bingo, your winnings are different depending on whether you complete a horizontal, diagonal or vertical line, or the whole grid.

The first player to succeed in filling in a winning game model shouts "Bingo!" and the game stops straight away. As long as no one as shouted "Bingo!", the game carries on. If more than one player shouts "Bingo!" at the same time, they share the winnings.