Even after almost a century since its arrival, bingo remains popular in the US, specifically, its American version—the 75-ball bingo. Although its legality in the country remains dependent on state regulations, this doesn’t stop bingo-loving Americans from playing their favorite game, both offline and online.
If you’re starting to get interested in playing 75-ball bingo, then you need a comprehensive overview of how the game works. Well, you’re in luck as this article will discuss everything you need to know about American bingo—from basic rules to the best online bingo sites.
Table of Contents
How To Play 75-Ball Bingo
Here are the basic rules and elements you should be familiar with before playing 75-ball bingo.
Rules
American bingo follows the same general mechanics as other bingo versions. The player must purchase a ticket or card first to qualify to play. The game starts once the caller announces the first number. The player will then have to find that number on their card and mark it. Players have to achieve a designated pattern for every game to win the prize, which is announced beforehand. The caller continues to draw the numbers, and players will keep marking their cards until someone completes the pattern and shouts, “Bingo!”.
Number of Balls
As its name suggests, 75-ball bingo play with 75 balls numbered 1 to 75. These balls are placed in a machine to randomize the numbers as they come out one by one during the game.
Cards, Tickets & Strips
The format of a 75-ball bingo card is what most people may be familiar with. It has a 5×5 grid with a number on every tile, and a “free” space in the center, considered already marked. In total, each card should have 24 digits that need to be covered. Letters B, I, N, G, and O are written across the top of the card, and each letter corresponds to a column and a set of numbers.
- B – the first column; contains five numbers from 1 to 15
- I – the second column; contains five numbers from 16 to 30
- N – the third column; contains four numbers from 31 to 45
- G – the fourth column; contains five numbers from 46 to 60
- O – the fifth and last column; contains five numbers from 61 to 75
| BINGO | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-15 | 16-30 | 31-45 | 46-60 | 61-75 |
| 7 | 26 | 31 | 49 | 63 |
| 2 | 17 | 44 | 54 | 72 |
| 14 | 15 | FREE | 50 | 75 |
| 9 | 23 | 36 | 44 | 68 |
| 6 | 30 | 39 | 60 | 61 |
Players can purchase as many cards as they want, given that they can attend to them all. Each card can only be used once, and they are disposed of after every game. In offline bingo games, cards can be sold separately or as set with tickets for other games in the session. They are often made out of either thin paper or cardboard. Players use daubers to mark each tile.
On the other hand, online bingo sites sell more tickets to every player. Players can max out the card limits of these sites since most of them offer autoplay or automated gaming. It helps player cover their cards without exerting much effort since the machine does all the marking for them. There are also systems like best card sorting and best card highlighting, which can arrange the cards depending on their probability to win and highlight the one that is close to winning.
Equipment
Presently, both traditional and modern bingo equipment are used by different bingo halls and clubs across the country.
Traditional equipment includes mechanical ball machines that look like cages. The balls are placed inside, and the cage is manually rotated to randomize the numbers as they are picked. After some time, bingo ball machines with built-in blowers are invented to quickly shuffle and release the balls one by one.
However, with the development of modern technology, there is now electronic bingo equipment. Some halls use random number generators (RNG) instead of drawing physical numbered balls. They also have large boards containing numbers from 1 to 75, flashing them as they are announced. It also shows the winning pattern and the total number of already called digits. E-bingo machines are also available in some clubs for those who prefer playing electronically.
Patterns
One advantage of 75-ball bingo against its British counterpart is that it allows more winning patterns. All of these variations make the game more fun and exciting. Here are some of them:
Single Line
Among the easiest patterns to achieve in American bingo are the single lines. This pattern is similar to 90-ball bingo, except in 75-ball, aside from horizontal lines, diagonal and vertical are accepted as well.
The player must cover five tiles horizontally, vertically, or diagonally to win with this pattern. Just remember that the free space in the middle is marked and can be considered as the fifth tile.
Multiple Lines
This one is like British bingo’s two-line wins, except it has more variations. It can be two vertical or two horizontal lines. It can also be two lines of any combination of horizontal, vertical, or diagonal lines.
Coverall (Blackout)
Coverall or blackout is the pattern where players must cover or mark all 24 numbers in their card to win the prize. In 90-ball bingo, it is called the “full-house.” Jackpots or large payouts are often at stake with blackout games since they are harder to complete and last longer.
Shapes
Creativity in bingo comes in as various shapes are considered winning patterns in 75-ball bingo. The most common are the four corners, outside and inside diamonds, postage stamps, and big and small frames. There are even heart patterns, crazy kites, a chair, checkmark, and the US flag. The variations are endless.
Letters
At this point, nearly all letters of the alphabet have been used as a bingo pattern. The most popular ones commonly included in games are the T, X, and L patterns.
75-Ball Bingo Online Sites
If you’re more of an online bingo player, then you can find a suitable bingo website while in the comforts of your own home. However, if you’re just new to this, you’ll find that looking for a legitimate online bingo site can be a bit tricky, especially if you’re looking for specific games like 75-ball. To help you, here are five online sites that you can check for exciting 75-ball bingo games.
Bet365 Bingo
Bet365 is mainly an online sports betting website, but they also offer great bingo games. Among the six variants of bingo that they host on their site is the 75-ball bingo. In total, they have 16 bingo rooms their players can enjoy. Their tickets start at 1p so anyone with any budget can play a game.
As for promotions, bet365 requires a minimum deposit of £10 for the player to receive 20 free spins on Book of Horus, Book of Claddagh, among other games. It also entitles them to 200 free tickets on any bingo room with a “free ticket” symbol. New players can enjoy all of these with a No Wagering welcome promotion, making it a better deal for only £10.
Foxy Bingo
Foxy Bingo is one of the crowd’s favorite online bingo websites, not only for its large payouts but also for its entertainment. Entain has now been managing the website, which expands it with a wide variety of games, including two 75-ball games. They currently have five bingo variants available and 16 bingo rooms.
The minimum deposit in Foxy Bingo is as low as £10 for new players. It will already grant you a £40 bonus, which you can use in any of the 16 rooms or slot games. With a low wagering requirement, you can also enjoy 40 free spins in their Full House Wilds slot game. Aside from their welcome offer, players can also take advantage of weekly promotions and daily prize offers.
Paddy Power Bingo
Another popular sports betting website that offers bingo games is Paddy Power. They operate with Playtech bingo software provider, which gives it access to tons of popular online games. They have 75-ball bingo games as well as 90-ball, 80-ball, 52-ball, and 36-ball in their 18 bingo rooms.
Paddy Power offers one of the most affordable welcome promotions, starting with a £5 deposit. Spending it on bingo games within the next months will qualify you for a whopping £25 bonus and 25 free spins. The £25 is split into a £15 slot bonus and a £10 bingo bonus.
Mr Q Bingo
MrQ is under an independent software developer, Lindar Media, which means the platform and its games are proprietary and unique. They introduce new and exciting games to their regular players, including the Rock and Rollover, a 75-ball game that offers progressive jackpots. They also have free rooms that new members can enjoy without any risks.
MrQ offers 20 free spins to new members who’ll spend at least £10 on their Fishing Frenzy Jackpot game. This will also entitle their new members to 24-hour access to their Free For All bingo room. On top of this, MrQ has zero wagering requirements, which means you can cash out your prizes immediately.
Mirror Bingo
Mirror Bingo is another popular website in the UK as it’s under the magazine The Daily Mirror. Currently, Jumpman Gaming operates the platform, which gives its members exclusive access to several popular games. Its ten bingo rooms offer four game variants, including 75-ball or American bingo.
The best thing about Mirror Bingo is that it awards you 20 free spins just by signing up. And upon your first deposit of at least £10, you get the chance to win 500 free Mega Wheel spins. Aside from this, players can also take advantage of monthly free spins offer and 5% daily cashback.
75-Ball Bingo Jackpots
With 75-ball bingo, players can win the biggest bingo jackpots from blackout games or coverall. However, operators also designate specific patterns players must complete and grant them a sizeable jackpot.
There are three types of bingo jackpots: fixed, progressive, and escalator. These are systems that bingo halls follow in presenting these large payouts, so games become more exciting and for players to keep playing.
- Fixed jackpot – predetermined by the bingo organizers, and the pot money remains the same regardless of the number of players, ticket prices, and other factors.
- Progressive jackpot – depends on how much the tickets are sold and the number of active players—the more players and the higher the ticket prices, the bigger the jackpot. It continues to grow bigger every day until someone wins it.
- Escalator jackpot – awarded to the bingo winner who won within a specific number of balls. The ball count increases every day until someone wins within the limit.
US Bingo vs UK Bingo
Aside from the fact that both US and UK bingo follow the game’s general mechanics, these two are entirely different variants. Here are its main differences:
- British bingo plays with 90 balls, while the American version only has 75.
- 90-ball bingo uses a 9×3 card format, while 75-ball uses a 5×5 format.
- 75-ball bingo has 24 digits and one free space on its card, while 90-ball only has 15 numbers and 12 blank spaces.
- 90-ball bingo has limited winning patterns with the one-line win, two-lines, and full-house.
- 75-ball bingo has more winning patterns, including lines, coverall, shapes, letters, and more.
American Bingo: FAQ
Answers to common questions about 90-ball bingo.
What is American-style bingo?
American-style bingo is a 75-ball bingo game with numbers from 1 to 75. Its card has a 5×5 grid with 24 numbers and free space on the centermost tile. To win in American bingo, players must cover a specific pattern, including lines, shapes, letters, or complete a blackout or coverall.
What’s different between British and American bingos?
British bingo has 90 balls, while American bingo has 75. Their cards also have entirely different formats. For 90-ball bingo, the card is in a 9×3 grid format, while 75-ball is in a 5×5 form. Additionally, American bingo has more winning patterns, with British bingo only limited to line wins.
How many numbers are in US bingo?
US bingo is consists of numbers from 1 to 75. In this version, letters B, I, N, G, and O correspond to a column and number set. B is the first column and has 1 to 15; I is the second one with 16 to 30, and so on.
How many numbers get called in 75-ball bingo?
With every game of 75-ball bingo, there are no specific numbers that get called before the caller announces a win. It all depends on the number of players and how hard the patterns need to be completed. Usually, the longest games are coverall or blackouts.
What is the payout structure for American bingo?
The payout structure for American bingo depends on the bingo operators. Factors like the number of players, ticket prices, as well as the difficulty of the game can also affect the structure. The largest payout comes from progressive jackpots, often at stake during blackout games.
Where can you play 75-ball bingo for free?
Several online bingo websites, like MrQ Bingo, offer free games and access their free bingo rooms. This allows players, especially beginners, to test out the games and potentially win prizes without risking their money. However, they still have to ensure that the sites are legitimate before playing.
Is US bingo easy to win?
Like any other bingo version, US bingo is purely a game of chance. In 75-ball bingo, there are more patterns that you can complete, so you get more chances of winning. Additionally, although there are no specific strategies to win, you can always purchase more bingo tickets to increase the odds.
75-ball bingo is one of the most popular versions, not only in the US but also in the entire world. Even though US laws regarding the legality of bingo remain strict, this doesn’t stop its patrons from enjoying the game, one way or another.