All you need to know about playing bingo online

The earliest known examples of the game of bingo date back to 16th century Italy. Back then it could be best described as a type of lottery. But by 1778, the French had developed a game using cards with three rows, nine columns and only five spaces in each row filled in with a number from one to 90. This is the basis for modern-day 90-ball bingo.

All you need to know about playing bingo online

For along time there was little change in how bingo was played, however, each country or region had its own unique game play. In the UK we stuck with this 90-ball 3x9 card format. However, in the US a 75-ball game played on a 5x5 card was developed.

Over a decade ago bingo was first taken online. But back then the Internet was too slow to keep pace with the exciting speed of bingo. Now however, the Internet is the perfect forum for this easy to play, fast paced game. There are now many millions of people who enjoy playing online bingo and there are thousands of sites dedicated to the game.

Online bingo appeals to a wide audience and unlike land-based bingo, you can play online bingo for free. You can play free online bingo at Costa Bingo and win up to £10,000. Indeed another advantage to online bingo over land-based bingo is that the jackpots are considerably bigger. Last year you could play free online bingo at Costa Bingo and win £100,000. Never has a free bingo prize been so large.

The Internet has all but dissolved national boarders and UK players can now enjoy bingo games from elsewhere across the globe. One of the most popular variants played in the UK, other than the original 90-ball bingo is 75-ball bingo. But there are other options too.

All bingo games work on the same premise. They are games of luck where numbers are called at random and players have to mark numbers off their cards if and when their numbers are called. With 75-ball bingo every square contains a number and you have to make a pattern with your marked off numbers. Common patterns include diamonds, hearts and letters of the alphabet.

With 90-ball bingo there are three winning stages. The first is one line completed; the second is to get two lines filled in and the third, final and most profitable stage is to get a full house where all numbers on the card are marked off.

Because bingo is so easy and fun to play it can become addictive, so make sure you gamble responsibly. Find out more from Gamble Aware.