What is Online Bingo?
Online bingo is quite simply the traditional game of bingo, but played online virtually. Online bingo is a convenient and comfortable way of playing your favorite game without leaving the comfort of your own home, as all you need in order to play, is a computer and an internet connection. This means you can play whenever, and wherever you like, without abiding to scheduled times and places, like within land based bingo halls.
When you log onto an online bingo site, you will have to register an account before you can start playing. The details required in a registration form are usually your name, date of birth (to check your age for gambling laws), home address, a desired user name and a desired password. The user name is a name that you will use to log into your account, and this user name will also appear on the bingo site when you enter a room, chat and win. After filling in those details, you will need to register a deposit method. This is a source of where the online bingo site can take cash from in order to fund your account so you have funds to use on purchasing bingo tickets and enjoying the games available.
Most online bingo sites accept most major credit and debit cards, and many popular bingo sites accept electronic banking programs, such as Neteller and Paypal, which a lot of bingo players prefer to use. After registering a method, you can then request to “deposit” an amount of your choice, but the minimum deposit amount at most bingo sites often start at £5 and £10. Once you have deposited an amount of your choice, this amount will appear instantly in your “Bingo balance”, and this means you can start playing bingo right away.
Most online bingo sites have a parade of different bingo rooms of different game types, and these are usually listed with vital pieces of information next to them. This section is usually called a “bingo lobby”, and within this window you will be informed of which game type each room holds, the ticket price, the amount of bingo players playing, and the bingo game jackpot. This helps you decide on where to play quickly. Although bingo rooms are designed and constructed differently, the features are generally the same.
In a standard online bingo room, you will find a set of bingo tickets, an option to purchase them, an area that states the cash prizes up for grabs, a chat room, and a grid of rows and columns – this is where called bingo balls sit after they have been released. Once entered, you are able to select the amount of tickets you wish to buy and purchase them – the cost of the bingo tickets will then come instantly off your balance.
Most online bingo sites “dab” the called numbers on your tickets automatically with a virtual blob of ink, but most sites give you the option to dab yourself by using your mouse when numbers are called by a pre-recorded voice. When someone wins a game of bingo, the bingo site will automatically claim for the winner and deposit the winnings straight into their bingo balance. The game then refreshes, and a new set of tickets to purchase are available for the next bingo game.
When it comes to winnings, all cash amounts are credited straight to your virtual bingo balance, and you can only receive these back into your real bank account or internet banking program when you request to withdraw your funds.
So, what is online bingo? Online bingo is an exciting and liberating game, and invites bingo players to put down their dabbers, relax and let the computer do all the work for them.
Still not sure? Read our Bingo Online article.
