You may have come across one of the two types of bingo, such as 90 ball bingo played in Australia, United Kingdom or Europe, or 75 ball bingo played in Canada, the US or Central and South America. Although the two games are very similar, there are some fundamental differences that keep them distinct.

Firstly, in 90 ball bingo players are given three opportunities to win. If they complete a single horizontal line, two horizontal lines of a full house (jackpot), then they win a designated prize for each level of win. In 75 ball bingo, however, there is only one prize, and that is for achieving a predefined pattern. Some people prefer 90 ball bingo because there is more chance to win; and others prefer 70 ball bingo because the jackpot winnings are greater.

>Secondly, in 75 ball bingo is played with cards, cards containing a 5X5 grid of squares. Each card contains 24 numbers, ranging from 1 to 75. The centre square is usually marked free. Players then have to mark off numbers when they are called, in an attempt to achieve the desired pattern. In 90 ball bingo things are a little different. Here players will purchase a ticket that will have a 3x5 grid with each row containing 5 numbers ranging from 1 to 90. On top of that, each column will randomly picked numbers from a group of ten ? for example, column one will contain numbers from 1 ? 10, column 2 will have numbers from 11-20 and so on. Each row will contain five numbers plus four blank squares. The object then is to either complete 1 line, 2 lines or occupy a full house (coverall).

Both forms of bingo have become popular online, often supplemented with the sense of community that one might expect from a land-based bingo hall. Chat facilities, scheduled games, newsletters, and plenty of live action make online bingo a great alternative to bingo halls.

About the Author

Toni Collins is the Online Marketer for Bingo4Her http://www.bingo4her.co.uk.