Online Bingo can be played anywhere, on many mobile devices, provided you have an internet connection. There are many different types of bingo games available to play, including:

90 ball (90 numbers available)

70 ball (70 numbers available)

Image courtesy of  Lincolnian (Brian), Flickr

Speed Bingo (A fast version of 90 Ball Bingo)

BINGO (numbers are held in a grid below different coloured columns)

If you are a beginner it might be best to try 90 ball Bingo first. You will likely find some free games on most of the sites to practice with the software.

Getting Started
There is a vast array of Online Bingo sites available at your disposal. There are plenty of reviews about all the sites to enable you to make a choice of which site to get started on. Asking friends and family if they play at a particular site may give you some confidence to join the community of online bingo players! It is important to note that many sites have introductory offers. Some even have on-going deposit matches (i.e. for every £20 you deposit, they give you an extra £10 to play with). Please read the terms and conditions before signing up for any site to gain an understanding of how this process works.

Signing Up
Signing up is free and pretty straight forward. Simply complete the registration form. Many sites will ask you to insert your debit/credit card details during the registration process, others may not. Using a reputable site will ensure that your details are kept secure. You will receive a verification e-mail momentarily, which will contain a link to get you started.

Looking for Games to Play
Once you have followed the link to verify your account, you are free to play on your chosen site. Have a good look around. See the different options available to you. 90 Ball is a good game to start first as this game includes all numbers from 1 to 90. You can purchase tickets within the room you have chosen to play in. Some sites set a maximum of tickets you can buy. If you buy a set of six tickets, this will include all 90 numbers. You don’t have to worry about whether you will be quick enough to ‘dab’ (mark off) all of the numbers, as most sites have the ‘auto dab’ feature enabled, allowing you to watch the game and take in your surroundings.

Your ticket will have 10 columns. Your first column will contain all single numbers (1-9), your second column all teen numbers (10 – 19), your third all twenty numbers (20 – 29), and so on. There are three rows per ticket. If you manage to dab (mark off) every number on one row (five numbers), before anyone else, this is called ‘one line’. As the system is set up to ‘auto dab’ for you, this will also call ‘bingo’ for you. You will usually play on for ‘two lines’ (ten numbers or two rows within the same ticket). Once this prize has been won you will play on for a ‘Full House’ (all 15 numbers on the same ticket dabbed off).

A clock will count down to when your game will begin. When it does, numbers are randomly drawn and the marking of your tickets begin.

Image courtesy of LornaWatt, Flickr

Online Bingo Community
You will see, to the right of your screen, a Chat Box. There is often a Chat Host within the room, offering assistance to new people. There are also many other players, some may know each other, some may not. This is an additional feature of Online Bingo that is often overlooked. If you want to make friends or become part of a community, then this is a nice, friendly way to do it. You will see abbreviations like N1 (Nice One), GG (Good Game), GLANG (Good Luck All Next Game), and many more. If you are unsure of anything, there are usually lots of friendly people about who are only too happy to help.

Whichever site you decide to play bingo on, you can be sure to have a fun filled time wherever you go. The game of bingo itself is a lot of fun, once you figure out how it plays. But it is the community that really makes Bingo enjoyable. Bingo is such an easy way to meet new friends, and what better way to do it than in the comfort of your own living room?!

This article is brought to you by Pick Me Up Bingo, one of the top UK sites for playing bingo online.