Bingo Guide

Gamblista’s Guide to Online Bingo

Our online bingo guide includes help for new players with guides on how to play bingo games and other fun games. Comprehensive reviews of the best sites & bonus offers, featuring established bingo sites, well known brands as well as new contenders.

Many of the games played online are the same classic games found in your local hall, however playing online is a lot more convenient all you need is a computer or tablet and the internet. Play for real money with only a few quid to deposit – most bingo sites give out free bonus cash to play making a £10 deposit go a long way.

In the UK we typically play 90-Ball Bingo, but if you live in the US they are accustomed to 75-Ball bingo. Most sites offer both 75-Ball and 90-Ball and some offer 80-Ball, mini bingo, pattern bingo, coverall, quickie or speed, bonanza, money ball & Texas blackout.

Recommended Top 5 Bingo Sites

These are currently our top most recommended bingo sites based on what we think bingo players should most look for in a good site, with decent bonus offers, a great community and that are honest & trustworthy.

Bingo Bonus Offers

You can even play turbo bingo games that operate faster than normal at many sites, such as Quicksilver Bingo. Games like Full House and other variants are also becoming increasingly popular, with beguiling jackpots and progressive jackpots worth up to thousands of dollars taking over the game. Also becoming more available and enticing are the resurgence of non-bingo like slots and quizzes, such as the Celebrity Star Quiz you’ll find at Jackpotjoy bingo. Quicksilver’s bingo site also provides Luck Ladies 88 and Clover Rollover casino games, which are both becoming user favourites there.

However one of the most frequently used promotions by bingo sites, in order to increase their number of users and players are the first time deposit bonuses which provide free cash and incredible bingo offers to first time users and depositors. Many sites will, for example, offer up to 300% bonus top-ups on any cash you deposit. That is, these bingo sites will give you free money to play with in bingo halls and games, with real cash prizes. You’ll also find that many bingo sites provide a returning users deposit, such as Party Bingo, which provides all depositors infinite bonuses of 20% of whatever they deposit. Thus, if you deposit $20, you’ll receive $4 absolutely free.

Many of the hundreds of bingo sites on the internet all provide these fantastic offers and promotions. Foxy Bingo for example (one of the biggest bingo sites in the UK), offers users 100% deposit on £10 or more, up to £150. The money can be spent at any of the bingo rooms, including 90 ball and 75 ball games, as well as non-bingo games such as Cluedo, Wheel of Fortune and many others. At cheeky Bingo and Minxy Bingo, you can get a 100% deposit as well, with a minimum deposit of £10. Many other sites also offer fantastic bonuses without users even having to deposit their cash. Some Bingo sites such as BetFred, which are especially eager to recruit new players, offer a free £10 to any user who registers with the site, without having to fork out a dime. That’s 100% free money, for no effort at all. Bingo Sky also offers £25 free cash to play with when you join and register to their online bingo site.

Free Bingo – No Deposit Bingo Bonuses

From the popular UK Wink Bingo to the oh so alluring 888 Ladies Bingo; Bingo sites across the net are all providing fantastic, free Bingo Bonus offers.

What this means, quite literally, is that these sites are all happy to give you tons of free cash to play with. Indeed, many bingo sites such as Prize Bingo and Jackpotjoy will give the cash without even depositing. However, whether it’s the slots you’re after, or the 90 ball full house, two lines, or single lines game whatever, you’re guaranteed to be on the receiving end of some amazing free cash offers and bonuses. Sites like Wink Bingo, Foxy Bingo and 888 Ladies, all want you at their sites – it’s a competitive market so all will offer you bonuses to try their site and play.

If you were to browse all the bingo sites on the web, be it big sites, small sites, colourful sites; you’ll find thousands of pounds of free money being offered. Free Bingo Bonuses can range from anywhere from £10 to £150. Indeed, almost all bingo sites offer first time cash deposits with tantalizing bonuses of around 100% Wink Bingo as an example, offers 100% top-up for first time users up to a £150. That’s money you can spend in any of the 40 different rooms with massive cash prizes.

You can also use the free cash bonuses in non-bingo games such as Monopoly, Cluedo and Baywatch. At the end of the day, you can earn £150 at Bingo sites like this without even learning the “Bingo Lingo” Kiss My Bingo currently offers all first time users 300% bonus on first-time deposits up to £150.

In fact, you’ll find a good number of sites which provide this second chance, unlimited depositing offer, with many loyal and experienced players making a hell of a lot from it. Astro Bingo has £10 free cash available to non-depositing users, as does Bingo Liner.

It seems overall, there’s general market inertia for the public overcome before they spend their money gambling and winning lucrative cash prizes. But by offering amazing offers like free cash and top-up bonuses, bingo sites overcome this obstinate force and allow bingo players to really test the waters without risk.

Ruby Bingo offers a £15 no Deposit Bonus, and without even transferring funds, you can be in with shout of the £10,000 Monthly Guaranteed Bingo Games – Wink Bingo, Ruby Bingo, Gone Bingo you’ll all find amazing free cash bingo bonuses to take advantage of.

So with bingo games starting from as little as 1p, there’s really no reason not to take advantage of these amazing free bedlamite cash offers. For the £25 free Bingo Bonus cash you’ll get at Bingo Zest without depositing, you’ll have access to over 2,500 games to win prizes from.

Fun, Sociable & Trustworthy Sites

What really makes playing online bingo enjoyable is the fun factor and the ability to socialise online with other players.

A key thing to consider is that you and other players have trust in the bingo site you play at, trust that they will pay out your prizes should you win and trust that they will look after you as a customer

Gamblista only recommends good, solid trustworthy sites that pay and put your enjoyment as their number one priority. We do get a commission when you sign up via our links however that does not influence our recommended choices.

Because of the sociable nature of playing bingo all the bingo sites that you can play on will also have very established communities and forum as part of their site. So as well as support there are always players eager to help each other at the sites, basically playing online is about a lot more than just auto daubing your numbers.

Online Bingo Communities

Online bingo isn’t something bingo fans participate in just because they like the game. They are not just gaming sites, but online bingo communities. Like any community, it is the sense of friendship and camaraderie, the mutual respect for ultimate wins and so-close losses, that’s brings online bingo players back for more.

Like any multi-player gaming forum, all of the payers are competing against one another. But online bingo communities tend to be more close knit. Players are genuinely happy for the other players who win, even though they did not win themselves. Maybe its the cheap ticket prices, or knowing the elation that comes with finally winning your first bingo game, but the chats are so congenial, it’s noting like the traditional online chat room.

Rarely will you find a disrespectful chatter in the online bingo community. Bingo fans in general are light-hearted, jovial people. If, by chance, a less desirable type does begin speaking rudely or obscenely in the bingo chat, you can rest assured the Chat Moderator (CM) will immediately take care of it. The offensive member will be warned that his or her behaviour is not acceptable, and if the attitude persists, the user will be removed from the bingo chat without further notice.

CMs are hired to watch over all of the bingo chats while games are taking place. There job is to keep the atmosphere positive, as well as host exciting bingo chat games. These games also help maintain a supportive bingo community, while doling out extra bingo bucks and other rewards to the players for participating and winning the chat games.

To learn more about these games and rewards, visit our follow-up page: Bingo Chat Games

The online bingo community is like one big family. For regular players, they see each other on a consistent, if not daily basis, becoming more than just acquaintances, but real friends. They are there to have a great time, playing together, laughing together, celebrating together.

So the next time you find yourself looking for a new online bingo room to join, don’t just go by the biggest bonuses, or the vibrancy of the graphics and look for a large, well populated site with a real online bingo community. Win or lose, you can rest assured you will have honestly have a more fulfilling, entertaining experience overall.

Bingo Lingo and Bingo Chat Phrase Acronyms

The following is a list of Bingo Lingo acronyms; chat phrases that have been shortened making it easier and quicker to type in since they are used so often.

ASAP: As soon as possible
ASL: Age, sex, location?

B4N/BFN: Bye for now
BBL: Be back later
BF: Boyfriend
BFF: Best friends forever
BRB: Be right back
BTW: By the way

CU: See you
CUL: Catch you later
CYA: See Ya

FCOL: For crying out loud
FYI: For your information

GF: Girlfriend
GG: Good game
GL: Good luck
GLA: Good luck all
GR8: Great

HAGD: Have a good day

IMHO: In my honest opinion

JK: Just kidding

K: Okay

L8R: Later
LOL: Laugh out loud
LMAO: Laugh my a$$ off

NOYB: None of your business
NP: No problem

OMG: Oh my gosh

PLS/PLZ: Please

ROFL: Rolling on floor laughing

SRY: Sorry

TC: Take care
THX: Thanks
TTYL: Talk to you later
TY: Thank you

W8: Wait
WB: Welcome back
WD: Well done
WTG: Way to go

YW: You’re welcome

?4U: Question for you

How to Play Bingo Online

We’ll show you how to play online here – From the initial account set-up phase, right down to purchasing cards and tickets and playing the actual games …

1. The first thing you’ll need to do is find a suitable bingo room to play at.

Check out our bingo site review page with recommendations and help choosing the right online room for you.

If you want to get playing straight away – We recommended Wink Bingo (review) & 888 Ladies (review) – Great places to start & enjoying playing bingo.

2. The next step is to register an account with the bingo site. From the main page, look for a “Join Now” or “Sign Up” link. This will lead you to the registration page.

3. Fill out the registration form, including all required fields. Required fields should be marked with an asterisk (*). these generally include your name, address, country of residence, phone number, date of birth and valid email address. You’ll also have to choose a username and password to log-in to your online account.

4. If you want to play online bingo for real money (not all bingo rooms offer free play), you’ll need to visit the Cashier. Click on the Cashier button. You may need to enter “My Account” to find the Cashier. Choose “Deposit”, select a convenient payment method and follow the instructions. Enter the amount you wish to deposit and submit. You may also need to confirm the deposit.

You may not be required to deposit in order to play for real money. Be sure to check for Free Trial, No-Deposit Bonuses. These will award a few pounds to play real-money online bingo with, without requiring an initial deposit. If there is no free trial bonus, look for deposit match bonuses in the cashier, or on the promotions page, prior to depositing. Follow the instructions to claim the bonus if desired.

5. Now your ready to start playing online … Navigate to the lobby and you should see a list of lounges available. Each lounge offers a specific game, such as 90-Ball, 75-Ball or 80-Ball. There may be more than one bingo lounge for each game. If so, the prices will vary by lounge. Select the lounge with the game and price range you wish to play.

6. You will be given the option to purchase cards/tickets for the next game. There is going to be a maximum number of cards/tickets allowed per game. Choose how many cards/tickets you wish to purchase, confirm the purchase, and you will be directed to the game. If there is already a game in progress, you will have to wait for the next game to begin.

7. As the game begins, you will, by default, be using a feature called “Auto-Daub” . This means your bingo cards/tickets will automatically be marked as your numbers are called. You can turn this feature off, but it’s not recommended. The cards/tickets that are closest to winning will be displayed first, in order of numbers marked.

If you win a game, you won’t have to rush to yell “Bingo” The software will do this for you, so you never miss a win.

Good luck and enjoy chatting and playing bingo online

Bingo Guides

Bingo Sites – Competition is fierce with over a hundred quality sites now providing games and so making big bonus offers and promotions.

Nicknames for Bingo Numbers – Bingo Lingo is a phrase that refers to names for bingo numbers, common chat terms, nicknames and acronyms used by online players.

Types of Bingo Games – The commonly played 90 ball game is just one of the large number of different game variations offered at most bingo sites.