Online bingo is the easiest, most user-friendly way to play your favourite housie and 75-ball games for real money. You can choose from a wide variety of styles, including solo play, group games and a few special offerings that are only available on the Web.
The best part of playing Australian bingo online is that you can do so in your own time, without leaving the house. You also don’t have to endure the strict rules and conduct policies that often shroud the traditional land-based bingo hall.
We will show you everything you need to know about Internet bingo, including which sites offer the best value and biggest jackpots for Aussie players. We’ll also delve into essential information like online banking security, how to buy tickets and, for those new to the game, the basic bingo lingo you will need to learn.
Best bingo sites for Australians
There are plenty of AUD bingo sites out there on the World Wide Web, but only a few which get the AustralianCasinoSite.com stamp of approval. These trusted operators all offer great variety, quality game rooms, big progressive jackpots, and top-shelf privacy and security protocols.
AussieDollarBingo.com – For our money, this is the best real money bingo site going around. ADB has something for everyone, with live bingo rooms running every day, a top-shelf loyalty program and heaps of free cash bonuses all year round.
BingoAustralia.com – Owned and operated by the same folks behind Aussie Dollar Bingo, this is another excellent choice for AUD players. Bingo Australia is renowned for its Winnable PJPs, free bingo rooms and very generous 1000% welcome bonus.
KittyBingo.com – If you like free credits, we highly recommend Kitty Bingo. Besides offering a superb range of real cash bingo games day in, day out, KB gives you a match bonus on every deposit you make.
LuckyPantsBingo.com – For gameplay variety, it’s hard to beat Lucky Pants Bingo. Alongside the classic 90-ball and 75-ball bingo games we all know and love, you can also try niche titles like Swedish bingo and Turbo bingo.
Why play bingo online?
A: Because it’s a million times easier.
All you need to play real bingo online is a computer or smart device, a decent Internet connection and a few bucks to spare. Registration at any of our trusted online bingo rooms is a quick, painless process, while secure deposit options like Visa, MasterCard, Neteller and PayPal allow you to safely cash up your account in a matter of seconds.
Once you’re cashed up, buying bingo cards online is a sinch. With just a couple of mouse clicks, you can instantaneously purchase hundreds of tickets for all your favourite jackpot games. There’s no waiting in line, no fumbling around with loose change, and no need to get in extra early so you can snag an electronic dabbing machine.
In addition to the standard auto-daub function found on most online bingo games, there are also pre-buy automated cards which can be bought well in advance of a bingo session. This very neat feature means you don’t even have to log in for the draw, as the site’s software will mark your card for you.
Best of all, Net-based bingo players don’t have to set foot outside their own house. Forget catching a courtesy bus on a cold, wet Tuesday night – stay in, crank the heat and set the mood however you like it. And for the younger folks, or anyone who finds the old-fashioned Australian bingo hall a bit stifling, playing via the Web also means you avoid the weekly etiquette lessons from the hardcore housie sticklers out there.
Australian 90-ball housie
If you have ever played bingo in Australia, chances are it was the 90-ball variety. This is the most widespread incarnation of the game, with big followings in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and South America.
Ninety-ball bingo is played using tickets made up of three rows and nine columns. Each row features five numbers, so there are 15 active numbers on each ticket. Each of these numbers corresponds to one of the 90 balls (or randomly generated numbers) which may be drawn. When one of your numbers is called, you mark it off your card.
Australian bingo games are also known as ‘housie’, because the chief mode of victory is to claim a full house by marking off all 15 numbers on a single ticket. However, many games also run prizes for one line (all five numbers in a single row) and two line combinations (10 numbers in two separate rows).
Online 90-ball bingo is extremely popular all over the globe. Our suggested AUD bingo sites offer loads of online housie rooms, from freerolls and fun chat games to huge progressive jackpots where you can win thousands of Australian dollars.
And if you think regular land-based bingo is easy to play, the auto-daub feature at sites like AussieDollarBingo.com and LuckyPantsBingo.com makes it even simpler. Rather than hanging on every call and marking the numbers off by hand, this nifty tool does all the work for you – so you can sit back, crack a can and enjoy, knowing full well you haven’t mucked up your numbers.
American 75-ball bingo
Played predominately in the United States and Canada, 75-ball bingo works in much the same way as its 90-ball counterpart. While there are fewer numbers in play, there are more numbers per card and a whole heap of different ways to win.
American bingo uses a square 5 x 5 ticket with 24 numbers (between one and 75) and a free space in the centre. That free space can be used to complete a winning pattern, in lieu of a called number. As with 90-ball bingo, numbers are drawn from a barrel (or called via random number generator) and players mark their cards accordingly.
The big difference compared to Aussie bingo is the number of different winning patterns that can be played. Besides single lines, double lines and coveralls, there are dozens upon dozens of shapes which can be used – from the simple postage stamp (a square of four adjacent numbers) to more extravagant combinations like the champagne glass, the roller coaster and the dragon fly. The winning pattern usually changes after each game.
Seventy-five ball bingo is gradually increasing in popularity outside North America, especially in the online arena. Games run a bit faster than 90-ball housie, while the sheer range of patterns available allows for all kinds of jackpot rounds and specialty games. The auto-dab option is very handy in US bingo, especially on some of the more complicated patterns.
Progressive jackpot bingo (PJP)
Online bingo progressives (called PJPs for short) are among the most lucrative bingo jackpot games on the Web. The longer the main prize goes unclaimed, the bigger it gets – much like the lottery or a progressive pokie machine.
Progressive bingo jackpots can be played with 75 balls or 90. To win the big prize, you must complete the jackpot pattern within a certain number of calls – for example, covering all 24 numbers on a US bingo card within 45 calls. The odds of success under such circumstances are very slim, which is why some of the biggest jackpots can go several months without a winner.
We especially like the Guaranteed Winnable PJPs at Bingo Australia and Aussie Dollar Bingo. While some other sites offer attractive bingo jackpots that are all but impossible to win, these special sessions cough up the top prize on a regular basis. Winnable PJPs run all week long, and many feature guaranteed cash prizes starting at AUD $2000.
Community bingo chat rooms
If you want to bring some of that old-school community feel to your online play, join in one of the live chat rooms running every day at the leading Australian bingo websites. You can engage in a bit of banter with your fellow players and talk to fun, friendly chat hosts who are more than happy to share their wisdom.
The best bingo chat sites run special team events where you can share tickets with other people and play for free credits, loyalty points and other cool rewards. This is a great way to make friends and have a laugh while playing real 90-ball and 75-ball bingo games online.
Basic bingo terminology
Like so many forms of gaming in Australia, bingo comes with a rich nomenclature all of its own. Below we’ve listed some of the common phrases you will hear in bingo centres and community halls the world over.
Blackout – A standard winning pattern in 75-ball bingo where all 24 numbers are marked. Also called a coverall.
Caller – The person who hosts the game and announces the numbers as they are drawn.
Consolation – A runner-up prize which can be claimed when the jackpot is not won within the required number of calls.
Dauber – A special kind of highlighter pen used for marking bingo cards. Sometimes called a dabber.
Eyes down – The traditional announcement before each game of bingo, alerting players that the call is about to start.
Full house – A winning pattern in 90-ball bingo where all 15 numbers on a ticket are marked.
Hardway – An American term for achieving bingo without using the free space.
Housie – The Australian name for 90-ball bingo, derived from the term ‘full house’.
Pattern – Any one of the shapes that may be required to win a game of bingo.
Progressive jackpot – A grand prize which continues rising in value over days, weeks, even months, until it is won.
RNG – Short for ‘random number generator’, a widely used digital alternative to drawing bingo balls from a barrel.
Session – Any morning, afternoon or evening schedule of live bingo games. Sessions consist of several consecutive games and often last two hours or more.
T.E.D. – A type of automatic dauber system which allows players to mark multiple cards at once.