The Variations of Bingo.

If you are playing bingo in an actual live venue, your fate is determined by the tambala, which is the machine which spins the balls and then uses a vacuum to select the balls that are called, and it is thus an utterly random process. This process can occasionally be tweaked by the unscrupulous bingo hall, by weighing certain balls heavier than others- thus making them more likely to be drawn. There is also another effect on the likelihood of certain balls being drawn- the venue in which you choose to play bingo.

Different Venues:
Bingo is believed by many to have originated in the United States, and the modern version is often credited to be the invention of a businessman called Edwin Lowe.

However, the game of bingo is not homogenous around the world; different variations are played in different locations. The Americans, for example, are more likely to use the 75 ball variation of bingo, while the rest of the world is more comfortable with the 90 ball game.

And, believe it or not, the number of balls used in a game of bingo actually has a significant effect on the outcome of the game.

75 ball bingo:
In correspondence with the number of balls used in the game, there are also 75 numbers that can be called during a game, thus any tickets purchased will use a selection of the 75 balls used, usually the numbers 1-75.

Usually, the called number grid consists of five rows or columns of 15 balls being called from left to right or top to bottom. The tickets used to play 75 ball bingoes have a total of 25 numbers which must be crossed of in order to win.

Tickets often appear in a 5 by 5 format and each column or row is represented by a letter from the word BINGO. In all the variations that I have seen, players receive one free space, and thus only need 24 of their numbers to be called in order to bingo.

The player bingos when they manage to achieve the pre-determined pattern on their bingo tickets- you only need to get the full 24 numbers if the bingo game specifies a pattern called "full" meaning that you have to fill the whole card to win.

90 Ball Bingo:
This game is different from the 75 ball variation; the 90 ball variation uses tickets that have three rows and nine columns. So for this variation, there are 27 numbers that a person needs to get in order to bingo for house, 2 more than in the 75 ball variation.

There are usually three opportunities to win in this version, each win will receive a different amount of money depending on whether they manage to get one horizontal line, two horizontal lines or three horizontal lines- the prizes increases the more horizontal lines a player manages to get.

Similarities Between Variations of Bingo:
Although both games are fairly different, they still qualify as the same game, i.e. bingo. Both games use a randomised mechanism in order to call a specified number of balls, each version uses tickets as a way of allocating numbers to players and for players to mark off as they play.

The Differences Between the Games:
Although sharing some common themes, the two games are like chalk and cheese when it comes to actually playing. Because of the differences, one version is often favoured over the other version by most players.

It has been claimed that the most popular variety is the 90 ball game and that eventually it will supersede the 75 ball version which will disappear. I think this is a shame because I find the 75 ball variation more interesting and fun to play because it involves finding a pattern.

However, because there are more chances to win in the 90 ball version, players out to make a bit of money, rather than just for entertainment, will often chose this variety. The 90 ball version also often has larger prizes because more players are drawn to it than the 70 ball version.