The Ultimate Guide To Online Bingo Tournaments

By now, we are all familiar with the bingo game. It’s a favourite pastime for millions of people worldwide and the engine behind several game shows and lucrative business opportunities.

Whether they’re playing online, from the comfort of their own couch, in a brick-and-mortar bingo hall, or even in a church, most bingo players will agree that there are few things out there that can compare with the thrills of a long-winded bingo game.

To bring players a more complex experience – and bigger prizes – bingo operators worldwide started organizing tournaments, complete with special features and exciting themes.

If you’d like to take part in a bingo tournament but you’re a bit intimidated by the options, we’ve compiled this complete guide to educate you on everything you need to know to become a professional bingo player. Or, at least, not make a fool out of yourself.

Types Of Bingo And How To Play Them

Your regular bingo game is pretty straightforward – you get a ticket with a set of random bingo numbers you are trying to match with the ones being announced by the bingo caller.

Most commonly, when people refer to bingo, they mean one of the traditional bingo variants:

• 90 Ball Bingo Game (British Version)
• 75 Ball Bingo Game (American Version)

Over the years, bingo operators have come up with several other variants to keep matters interesting.

• 30 Ball Bingo aka Speed Bingo
• 40 Ball Bingo
• 50 Ball Bingo
• 52 Ball Bingo
• 80 Ball Bingo

Make sure to check out our guides for complete instructions on how to play each of them, if you’re new to playing bingo.

Online Bingo Tournaments vs Bingo Parlor Tournaments

Long gone are the days in which a bingo game could only be enjoyed as a social event in a brick-and-mortar bingo hall. Nowadays, players can log into their favourite bingo site – or whip out their preferred bingo app – and participate in any bingo event from home or even commuting to work.

Whether you prefer the privacy of an online bingo site or live bingo events, they each come with their own advantages and disadvantages.

Playing Bingo In An Online Casino

Some of the perks you will experience when playing bingo online include:

• Generous welcome bonus package
• Several bingo variants to choose from
• Online bingo chat
• Themed games and bingo rooms
• Flexibility

As for disadvantages, we count:

• Decreased social factor
• Little to no guidance over game rules
• Little to no interactivity as the software automatically marks bingo numbers on your ticket.

Playing Bingo In A Bingo Hall

Live bingo players also get to enjoy some special benefits, like:

• Charitable gaming events
• The ability to physically interact with other players
• Shouting “Bingo” when completing a winning pattern
• The game is a lot more interactive as you are physically daubing numbers

But these disadvantages are also present when playing in a physical bingo room:

• The games can get quite hectic
• A regular bingo session will draw out over a long period of time
• Only traditional bingo rooms are available
• Environmental impact of having printed tickets

Why Play In A Bingo Tournament?

Online bingo tournaments and even live events of this nature can be great ways to bag some massive winnings pretty fast. If you don’t matter participating in every game over the span of a couple of days, you sometimes face a progressive jackpot, and even the regular prizes for tournaments are much bigger than you’d see in regular single games.

On top of the real money factor, bingo tournaments cater to many players regularly, and having a lot of time at your disposal to chat up with other bingo players will definitely result in some new friends.

If you don’t mind the lack of flexibility – that is to say, if you have a couple of days off when you know you will be able to log in for every game, the competitive nature of a bingo tournament could be just what you need to spark some new appreciation for this classic game.

In addition to this, if you’re a new player and would like to get accustomed to a certain type of bingo, a tournament would let you enjoy that specific variant the perfect number of times for you to learn the bingo rules and gain some confidence.

Types Of Bingo Tournaments

So, you’ve decided you wanted to give tournaments a try. You’re ready to buy your bingo card and jump right into the game, but there are several types of them, and you don’t really know what to choose. We got you.

Leaderboard Tournaments

This is one of the most popular variants out there. Players get to participate in a set number of bingo games, and their points accumulate in order to place each one of them on a leaderboard.

The more successful you are in each game, the quicker you will rise to the top of the leaderboard, which means a higher payout for you at the end.

For people to sign up for these games, usually they will pay a small fee they will usually enter the competition. Since they are so popular, each tournament is played with many players, which, in turn, makes the prize pool a very enticing one.

Freeroll Bingo Tournaments

These are the perfect bingo venue for players who are new to the game. They are quite popular because they are basically free bingo – no fee is taken from the player to enter, and no tickets need to be bought. Freeroll tournaments are only available as an online bingo game, and the payouts depend wildly on how established the casino offering them is.

A bigger bingo website will offer cash prizes for the winners, and they do so as a marketing strategy to attract new clients to their casino. Smaller sites, however, will offer prizes that comprise a small bingo bonus, free chips for online poker, free spins to slot games in their casino, or another free bingo game.

Ticket Bingo Tournaments

Every bingo tournament is a ticket bingo tournament if you look closely enough – because, essentially, to enter a bingo game, you require a bingo ticket – but these are somewhat different.

These events will span over a few days and include a lot of bingo rounds. When a bingo player wins a round, their winnings will comprise a bingo ticket for the next round. This happens all the way to the final round, which makes this bingo variant one of the most lucrative out there. Since no money is being paid until the end for a sole winner, the jackpot is significantly larger for a sole winner.

How To Find A Site For Your Next Bingo Tournament

While I cannot help you find local bingo events, I can let you in on some tips on finding the best online bingo site where you can participate in a tournament.

There are a few factors you should look for when scouting a new online gambling venue. Tracing these steps when making your decision could save you and your money from some unpleasant situations. Here are some things to look for when choosing your bingo website.

• Is this site licensed and regulated by a competent authority?

The first thing to look out for is whether your desired site has a valid license. You can check this piece of information in the footer of your website. Each gambling site should have a visible license number that can be checked on the site of the authority who emitted it.

• Does this site offer several bingo rooms and tournament options?

You definitely want to be playing with an established, reputable site. This will allow you to try out a vast range of bingo games and interact with other players. The more tournaments a site holds, the bigger the prizes and the bigger the audience. Don’t underestimate the importance of competition!

• Does this brand have a good reputation?

Online gambling sites come in all sorts of flavours, and you really do not want to taste a rotten one. Before signing up for a gambling website, make sure to check other people’s experiences with them and read carefully through their Terms and Conditions.

• What are the jackpots this site offers?

You would think, “the bigger the brand, the bigger the prizes”, but that is not always the case, especially in cases in which your desired site also caters to other casino games. Make sure to check what regular jackpots you can win on any site – you might be surprised to find out some hidden gems.

Takeaway

Online bingo tournaments can be a lot of fun and definitely something you should check if you enjoy bingo. Apart from the substantial prizes, taking part in a long-winded competition in which you can socialize with other bingo fanatics and have your heart racing with every call can prove to be a much different experience from what you were expecting.

If you’ve ever played bingo before, imagine the thrills of being on the verge of a win, and multiply that with several games, and you’ll get the exact level of excitement you can expect from this game type.

Moreover, knowing you are taking part in a big competition can fuel the rest of your day and give you a much-needed energy boost to take care of your errands.

Lastly, if you’ve never played bingo before, there are few ways out there to get into this phenomenon game that will bring you more satisfaction and teach you the rules in a shorter amount of time.

If you’re sold, why don’t you check out our list of new bingo sites to get you into the game? And if you’re in it to win some big cash, have a list of the best bingo sites out there that are definitely worth your attention.