Bingo for Fun and Real Money Gambling

Admission Packet – The admission packet varies from hall to hall, but every hall requires the player to purchase a packet of cards (typically 5 regular game cards and some special game cards) as a price of admission.

After Game – A bonus game that is played after the regular session is over.

Ball Gate – A flap at the top of the ball-dispensing machine that sends a particular ball to come into play.

Ball Lifter – The device used to raise the ball to the ball shooter

Ball Runway – The channel where the ball is launched through to the ball gate and into the playfield area.

Basket Bingo – A type of Bingo game where the prizes are “baskets”

Bingo Board – An electronic board that lights up the numbers that have been called.

Bingo Books – A booklet consisting of different colored Bingo cards. These cards will be played with the corresponding games in the Bingo session. The cards are generally prearranged in the order in which they will be played.

Bingo Card – A card that consists of 5 columns (each labeled with a letter from the word Bingo) and 5 rows. The card contains one “free space” while 24 out of 75 numbers fill up the remaining spaces. The numbers are assigned at random and are different on every card. The numbers that will be found under the B column are between 1- 15, 16 – 30 under the I column, 31-45, 46-60 and 61-75 under the N, G and O columns respectively.

Bingo Marker – Frequently, an ink dauber that the player uses to mark off called numbers.

Blackout – Also known as coverall, a blackout is when you must cover your whole card (all 24 numbers) in order to win.

Blower – A mechanism which mixes all the balls and uses air to force one ball at a time out of the device for the caller to announce to the players.

Break-open – A multiple ply card that is made of paper products, which consists of several tabs that can “break open” to reveal numbers, symbols and/or letters. Some of these symbols may represent an instant prize.

Buy-in – The process of buying an admission packet or bingo cards in order to participate in a game of Bingo.

Caller – The employee who announces the Bingo numbers to the players.

Cash-In-Prize – A term used to describe a game of Bingo where the prize for winning is cash. The cash is taken from the money that was spent purchasing cards.

Chat Room – In online Bingo, a room where players can type messages and communicate with each other.

Consolation Prize – A prize offered in some games when there is no winner after a predetermined amount of numbers have been called.

Coverall – Also known as Blackout, when a player covers every square on their card.

Dauber – An ink filled bottle with a felt tip used to mark off called numbers on the bingo card.

Early Bird Game – A bingo game played before the first game I a Bingo session. Also known as a “warm-up” game.

Face – An individual Bingo card.

Flimsy or Flimsies – Also known as “throwaways”, Flimsies are Bingo cards that are printed on thin sheets of paper.

Four Corners – A pattern that is played, where the player must be the first to cover all four corners on their Bingo card in order to win.

Free Space – The square that is in the center of every Bingo card (under the ‘N’ column). This square has no number printed on it and can be used by every player to complete the pattern.

Game Board – An electronic display that demonstrates to the players the pattern of the particular game that they are playing.

Hard Card – A Bingo card that has shutters to cover the numbers card. These cards are printed on hard cardboard or plastic.

Hardway Bingo – Getting a bingo in the form of a straight line without using the free space.

House – The casino or the operator of the Bingo game.

Instant Bingo – A break open ticket that consists of Bingo related symbols. Finding a certain pattern may result in instant cash prizes.

Jackpot – The big prize. In Bingo the jackpot is typically awarded to the player who achieves a blackout within a predetermined amount of numbers called.

Late Night Bingo – Also known as “Moonlight Bingo”. A game of bingo that begins late in the evening.

Main Stage Bingo – The game in a Bingo session wit the biggest prize. Usually this is the game that draws the players to come out and play.

Multiple Winners – When two or more players achieve Bingo at the same time. The cash prize is then divided equally among the winners.

Mushroom – A mechanical device, which allows 6 to 8 people to sit around it and play Bingo against each other.

On – A term given to a player who needs only one more number on their card to be called in order to achieve a bingo. When this is the case, the player is said to be “on”.
On The Way – A game or games played on the same card that will be used next to play the Blackout game. Also known as preliminary games.

Pattern – The particular shape or design that must be covered on your card in order to win at Bingo. Commonly; a straight line, four corners or coverall.

Parti – Short for participation, Parti Bingo is a game that’s prize is usually 50% of the buy-in. Therefore the amount of the prize depends on how many people are participating in the game.

Payout – The percentage of sales paid to winners by the House. In Bingo this percentage is typically 75%.

Postage Stamp – A pattern in Bingo where four numbers are marked off to make a postage stamp pattern (2x2) in any of the four corners.

Progressive Jackpot – A jackpot whose cash prize amount gets bigger until someone wins it. If a Bingo is not called after a specific number of calls no one wins the jackpot. It then grows daily or weekly until someone wins.

Quickie – A Bingo game where the numbers are called very quickly, the first to cover their whole card wins.

Rainbow Pack – A pack that allows a player to play for a number of different prize amounts at one time.

Random Number Generator (RNG) – An electronic machine used to pick numbers at random for a game of Bingo.

Series – In a set of Bingo cards the series number specifies the number of unique cards belonging to the set.

Session – The entire evening or time period of Bingo. The total amount of different games played throughout the evening/time period, consisting of regular games, special games and the main stage bingo game.

Six-Pack – A pattern in which 6 numbers are marked off to form a block. Same goes for a Nine-Pack.

Special – Games played within a session that are not a part of the original purchased admission packs.

Speed Bingo – A version of Bingo that is played very quickly and where a bingo can be made in as little as three numbers.

Speedgame – Sold as a special game, a speedgame is played very quickly and the first to cover their whole card wins.

Split Pot – A game in Bingo where the house splits the profits of the game with the winner.

T.E.D. – Usually requiring a rental fee, T.E.D’s (or G.T.I’s) are electronic devices used to play multiple packs at a time.

Texas Blackout – A type of Bingo game where the first number called is very important. If the first number is an even number, then the players cover all the even numbers on their cards. If the first number is odd, then all the odd numbers can be automatically covered. The game then continues as a blackout game.

Throwaways – Also known as flimsies, these are cards printed on flimsy paper that are simply thrown away after the game is over.

Wild Number – In some bingo games a wild number is drawn. The first number drawn determines the wild number. If the first number is 18 for example, then all the numbers on your card ending with 8 can be marked off.

Wrap Up – Term used for the last game of a Bingo session.