Bingo

What is Bingo?

Bingo is a lottery-style game whose roots trace back to the 16th-century Italian lottery Lo Giuoco del Lotto d’Italia. The game spread to France in the 1770s as Le Lotto and reached North America in the 1920s, where Edwin S. Lowe popularized and commercialized it under the name “Bingo”. Today, bingo is played worldwide in land-based halls, charitable settings, and online platforms.

In iGaming, bingo is classified as an RNG-based game of chance. A certified random number generator draws numbers from a defined pool (typically 75 or 90), and players match those numbers against their cards. Unlike slots, where the player acts alone, bingo sessions are inherently communal: multiple players compete in the same draw, and chat features replicate the social atmosphere of a traditional hall. This community dimension is what makes bingo a distinct product category for operators focused on gamer engagement and long-session retention.

How does Bingo work?

The core workflow applies across online and offline settings, though online platforms automate most steps:

1. Ticket purchase. Players buy one or more cards (tickets) before a session begins. Each card contains a grid of numbers drawn from the game’s total pool.
2. Number draw. An RNG (online) or mechanical device (land-based) randomly selects numbers one at a time from the full pool.
3. Daubing / marking. Called numbers that appear on a player’s card are marked off — manually in halls, automatically (“auto-daub”) on most online platforms.
4. Pattern completion. The first player to complete a required pattern (single line, two lines, full house, or a themed shape) wins the corresponding prize tier.
5. Verification and payout. The system validates the winning card, awards the prize from the pool, and a new round begins.

Main variants

90-ball bingo holds an estimated 44% share of online bingo game formats worldwide, while 75-ball dominates the North American market. Hybrid formats such as Slingo (bingo-slot crossover) are growing rapidly and cater to audiences that value faster, more interactive sessions.

Bingo vs. Slots: A B2B Comparison

Bingo typically carries a wider operator margin (house edge of 10–25%) than slots, but the margin structure is different: it is deducted from the communal ticket pool before prizes are distributed, rather than embedded in per-spin math. Players accept this because the perceived value comes from social experience and session length, not from chasing a specific RTP figure.

Benefits of Bingo

Retention and habitual play. Bingo’s scheduled format creates appointment-based engagement. Players return at specific times, producing predictable session patterns that are easier to forecast and monetize than on-demand play. Research by Optimove found that bingo player behavioral patterns are distinct from other real-money gaming verticals, requiring tailored lifecycle marketing.

Community and social engagement. Chat rooms, moderator-led mini-games, and team-based variants turn bingo into a social platform. This community element drives gamer engagement and reduces churn, as players form connections with both the brand and each other.

Cross-sell opportunities. Bingo lobbies frequently serve as a gateway to slots, scratch cards, and instant-win games offered as side-bets or between-draw entertainment. This cross-vertical flow increases revenue per user without requiring a separate acquisition cost.

Demographic reach. The 40+ age segment captures the largest share of online bingo revenue, yet the 18–25 cohort is the fastest-growing segment. Operators who invest in mobile-first UX and faster formats (30-ball, Slingo) can expand their addressable audience without cannibalizing the core base.

Tips / best practices

Design: schedule and theme rooms strategically. Create a daily and weekly room calendar with varied formats (90-ball, 75-ball, speed bingo) at different price points. Themed events tied to holidays, seasons, or cultural moments inject novelty and give marketing teams concrete promotional hooks.

Messaging: leverage community identity. Market bingo rooms as social destinations, not just prize pools. Highlight chat moderators, community leaderboards, and team events. Gamification elements — streak rewards, daily challenges, loyalty tiers — reinforce habitual behavior and deepen the sense of belonging.

Measurement: track session-level and cohort-level KPIs. Beyond GGR, monitor session frequency, average session duration, chat participation rate, cross-sell conversion (bingo → slots), and ticket-per-player metrics. Segment by lifecycle stage (new, active, lapsing, reactivated) to tailor CRM campaigns accurately.

Governance: ensure RNG certification and transparency. All online bingo games should run on RNGs certified by accredited bodies such as eCOGRA, GLI, or iTech Labs. Display payout structures, prize pool breakdowns, and the operator’s share transparently — this builds trust and supports compliance with jurisdictional requirements.

Wrap-up

Bingo’s value to an iGaming operator extends beyond its direct revenue contribution. The format’s scheduled cadence, social infrastructure, and community identity make it a powerful retention and cross-sell engine when managed thoughtfully. Operators who treat bingo rooms as community hubs — investing in chat moderation, themed events, and loyalty mechanics — tend to see stronger session frequency and lower churn than those who treat the vertical as a secondary product.

FAQ

What is the difference between 75-ball and 90-ball bingo? 75-ball bingo uses a 5×5 card (24 numbers + free center) with numbers 1–75 and emphasizes pattern-based wins. 90-ball bingo uses a 3×9 card (15 numbers) with numbers 1–90 and awards three progressive prize tiers (one line, two lines, full house). 75-ball is predominant in North America; 90-ball is the standard in the UK and Europe.

How does the house edge work in bingo? The operator deducts a percentage of total ticket sales before distributing the remainder as the prize pool. Online bingo house edges typically range from 10% to 25%, depending on the operator, format, and whether a progressive jackpot contribution is included.

Is bingo purely luck-based? Yes. Because number draws are determined by a certified RNG, no skill or strategy can influence outcomes. Players can improve expected value only marginally — by choosing rooms with fewer participants (lower competition for the same pool) or by purchasing more cards (higher coverage of the number space).

How do bingo networks work? A bingo network provider (e.g., Dragonfish, Playtech Bingo, Pragmatic Play) hosts the game server and pools players from multiple operator sites into shared rooms. This solves the liquidity problem by ensuring larger prize pools and more active chat communities, which in turn improves player satisfaction and retention.