Bingo Rules

Bingo rules in the United Kingdom and Australia

In the U.K. Bingo is played mainly in large halls with cash prizes, the larger commercial concerns are linked up with other halls during one particular bingo game in the evening and large cash sums can be won on these.

It is also played in nearly every seaside town in the U.K. on screens in front of the player who pulls a slide across to cover the number called, but, presumably because of our gambling laws, there are no cash prizes, just various items like cuddly toys. The other times bingo game rule is played, again for prizes, not cash, is in a myriad of local halls or schools around the country, usually as a fund raiser for various concerns like an old people's Day Centre. Here the prizes are donated by shopkeepers and businesses in the town and surrounding area and the atmosphere at these bingo games rules is usually very relaxed and a fun evening out where everyone is welcome, even children.

The prizes vary for these bingo games but on average a prize for any one line is worth about £1.00 - £2.50 (depending on who is organizing the bingo evening - and what are the bingo rules of the specific bingo game), any 2 lines would be worth about £2 - £5 and a full house (all the numbers on a card) worth £5 - £10. They could be boxes of chocolates, bottles of wine, a grocery hamper, and a voucher from a local butcher for meat or a cream tea for two at a local tea-shop or even 2 free passes to a swimming pool. Anything really.

U.K. (and Australian) bingo rules cards have three lines and nine columns (see picture above) and usually come in "Books"; single or multiple. A single bingo game rule book would contain ten 10 pages (10 cards) each of a different color: Gold, Lime, Violet, Yellow, Pink, Grey, Orange, Blue, Red and White.

A multiple book has 6 single books. Each page in a multiple book has 6 cards of the same color. The 6 cards on a page are joined with perforated edges and can be pulled apart. Experienced players will play all 6 bingo game rule books and inexperienced players or young children may only play 1 book, or even a single card.

As well as books, there are also single sheets of bingo cards sold with the 6 sections on (six cards) and these are called "Flyers". Again you can buy just one section or 6 to suit your pocket or your experience. The flyers cost more per bingo game than on the books but the prizes are usually worth a bit more.

In the large towns and cities Bingo is fairly "big business" and people play in deadly earnest, hoping to win that elusive jackpot. In small towns and villages it's much more of a social occasion with amateur callers and a lot lighter atmosphere. Australia uses the same bingo rules cards as in the U.K. In Sydney and Melbourne the callers are incredibly fast. In Perth they call a lot slower.