How to play Bingo
To play bingo, which is kind of like a lottery, each player purchases one or more cards divided into numbered and blank squares. A caller or banker picks numbers randomly, usually up to 75 or 90 in all. As the numbers are called, all of the players scan their card or cards to see if that number appears. If the number appears it is marked off for the duration of the game.
The first player to achieve a card (or a line) in which all of the numbers have been called shouts "bingo" and collects the stake money (usually less a specified percentage, if that is permitted by local law).
In a popular variation, the central square on the card is free, and the first player on whose card five of the called numbers appear in a row (vertically, horizontally, or diagonally) is the winner. The prize may be anything from plush toys to thousands of dollars in cash, to cars, and with the advent of online bingo, who knows?
(More bingo halls and information about the game itself will appear here shortly.)
