On these pages we’re breaking down how each type of bingo game works, rather than looking at individual games specifically. We’re working on the assumption that you may never have played bingo before, or else have never played it online and would like a bit of a refresher as to how to play the game. If there’s something specific that you’d like to know about 75 ball bingo then head straight to the relevant section, otherwise come with us as we guide you through the important information. It’s worth bearing in mind that there are two variations of the game, but we’ll cover both here.
The Premise
The chief thing that you need to do if you’re hoping to play 75 ball bingo, in whatever format, is to buy tickets. Tickets contain 25 squares, made up of five columns with five squares in each. Every square contains a number assigned to it randomly, with the exception of the central square that tends to contain a star symbol. This is a ‘free’ square and counts towards any potential line, House or pattern that you’ll try to form.
Most of the time it is perfectly acceptable to buy just one ticket for a game. They tend to be sold in ‘strips’, though, with three tickets making up a strip. You can normally purchase a maximum of six strips, or eighteen tickets. Different games a prone to have their own rules on that front, however. Again, that is the case with both variations on the 75 ball bingo game. In fact, the only thing that differs between the two is the way that prizes are won.
If you’ve read our guides to any of the other types of game you can play then you won’t be surprised to learn that 75 ball bingo gets its name from the fact that 75 balls are each labelled with a number from 1 to 75. If you’ve played bingo in real life then you’ll know that the balls get mixed up and drawn at random, with players marking off the numbers on their ticket each time one is drawn that they have. The same is true for online bingo, with the only difference being that it all happens automatically.
Winning
This is where things start to differ depending on which type of bingo you’re playing. We’ll begin by describing the standard variation of 75 ball bingo, which gives its first prize to the player who is first to mark off 1 line. Because of the nature of the ticket in 75 ball bingo, the line doesn’t haven’t to be horizontal in the way that it does in the 90 ball version of the game. Instead you can get a line horizontally, vertically or diagonally. As there is already a square marked off on your ticket with a star symbol, if your line goes through that then you’ll need to get less numbers to win.
After the 1 line prize has been won, the game moves on to reward the first player to mark off 2 lines, then 3 lines, then 4 lines. Unlike with 1 line, all of the lines for subsequent prizes must be marked off horizontally unless the game you’re playing specifies otherwise. The final prize in the standard 75 ball bingo game goes to the first player or players to get 5 lines, which is essentially House as all numbers must be marked.
The second variation of the 75 ball bingo game involves pattern play. As the name suggests, this requires you to win by creating a given pattern on your bingo ticket. Some games will ask you firstly to find 1 line, then the remaining prize will be awarded to whoever gets House or fills in a pattern. Other games might give a prize for 1 pattern, then 2 patterns, then House. You’ll have to have a look to see what the winning factor is in each game.
As with any game of bingo, irrespective of the number of balls used, prizes can be shared between players if more than one person gets the line/pattern/House at the same time. The prize will be split evenly between however many win it, so if the prize is £9, for example, and three people get a pattern at the same time then they’ll £3 each.
Features & Jackpots
It is quite normal for some of the more popular bingo games to have features within the game itself. This is a chance for players to win more money, separate from the bingo prizes. For example, Gala offers a 75 ball version of Deal or No Deal, the bingo game based on the popular TV show. At the end of the bingo game proper, whoever has won the final prize, normally 5 lines, can take part in the Deal or No Deal feature game. Here they take on the banker and may be lucky enough to win an additional amount of cash, such as £150. It’s not common in 75 ball games, but it does happen.
Sometimes games have an additional thing to interest punters, such as a share of a pot of money if you have 1 ball or 2 balls to go when House is won. Another thing you might find with 75 ball games that you’ll also find with the likes of 90 and 80 ball bingo is a jackpot prize. This is won when something specific happens to ‘release’ it. For example, in some rooms the jackpot is won when the final prize, such as House, 5 lines or a pattern, is achieved within a certain number of calls.
As an example, imagine that the jackpot is won when the final prize is achieved with 40 calls or less. Each time a ball is drawn that is classed as a call, so if you get 5 lines after 36 balls then you’ll also win a share of the jackpot. If you get it after 41 calls or more then, sadly, it’s just the standard bingo prize for you. Different games have different ways of triggering the jackpot and different amounts shared between winners, but it’s not uncommon for 50% to go to the player or players that triggered the jackpots release, with the other 50% shared out between all other players with a valid ticket. People then get a higher share depending on how many tickets they have bought for the game.
Example Games on Gala Site
75 ball bingo tends to be a little bit rarer than the 90 ball variation of the game, so there aren’t as many options. At the time of writing the aforementioned 75 ball variation on the Deal or No Deal game is one, with Interstate 75 being the other.
