The basic rule of the game is that players fetch cards with numbers in a 5*5 grid with five letters in header of the card stating bingo with 5 numbers aligned to each letter. The Bingo pattern needs to be completed in this game in either horizontal vertical or maybe diagonal way to win the prize.
Usually there are 24 numbers in bingo cards with one blank. The numbers are randomly assigned to each column and row including the blank space. B usually has numbers from 1 to 15, I hold 16 to 30, whereas N has 31 to 45, G has 46-60 and O has 61 to 75. These cards maybe of huge variety with numbers randomly selected within the series. Some manufactures have 6000 unique cards while others have 9000.
Bingo game is considered a highly social game in UK where mostly cash prizes can be won if the game is organized by large commercial concerns. Otherwise it is much popular as town side games in UK where prizes are generally cuddly toys and other small items but not cash prize.
There are other occasions where it is played for fun and excitement and as a mode of fund raising is when it is played in local halls and schools for definite causes like old age homes, specific accidents etc. The prizes are often donated by the shopkeepers and nearby businessman and the game is played with the motive of fun and excitement and possible way of socializing.
The prizes in these games are varied from passes to treats at local food counters or grocery shop vouchers, chocolates or maybe bottle of wine or anything that can excite the local persons. With little benefits these game is played more as act of bonding in people. UK and Australian bingo has definite rule 3 lines and 9 columns and comes in books of ten pages with each page containing different colored cards. Single sheets of the bingo cards can also be fetched for these games which are popularly known as flyers but they are more costly than the books.
Different play organizers arrange as per the budget. However this is the scenario of small towns and villages but in big cities and large towns bingo is played more vigorously for winning the jackpot. Australia has the same concept of bingo cards as it is prevalent in the US cities. In the game the caller calls for the numbers and the player mark them quickly till the time one or more than one player call BINGO and win the prize.
Online games are highly popular with definite marking rules and random card selection. With 75 bingo numbers in a rotating bin random numbers are selected for the players till a player calls BINGO.
