Bingo Glossary

The complete bingo glossary – Everything you need to know!

playright team
May 31 2021

75-ball Bingo – a standard version of bingo played with 75-balls.

90-ball Bingo – a standard version of bingo played with 90 balls.

Admission – the number of tickets required to take part in a bingo game, the minimum buy-in.

After Games – bingo games played after a main or jackpot game, an afterhours game.

Ball Gate – part of a bingo machine, the flap through which each ball is drawn.

Bingo – the act of hitting all numbers on your pattern, or covering all numbers in a coverall game, and the name of the game.

Bingo Board – the board showing the numbers and game details in a bingo hall.

Bingo Book – a book of several bingo cards, sold in a batch.

Bingo Card – the card of numbers for playing in any round, the document marked as numbers are called.

Bingo Rooms – Online sites offering bingo games, or physical rooms in bingo halls where bingo is played.

Bonanza Bingo – a coverall game played with a progressive jackpot element, usually the 13th game in a bingo session.

Bonuses – free bonuses are incentives offered by bingo operators to attract new players, particularly online.

Caller – the individual responsible for calling the numbers as they are drawn, and usually moderating the game.

Caller’s Choice – the caller decides the pattern in play, usually announcing this to players immediately before calling the first number, for the element of surprise

Chat Rooms – a feature of online bingo sites where users can chat and socialize with other players.

Clickety-Click – a catchphrase call for the number 66.

Cookie Jar – a bonus feature in some games where money is added to a jar every time a lucky number is called, to create an additional jackpot prize.

Coverall – a type of bingo game where every number on the card must be covered in order to win. Often used as a format for jackpot games.

Dauber – the marker pen used to mark numbers on the bingo card quickly as they are drawn.

Deposit – an amount of money added to your bingo account, a deposit of bingo credit.

Down On Your Knees – the catchphrase call for 43

Early Bird – early games, and any games that take place before the main game.

Flimsies – throwaway cards for special bingo games. Term comes from the flimsy paper these are printed on in land-based bingo halls.

Four Corners – a pattern involving each of the four corner numbers on the card. All you need to do to win is to cover the four corners.

Free Space – the centre of the bingo card, which doesn’t contain a number.

Full House – When a player covers all numbers on their card in a regular game.

Game Rooms – distinct bingo games at an online bingo site, multiple games run in a number of different game rooms at the same time. Players may be able to chat with other players within their game room, depending on the bingo site.

Hard Way – a pattern of a straight line in bingo, matching exact numbers only to win.

Heinz Varieties – a popular call for 57.

House – the management, the operator of the game. Also often shouted by winners!

Jackpot – a big prize available for the toughest pattern in any bingo game. Some bingo prizes are progressive, drawing on ticket sales from multiple different games or even locations.

Kelly’s Eye – a well-known call for number 1.

Legs – famously, Legs 11. The number 11.

Live Caller Bingo – a form of online bingo with a live caller, where players see a video feed of a live bingo game and take part online or on mobile.

Lights out – Last game of the night.

Multiple Winners – when there are several winners in a round, the prize is shared equally between multiple winners.

On – one number away from a winning card, the card is ‘on’.

Payout – the percentage of takings paid out by the house in a given bingo game. This is set at a fixed percentage of the total take from bingo card sales for that game.

Prize Bingo – a variation of bingo where prizes are available for the winners, rather than cash.

Pattern – the sequence of numbers that must be covered on a bingo card in a given game to be a winner. There are a number of different patterns that can be played.

Progressive Jackpot – a jackpot comprised of an aggregated prize pool from several different games or even game locations, creating a much bigger prize pot to be won by a single player.

RNG – random number generators, scripts used to generate the numbers in online bingo games.

Speed Bingo – a quick-fire version of regular bingo.

Theresa’s Den – a call for number 10, based on the first name of the current UK Prime Minister, a reference to 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the Prime Minister.

Tweak of the Thumb – a common call for 51

Two Fat Ladies – famously 88, the Two Fat Ladies.

Two Little Ducks – famously 22, Two Little Ducks.

Unlucky For Some – famously called for 13.

Wagering Requirements – tied to a bonus offer, the number of multiple of the bonus a player has to playthrough before any winnings from the bonus can be withdrawn. A restriction on free bonuses for signing up for a bingo account.

Winner Takes All – a type of coverall game where there can only be a single winner.

Wrap Up – the final game in a bingo session, one final game for the road.

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Written by: playright team
May 31 2021
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