Somehow the game of bingo has gained a reputation as that boring, silly pastime your grandma indulges in every weekend at the church hall. Nothing could be further from the truth! Bingo is one of the most accessible games to play, both in bingo halls and online. It’s very easy to learn, fun to play, and can get pretty exciting – no one will accuse Grandma of being stodgy after she leaps up, pumps her fist, and shouts “BINGO!”
The rules of bingo are quite simple, and even children can learn to play quickly. In America, bingo is played on a scorecard with 75 squares in a checkerboard pattern, each containing a different number. The centre square is a free space. Each vertical column is headed with one of the letters in the word B-I-N-G-O. An announcer, or caller, calls out one of the five letters combined with a random number. If that letter-number combination is present on your scorecard, you mark the space. Once you achieve a “bingo” – which usually means marking all the squares in a column or row, or a diagonal line – you’ve won the game!