I’ve had an urge to do a write-up on bingo on the television for quite some time. With all the focus on online bingo gaming and the fantastic variety that it affords players, there was scant opportunity for such a piece. Now as the mood takes me, I would very much like to address the possibilities of this gaming alternative.
Imagine the possibilities fellow bingo players and faithful readers of bingo-room: bingo on the television with an audience in the millions! Well it’s all possible and it’s happening as we speak. This is certainly nothing new and it works off a similar concept to national lottery or even a keno game. It’s not unheard of to have in excess of 50 million people tuned in for a national bingo game where the prize money can total whopping amounts.
How does it all work?
There are lots of details and lots of ways to win. So what I’m going to do is narrow it all down to manageable levels. Let’s say that there’s an automatic random number generator (RNG) that allows all the bingo players who have pre-paid/pre-purchased their bingo cards for a particular event. Now the beauty of a system like this – which is the way it really works – is that you don’t need to be physically present to win. You can be kicking back on your sofa with an Amstel or Heineken in hand eating pretzels. It doesn’t much matter. You could be at the bar playing a game of pool. The point is that your bingo numbers (if you have the requisite number) will be recorded against the tickets sold for the event. Thus you should already be ‘registered’ on the system so to speak.
How many ways to win are there?
Many. The short answer is that there are 9 X 3 bingo cards and certain number requirements that have to be met. If you hit 15 numbers on your card – you’re the numero uno champ! That’s ideally where you want to be. But let’s face it – the odds of hitting all the numbers in a national bingo game are limited (but possible). That’s why there are prizes for 14 numbers, 13 numbers and even auxiliary game prizes. And there’s more in the form of consolation prizes. Here’s something that I found particularly interesting about bingo gaming via the TV: there are off-line consolation prizes too. So if say the last two digits of your bingo card are called, you stand to win some loot too. Other options to look out for are the online television bingo prizes. The player can win the consolation prize if five numbers are daubed after the first 13 generated numbers have been called. Naturally such combinations must be within the gaming framework.
If you’ve played television bingo and won a prize, I’d very much like to hear about it. Send your feedback to yours truly here at bingo-room. Enjoy the gaming!
Image credit: hannahscurfield
9×3 bingo cards – that’s what I like!
I don’t believe I’ve seen this on telly in California. It looks pretty jacked though – I’d like to know more about it – MSNBC? FOX? CNN? ABC? Where?
Hello friends of Bingo-Room,
Thanks for your comments. Bingo is readily available on multiple television networks. A quick and easy search engine query should reveal all.