Browse through our Bingo Glossary section featuring both Bingo UK and Bingo US terms and get familiar to the popular bingo jargon and lingo used in bingo halls, both online and offline.
A | B | C | D-E | F | G | H-L | M-N | O | P | Q-R | S | T | U-Z
A
Admission-Packet – Refers to a minimum number of cards that a player must buy to enter a bingo hall. A typical admission packet contains three to six cards per game, but sometime it may also carry some special games.
After game – A game which is played after the regular session ends.
Auto-purchase– A software which automatically buys cards on behalf of the player at the beginning of every game.
B
Ball Gate – a component of the ball dispenser, it is a one way flap atop the ball runway from where the ball journeys to enter the play-field zone.
Ball-Lifter – A mechanical device used to lift the ball from bottom of the play-field to the ball shooter.
Ball-Runway – The ramp where the ball is launched by the ball shooter to enter the play-field zone.
Ball-Shooter – A spring loaded mechanism fitted with a rubber tip used to launch the ball in the play-field zone.
Basket Bingo - A game where the players are awarded basket prizes.
Bingo Board – An electronic number display board where called numbers are highlighted.
Bingo Books/Booklets – Many different colored bingo cards bound together to form a booklet/book to be used for every game at bingo session.
Bingo Card – A 5x5 grid matrix which contains 24 numbers and 1 blank space at the center. The top of the card is marked B-I-N-G-O.
Bingo Marker – a felt tip ink dauber used to cover the numbers on a bingo card.
BlackOut – (aka coverall) A bingo game wherein a player must fill the entire card in order to win.
Blower – An electronic motor-driven device that continually mixes the bingo balls by blowing them around withing the device. A chute on the blower then picks a ball randomly for the caller who calls out the number and highlights it on the bingo board.
Bonanza Bingo – A progressive coverall jackpot game which is usually the 13th game of a bingo session.
Breakopen – A multi-ply card, manufactured entirely from paper or paper products, with perforated breakopen tab or tabs. The game play area of the card conceals a number/s, letter/s or/and shape/s, some of which have been designated a prize winners in advance.
Buy-in – Purchasing bingo cards or an admission packet
C
Caller – A person who announces the bingo numbers in the hall as they are called.
Cash-In-Prize – A type of bingo game where the prize is a cash payout.
Casino Night (aka Vegas Night) – Refers to an event which takes place only for a specific time period, usually starting by noon and ending by midnight. During this period a qualified organization can organize casino type games like pull-tabs, roulette, blackjack, poker etc.
Chat Room – A virtual space, a screen or a handy monitor where a player can read and exchange messages with fellow roomies.
Consolation Prize – Prize/s given to players on some special games in case nobody has hit bingo in preset number of calls.
Coverall – (aka Blackout) - is a pattern in which you must cover the entire card to win.
D
Dauber (alternate spelling – Dabber) – An ink filled pen/bottle with a felt tip used to mark off called numbers. When you put the felt tip on the bingo card it makes a square covering the number.
E
Early Bird Game – Refers to the first bingo game, played either in day or night. It is a game that starts earlier than other regularly scheduled games.
F
Face – Singular bingo sheet carrying 24 numbers and a free square right at the center.
Flimsy/ Flimsies – A type of bingo cards printed on thin sheets of paper. Usually there are three cards printed on a single sheet, but flimsies are also available in one, two, six, four and even nine card format. They are usually priced one or two dollars, but a win on a special flimsy game pays quite a little more as compared to a regular games. Flimsy is also called throwaways at certain places.
Four Corners – A pattern game where you must cover all four corner numbers on the card to win.
Free Space – The middle square of the card, which does not bear any number. It acts like a wild square or a joker and counts towards your winning pattern.
Fair and Square Bingo – A game of bingo in which every player purchases the same number of cards.
G
Game Board/Gameboard – An electronic display device connected to the bingo board, which shows the current bingo pattern being played.
Game Room – It is more of an online bingo trend where sites split their players into game rooms.
G.T.I., T.E.D. - It is an electronic dauber device used to play multiple packs at a time. Only one G.T.I. Is allowed per player and you also have to pay a rent to use it.
H
Hardway Bingo (Hard-Way Bingo) – Achieving bingo in a straight line but without using the free space.
House – A casino or a gambling centre or a bingo hall.
I
Inlaid Card – It is a pre-printed card, generally in 4x4 grid built into a table and black discs are used to cover the numbers as they are announced.
Instant Bingo – These are lottery scratch cards available with other lottery tickets that allow you to play bingo for cash rewards.
J
Jackpot – The biggest prize of the game usually awarded to bingo on a difficult pattern, like coverall within a pre-decided number of calls.
L
Late Night Bingo (Also, moonlight bingo) – Bingo game session which usually starts late night around 10 pm.
Lucky Jar – A jar full of cash. Players have to bingo on the lucky number in order to win the cash in the jar. The first number announce at the start of the session is considered as the lucky number.
M
Main Stage Bingo – The most important event of a bingo session which draws the most players.
Minimum Buy-in – The minimum amount which you must shell out to be eligible for winnings.
Moonlight bingo - A bingo session which commences late at night, usually around 10 pm.
Money Ball – It refers to a number drawn before the game starts and if a player hits bingo on that number his winnings will be doubled.
Multiple Winners – Happens when two or more players bingo at the same time. In case of multiple winners the cash prize is equally split among them.
Mushroom – It is a group of bingo displays which derives its name from its shape. It features a wider head with a narrow tubular base and is used to play game and collect money from the players. A mushroom can accommodate 6-8 players at a time who sit around it to play.
O
On – A player is said to be on when his one or more cards require just one number for a bingo.
On the Way – It is a game played on the way to the coverall game. This game is played before the coverall game on the same card.
P
Pattern – The shape player needs to cover on their bingo card as the numbers are called. Patterns can be anything from straight lines, to shapes of alphabets, numbers and other geometric shapes.
Parti – It is a type of slot bingo or money bingo where the prize value depnds on the number of players participating, since the cash prize is 50% on the money paid in.
Payout – is the percentage of sales paid out by the house. The average payout among all bingo halls is around 75 percent.
Postage Stamp Pattern – A pattern where players have to match four numbers in any of the four corers to make a stamp (a 2x2 grid).
Prize Bingo – Until recently, it was played only for a set prize or vouchers, but after the recent changes in UK law the prize may also be cash up to £15.
Progressive Jackpot – A jackpot that keeps on growing until it is claimed. It continues to get bigger for days, weeks even months it it is not won within a pre-decided number of calls. Operators can add dollars, balls or both to their progressive games. Usually, progressive jackpot games have a separate buy-in.
Q
Quickie – A game where numbers are called as fast as possible and the card must be complete to claim bingo.
R
Rainbow Pack – A paper pack that lets players to play for three or four different prizes at once.
RNG - or random number generator is the electronic device used to draw numbers for a bingo game.
S
Session – An entire program of bingo that includes regular games usually played on bingo cards and special games played on throwaways, paper sheets or flimsies. The typical duration of a session is somewhere between 2 to 3 hours.
Shutter Board – A re-usable hand-help plastic board with pre-printed numbers in 4x4 format, usually used in 80 ball bingo games. The numbers are covered by closing the shutters over them.
Six-Pack, Nine-Pack – Refers to 6 or nine numbers in a bar on one card.
Speed Bingo – It is a variation of your regular bingo wherein the numbers are called out very quickly and players can bingo in as few as 3 numbers.
Speed Game, Speedgame – It refers to a coverall that is called very quickly. Usually sold as special game with one card at a time.
Split Pot – Bingo game in which the winner shares the pot with the bingo hall in a particular ratio.
T
Texas blackout – A bingo variation where the first number called will be either even or odd. If even number comes out first, then all the even numbers on the players card become wild (jokers). Players then have to cover all the even numbers. Same is the case when odd number comes out first. The game moves on to a coverall.
Throwaways – Same as flimsies.
Tickets – These are printed pages on which main stage bingo is played. Tickets are laid out in grids and come in booklets/books.
V
Validation – is the eligibility needed to win additional jackpot amount. The price vary according to the number of cards in play.
W
Wild Number – Played on a double bingo which leads to triple bingo. The first number drawn determines the world number. For instance, the first number drawn is 35, players will mark off all the numbers ending in 5 on their card/s.
Wrap up – The last game of a bingo session.
A | B | C | D-E | F | G | H-L | M-N | O | P | Q-R | S | T | U-Z
View the entire 'Bingo Glossary' below:.
A
Admission-Packet – Refers to a minimum number of cards that a player must buy to enter a bingo hall. A typical admission packet contains three to six cards per game, but sometime it may also carry some special games.
After game – A game which is played after the regular session ends.
Auto-purchase– A software which automatically buys cards on behalf of the player at the beginning of every game.
B
Ball Gate – a component of the ball dispenser, it is a one way flap atop the ball runway from where the ball journeys to enter the play-field zone.
Ball-Lifter – A mechanical device used to lift the ball from bottom of the play-field to the ball shooter.
Ball-Runway – The ramp where the ball is launched by the ball shooter to enter the play-field zone.
Ball-Shooter – A spring loaded mechanism fitted with a rubber tip used to launch the ball in the play-field zone.
Basket Bingo - A game where the players are awarded basket prizes.
Bingo Board – An electronic number display board where called numbers are highlighted.
Bingo Books/Booklets – Many different colored bingo cards bound together to form a booklet/book to be used for every game at bingo session.
Bingo Card – A 5x5 grid matrix which contains 24 numbers and 1 blank space at the center. The top of the card is marked B-I-N-G-O.
Bingo Marker – a felt tip ink dauber used to cover the numbers on a bingo card.
BlackOut – (aka coverall) A bingo game wherein a player must fill the entire card in order to win.
Blower – An electronic motor-driven device that continually mixes the bingo balls by blowing them around withing the device. A chute on the blower then picks a ball randomly for the caller who calls out the number and highlights it on the bingo board.
Bonanza Bingo – A progressive coverall jackpot game which is usually the 13th game of a bingo session.
Breakopen – A multi-ply card, manufactured entirely from paper or paper products, with perforated breakopen tab or tabs. The game play area of the card conceals a number/s, letter/s or/and shape/s, some of which have been designated a prize winners in advance.
Buy-in – Purchasing bingo cards or an admission packet
C
Caller – A person who announces the bingo numbers in the hall as they are called.
Cash-In-Prize – A type of bingo game where the prize is a cash payout.
Casino Night (aka Vegas Night) – Refers to an event which takes place only for a specific time period, usually starting by noon and ending by midnight. During this period a qualified organization can organize casino type games like pull-tabs, roulette, blackjack, poker etc.
Chat Room – A virtual space, a screen or a handy monitor where a player can read and exchange messages with fellow roomies.
Consolation Prize – Prize/s given to players on some special games in case nobody has hit bingo in preset number of calls.
Coverall – (aka Blackout) - is a pattern in which you must cover the entire card to win.
D
Dauber (alternate spelling – Dabber) – An ink filled pen/bottle with a felt tip used to mark off called numbers. When you put the felt tip on the bingo card it makes a square covering the number.
E
Early Bird Game – Refers to the first bingo game, played either in day or night. It is a game that starts earlier than other regularly scheduled games.
F
Face – Singular bingo sheet carrying 24 numbers and a free square right at the center.
Flimsy/ Flimsies – A type of bingo cards printed on thin sheets of paper. Usually there are three cards printed on a single sheet, but flimsies are also available in one, two, six, four and even nine card format. They are usually priced one or two dollars, but a win on a special flimsy game pays quite a little more as compared to a regular games. Flimsy is also called throwaways at certain places.
Four Corners – A pattern game where you must cover all four corner numbers on the card to win.
Free Space – The middle square of the card, which does not bear any number. It acts like a wild square or a joker and counts towards your winning pattern.
Fair and Square Bingo – A game of bingo in which every player purchases the same number of cards.
G
Game Board/Gameboard – An electronic display device connected to the bingo board, which shows the current bingo pattern being played.
Game Room – It is more of an online bingo trend where sites split their players into game rooms.
G.T.I., T.E.D. - It is an electronic dauber device used to play multiple packs at a time. Only one G.T.I. Is allowed per player and you also have to pay a rent to use it.
H
Hardway Bingo (Hard-Way Bingo) – Achieving bingo in a straight line but without using the free space.
House – A casino or a gambling centre or a bingo hall.
I
Inlaid Card – It is a pre-printed card, generally in 4x4 grid built into a table and black discs are used to cover the numbers as they are announced.
Instant Bingo – These are lottery scratch cards available with other lottery tickets that allow you to play bingo for cash rewards.
J
Jackpot – The biggest prize of the game usually awarded to bingo on a difficult pattern, like coverall within a pre-decided number of calls.
L
Late Night Bingo (Also, moonlight bingo) – Bingo game session which usually starts late night around 10 pm.
Lucky Jar – A jar full of cash. Players have to bingo on the lucky number in order to win the cash in the jar. The first number announce at the start of the session is considered as the lucky number.
M
Main Stage Bingo – The most important event of a bingo session which draws the most players.
Minimum Buy-in – The minimum amount which you must shell out to be eligible for winnings.
Moonlight bingo - A bingo session which commences late at night, usually around 10 pm.
Money Ball – It refers to a number drawn before the game starts and if a player hits bingo on that number his winnings will be doubled.
Multiple Winners – Happens when two or more players bingo at the same time. In case of multiple winners the cash prize is equally split among them.
Mushroom – It is a group of bingo displays which derives its name from its shape. It features a wider head with a narrow tubular base and is used to play game and collect money from the players. A mushroom can accommodate 6-8 players at a time who sit around it to play.
O
On – A player is said to be on when his one or more cards require just one number for a bingo.
On the Way – It is a game played on the way to the coverall game. This game is played before the coverall game on the same card.
P
Pattern – The shape player needs to cover on their bingo card as the numbers are called. Patterns can be anything from straight lines, to shapes of alphabets, numbers and other geometric shapes.
Parti – It is a type of slot bingo or money bingo where the prize value depnds on the number of players participating, since the cash prize is 50% on the money paid in.
Payout – is the percentage of sales paid out by the house. The average payout among all bingo halls is around 75 percent.
Postage Stamp Pattern – A pattern where players have to match four numbers in any of the four corers to make a stamp (a 2x2 grid).
Prize Bingo – Until recently, it was played only for a set prize or vouchers, but after the recent changes in UK law the prize may also be cash up to £15.
Progressive Jackpot – A jackpot that keeps on growing until it is claimed. It continues to get bigger for days, weeks even months it it is not won within a pre-decided number of calls. Operators can add dollars, balls or both to their progressive games. Usually, progressive jackpot games have a separate buy-in.
Q
Quickie – A game where numbers are called as fast as possible and the card must be complete to claim bingo.
R
Rainbow Pack – A paper pack that lets players to play for three or four different prizes at once.
RNG - or random number generator is the electronic device used to draw numbers for a bingo game.
S
Session – An entire program of bingo that includes regular games usually played on bingo cards and special games played on throwaways, paper sheets or flimsies. The typical duration of a session is somewhere between 2 to 3 hours.
Shutter Board – A re-usable hand-help plastic board with pre-printed numbers in 4x4 format, usually used in 80 ball bingo games. The numbers are covered by closing the shutters over them.
Six-Pack, Nine-Pack – Refers to 6 or nine numbers in a bar on one card.
Speed Bingo – It is a variation of your regular bingo wherein the numbers are called out very quickly and players can bingo in as few as 3 numbers.
Speed Game, Speedgame – It refers to a coverall that is called very quickly. Usually sold as special game with one card at a time.
Split Pot – Bingo game in which the winner shares the pot with the bingo hall in a particular ratio.
T
Texas blackout – A bingo variation where the first number called will be either even or odd. If even number comes out first, then all the even numbers on the players card become wild (jokers). Players then have to cover all the even numbers. Same is the case when odd number comes out first. The game moves on to a coverall.
Throwaways – Same as flimsies.
Tickets – These are printed pages on which main stage bingo is played. Tickets are laid out in grids and come in booklets/books.
V
Validation – is the eligibility needed to win additional jackpot amount. The price vary according to the number of cards in play.
W
Wild Number – Played on a double bingo which leads to triple bingo. The first number drawn determines the world number. For instance, the first number drawn is 35, players will mark off all the numbers ending in 5 on their card/s.
Wrap up – The last game of a bingo session.
