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Information about bingo casinos
Bingo has been one of the UK's most popular pastimes, particularly among the older generation, for many years.
The Mecca and Gala bingo halls have become iconic in modern Britain, renowned for their generous prizes that have attracted millions of players eagerly marking the numbers off of their scorecards.
With the arrival of the internet era and online casinos, online bingo sites have become more popular, offering players the chance to play from the comfort of their own homes instead of venturing out to their local hall.
With more and more bingo casinos around, we thought it would be a good idea to show you how to find the best possible sites to play the famous game on.
Read on to find out more about the game, its online versions, and other things bingo-related.
A brief history of bingo
Bingo has been around for longer than you might think. As far back as the 16th century, Italian and French noblemen played a type of bingo at social events, except the caller picked out numbered bits of wood instead of today's bingo balls.
After spreading to Germany, where it was used for teaching the children numbers at school, it ended up in the English-speaking world. First in the UK, from where it had made the trans-Atlantic trip to the United States by the 1920s.
At this point, the game went by the name of 'Beano', the word players shouted when they found they had matched all their numbers to the ones pulled from a cigar box. It doesn't take much imagination to see that this is where the name 'Bingo' came from, which is believed to have stuck when one shouter said it by mistake.
Bingo's simple yet exciting nature meant it became a hugely successful business idea for two British businessmen in the 1960s. Eric Morley and Edwin Lowe introduced the concept of lots of people buying cheap tickets to generate a big prize pool, which led to the mass gatherings at Bingo halls across the country – something which still exists today, albeit much less common.
A whole Bingo culture grew around these halls, including funny nicknames for each of the numbers. It gave us 'legs eleven' for number 11, and 'two little ducks' for 22.
The success of these halls helped make the transition to online play much easier, with a huge customer base waiting to try them out on online bingo sites.
What is an online bingo site?
Internet bingo first appeared in the early 21st century, and many early versions were just random computerised number selections that players had to match to their own batch of numbers.
Improvements in technology, though, mean that online bingo games are now more elaborate; not only using random number generators to guarantee a fair game, but also offering extra bonus features and chat functionalities for players.
An online bingo site, then, is any web page that offers you the chance to play internet bingo, essentially an online casino with bingo, and you could find many of them in the UK today.
The next section will show you how to find the best ones.
How to find great bingo sites in the UK
With all the bingo sites available in the UK market, finding one you can trust can be a little daunting.
At Casino Meter, we've spotted this dilemma and want to do something about it. As such, we've devised a review, rating and filter system which will hopefully help you make a wise choice about which bingo casino to play on.
First up, our special Meter rating will give you an instant idea of what to expect from a casino, and you can see this in the information box next to its name.
You'll find that the list of Bingo sites is ordered by casino quality when the 'Recommended' sort is selected, so we advise you to start with those at the top.
Other sorts, such as 'Newly opened' for new Bingo sites, let you order them by different criteria, should you wish.
Our list of filters, too, is a great way to reduce the amount of bingo sites to choose from.
Here's a rundown of some of the most popular:
- Withdrawal limit
Make sure your bingo sites have a minimum withdrawal limit by setting this toggle a certain amount – a great way to avoid unwelcome surprises when it comes to getting your money. - Payment method
Finding the bingo sites that accept your bank or card is important as you don't want to go through the trouble of signing up only to find you can't make a deposit. This filter lets you see just those casinos compatible with your method, whether it be Barclays or PayPal. - Live dealer
Much of bingo's UK success is built on the thrill of the live experience, which bingo halls have in abundance. Some online casinos try to replicate that with live-dealer games, a mix of live play and at-home comfort. Find the ones with bingo games here. - Casino games
For casino games other than bingo, try out this tool which lets you see only those sites with a particular game. Hopefully, you'll now be much closer to finding a great UK bingo site to play on. Good luck and stay safe!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about bingo sites
Can I play online bingo for free?
Yes, you can. Playing for free is a great way to get to know and enjoy online bingo games without risking money.
You can find ones to play on by going to our list of free bingo games and clicking 'Play' on the ones you like the look of.
Is online bingo safe?
Any game you find on here is safe to play thanks to the random number generator that ensures complete randomness.
A safe online casino, though, is a different matter, which is why we recommend you stick to the highest-rated sites on here.
Am I guaranteed to win at online bingo?
No. Like any game of chance, you could lose a lot of money if you're not careful.
The prizes may be tempting but remember that the odds of winning any of them are statistically weighed against you in favour of the casino.
Is bingo better than other casino games?
This very much depends on your personal taste: no two people have exactly the same preferences.
What we can say is that bingo is quicker than most other games, which can be good and bad. Good in that it's entertaining, but bad in that you might end up losing track of the money you spend.
Be sure to follow our safe gambling guidelines to be on the safe side.