Last Updated on November 6, 2023
The world of online bingo involves many phrases and lingo that are specific to it, which might be intimidating to new or potential players!
We’ve developed a list of terms and explanations that we believe will be extremely useful in navigating the ups and downs of online bingo.
It will increase your chances of winning and help you better comprehend the phrases used at online bingo sites and by other players if you read the terms below.
| TERM | DEFINITION |
|---|---|
| 1TG | Or “one-to-go,” meaning there’s only one box left for a player to win. |
| 2TG | Or “two-to-go,” meaning there are only two boxes left for a player to win. |
| 5-Line Bingo | Also called Swedish bingo, the game is played like 75-ball bingo, but there is no free card in the middle. Players need to mark off one, two, three, four, or five lines, and either horizontal, vertical, or diagonal to win. |
| 90-Ball Bingo | It’s played with 3×9 cards, and players can win if they mark off one, two, or all rows. |
| Admission | The minimum number of cards a player needs to acquire to join a virtual or physical bingo game. |
| Admission Pack (Packet) | A set of bingo cards you need to purchase to enter a bingo hall. It contains between three to six cards and sometimes includes tickets for unique games. |
| After Games | Bingo games played after the regular ones. |
| Any Way | Players can win by completing any pattern on their cards. |
| Auto-play | A feature on online bingo sites that automatically mark the numbers called. |
| Autodauber | A feature on online bingo sites that automatically mark the numbers called. Another term for auto-play. |
| Basket Bingo | Usually, a community fundraiser game where players can win “baskets” containing prizes like gift cards or food. |
| Bingo | A term used in a type of game of chance. A player needs to mark off a row, column, or any other pattern to win. |
| Bingo Alias | A pseudonym or nickname player assumes when playing in online bingo sites. |
| Bingo Board | A giant board, usually electronic, is placed in front of the bingo hall. It shows the already called number. |
| Bingo Bonuses | These are promotional strategies of online bingo sites to attract new players to join and old players to play more. Examples are referral bonuses and new player bonuses. |
| Bingo Book | A term for a set of bingo sheets bound together. It can vary in the number of sheets it contains and the number of cards per sheet. |
| Bingo Booklet | A term for a set of bingo sheets bound together. It can vary in the number of sheets it contains and the number of cards per sheet. Another term for bingo book. |
| Bingo Caller | A term used for a person who announces the numbers. |
| Bingo Calls | There are two definitions for this term. It is the definite number of balls called in the game or to reach the jackpot. Two, they are creative ways to call out the names like two little ducks for 22. |
| Bingo Card | A piece of paper or board containing a grid of numbers used in playing bingo. |
| Bingo Dauber | A type of ink pen specifically made for bingo players to mark their bingo cards. It is sometimes called dauber, dabber, or dobber. |
| Bingo Deposit | A process on how players can fund their bingo website account. It can be through debit or credit card or online money transfer services. |
| Bingo Etiquette | These are rules stating the acceptable behavior of bingo players in the bingo hall or online bingo sites. |
| Bingo Hall | A facility where physical bingo is played. |
| Bingo Jackpot | A prize that is bigger than the normal one. It is won by completing a full house, coverall, or other complicated patterns. |
| Bingo Lingo | Words or terms that are used in bingo and its players. It is loosely synonymous with bingo calls or calls. |
| Bingo Marker | A tool to mark the numbers called by the bingo caller, for example, a bingo dauber. |
| Bingo Nickname | A pseudonym or nickname player assumes when playing in online bingo sites. Another term for bingo alias. |
| Bingo Odds | The probability of winning a bingo game within a particular number of calls. |
| Bingo Pad | A term for a set of bingo sheets bound together. It can vary in the number of sheets it contains and the number of cards per sheet. Another term for bingo book. |
| Bingo Pattern | The shape a player must cover or form to win a 75-Ball Bingo game. |
| Bingo Payout | It can be the amount of money withdrawn from an online bingo website. It can also be a percentage of the amount the players paid and converted to winnings. |
| Bingo Player | It refers to the person playing bingo. |
| Bingo Promo Codes | A promotional strategy where a player enters a code on the website to get a bonus. |
| Bingo Promotions | These are advertisements used by bingo sites to attract new players and keep old players to play. |
| Bingo Rooms | These are the online equivalent of bingo halls. These are virtual spaces where online bingo games are held. |
| Bingo Sheets | Also called tickets, these are pages of a bingo book where individual bingo cards are printed. |
| Bingo Slots | A type of slot machine with a virtual bingo game and joined by other casino players. It is also an instant game in bingo websites that resembles a slot machine. |
| Bingo Tickets | Also called tickets, these are pages of a bingo book where individual bingo cards are printed. Another term for bingo sheets. |
| Blackout Bingo | A term used for a pattern in a 75-ball bingo game where you need to mark all numbers in the card. It is also called cover all or blackout. |
| Blower | A device that mixes the bingo balls and uses forced air to choose a numbered ball. |
| Blowout | A type of coverall game where the numbers are called out as fast as possible. Also known as quickie or speed game. |
| BOGOF Bingo (Buy One Get One Free) | An online promotional strategy where a player buys one ticket and gets one free. |
| Bonanza Bingo | It is a type of coverall game where 48 numbers are called pre-game and utilizes a sealed special bingo card. If a player marks off all of the numbers in their cards, they win. The caller will continue announcing the number if there is no winner. |
| Break-Open Tickets | It is a kind of bingo card that are sealed used in select games like bonanza bingo. |
| Buy-In | In bingo halls, the admission or the minimum number of cards is needed to join a game. In online bingo, it is the process of buying bingo cards with deposits or funds. |
| Caller | A term used for a person who announces the numbers. Another term for bingo caller. |
| Caller’s Choice | A game where the bingo caller decides the winning pattern. |
| Calls | There are two definitions for this term. It is the definite number of balls called in the game or to reach the jackpot. Two, they are creative ways to call out the names like two little ducks for 22. Another term for bingo calls. |
| Card | A piece of paper or board containing a grid of numbers used in playing bingo. Another term for bingo card. |
| Cash Ball | A type of progressive bingo game where a player can win when they call bingo on a predetermined number. |
| Cash-in-Prize | The prize won from the percentage of the cash paid by players when they bought their tickets. |
| CH | The abbreviation for chat host. |
| Chat Game | Set of games played in bingo website chat rooms moderated by a chat host. |
| Chat Host | A person who moderates and monitors a chat room in a bingo site. |
| Chat Lingo | Terms, usually abbreviations, used by roomies or players in a chat room. |
| Chat Room Game | Set of games played in bingo website chat rooms moderated by a chat host. Another term for chat games. |
| Consolation Prize | A mini prize awarded to a player who achieves bingo in a special game but not within the required number of calls. |
| Cookie Jar | A kind of jackpot prize that grows throughout the session. The money will be added when the lucky number is called during a game and without anyone calling bingo. When someone hits bingo on the lucky number, they will get the cookie jar. |
| Coverall Game | A term used for a pattern in a 75-ball bingo game where you need to mark all numbers in the card. It is also called cover all or blackout bingo. Another term for the blackout game. |
| Coverall Jackpots | A jackpot is earned when a player hits bingo after a predetermined number of calls in a 75-bingo game. The predetermined number of calls is fewer than the usual number of calls to achieve a coverall. |
| Dauber (or Dabber, Dobber) | A term used for a pattern in a 75-ball bingo game where you need to mark all numbers in the card. It is also called cover all or blackout. Another term for bingo dauber. |
| Deposit Bonus | A promotional strategy where an incentive is given to online bingo players when they deposit funds to their accounts. |
| Double Bingo | The pattern a player needs to complete to win a 75-ball bingo game. The pattern is composed of two lines in either horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. |
| Early Bird Game | A game played before the first bingo game of the session. |
| Electronic Dauber | A system in bingo halls that automatically marks the numbers in multiple cards. |
| Face | A single bingo card on a bingo sheet. |
| Flimsy | A thin sheet of paper where the bingo card is printed. |
| Four Corners | A pattern that requires players to mark the four corners of their card to win. |
| Free Bingo | A game in online bingo sites where players can play without depositing their account. |
| Free Space | The center square in a bingo card in 75-ball bingo. |
| Free Square | The center square in a bingo card in 75-ball bingo. Another term for free space. |
| Full House | This pattern is achieved when a player covers all of the three vertical lines in a 90-ball bingo. |
| Funded Player | An online bingo player that made an actual deposit on their account. |
| Game Board | An electronic display that resembles the bingo card and the winning pattern. It is usually a part of the bingo board. |
| Game Pattern | The shape a player must cover or form to win a 75-Ball Bingo game. Another term for bingo pattern. |
| Game Rooms | These are the online equivalent of bingo halls. These are virtual spaces where online bingo games are held. Another term for bingo rooms. |
| Hard Card | A bingo card printed in a heavy cardboard, typically with small shutters to cover the called numbers. |
| Hard Way Bingo | A game (usually played with 75 balls) where players can win when they mark a vertical or horizontal line. The catch to this game is the winning line cannot include the free space or square. |
| Inlaid Card | These are 4×4 bingo cards that are built-in tabletops and used in playing mechanized cash bingo. |
| Instant Bingo | It is a type of break-open bingo card with pre-printed “called” numbers. It is like a scratch card that will reveal the numbers once scratched. |
| Instant-Win Bingo Games | Other games provided by online bingo websites other than bingo. For example, blackjack, virtual scratch cards, and bingo slots. |
| Jackpot | A prize that is bigger than the normal one. It is won by completing a full house, coverall, or other complicated patterns. Another term for bingo jackpot. |
| Late Night Bingo | A bingo session that begins late at night, usually around 10:00 PM. |
| Loyalty Program | A points-based program on an online bingo site. It rewards players with points every time they buy a bingo ticket. |
| Lucky Jar | An online bingo platform. |
| Mainstage Bingo | The main game/s in a bingo session. |
| Mechanized Cash Bingo | A type of bingo game played in addition to the main game. It is played using a reusable 4×4 bingo card with shutters, and players need to insert coins to join. |
| Minimum Buy-In | For physical bingo games, this term is also called admission. When used in online bingo, it is the minimum number of tickets a player needs to buy to play. |
| Money Ball | The ball or number drawn first before a game. When a player hits bingo on that number, they will get double the prize. |
| Moonlight Bingo | A bingo session that begins late at night, usually around 10:00 PM.. Another term for late-night bingo. |
| Multiple Winners | Two or more players winning and calling bingo at the same time. The prize for the game will be equally split among the winning players. |
| Mushroom | Six to eight electronic bingo terminals assembled to form a mushroom. |
| National Bingo Game (The National) | A game where many bingo halls are linked together, and it is played twice each day. A player needs to be the first one to have a full house to win. |
| Nine-Pack | A pattern that requires players to mark 9 squares in a 3x block to win. |
| No-Deposit Bingo | An online bingo game that doesn’t require new players to deposit credits into their accounts. |
| No-Deposit Bonus | These are bonus credits offered by some bingo websites as a promotional strategy to attract new players. It is also called a “new-player bonus” or “welcome bonus.” |
| On-the-Way | A bingo pattern that is in the same game as a coverall. It means that when a player completes the first pattern, another winner will be called for the coverall pattern. |
| On’s | It is the term used on the number of individual bingo cards on a bingo sheet. |
| Online Bingo Not on Gamstop | Online bingo not covered by Gamstop and can provide slots based in the US and other countries. |
| Parti | A shorthand term for participation bingo. |
| Participation Bingo | A type of slot bingo where the prize is decided by a percentage of the money paid by the players. |
| Pattern | The shape a player must cover or form to win a 75-Ball Bingo game. Another term for bingo pattern. |
| Payout | The amount of money withdrawn by a player from their online bingo account. It is also the percentage of the money paid by players that will become the prize. |
| Play-Through Requirements | An amount of money a player needs to wager before withdrawing their winnings from their online bingo account. Another term for wagering requirements. |
| Postage Stamp | A pattern in a 75-ball bingo that comprises a 2×2 block on any corner of the card. |
| Prize Bingo | A type of game typically played in slot machines and players can win prizes other than money like vouchers. |
| Prize Draw | A kind of bingo promotion that lets a player enter in a random drawing to win money or other prizes. |
| Progressive Jackpot | A prize that is increasing until it is won. |
| Pull-Tab | It is a kind of bingo card that are sealed used in select games like bonanza bingo. Another term for break-open tickets. |
| Punchboard | A type of game available in some bingo halls as a fundraising event. Players will punch a concealed paper game slip from a hole in a wooden board. They can win when they punch a hole with numbers or symbols in them. |
| Quickie | A type of coverall game where the numbers are called out as fast as possible. Another term for blowout game. |
| Rainbow Pack | A bingo book with tickets in different colors. |
| Reload Bonus | Also called redeposit bonus, it is a type of deposit bonus that gives players incentives when they reload their account. |
| RNG | Or Random Number Generator is a computer program that produces random numbers for a bingo game. It is the electronic equivalent of a bingo blower. |
| Roomies | Players who are talking or chatting inside a bingo site chat room. |
| Serial Number | The unique number printed on each set of bingo cards. This number protects the integrity of the game and to verify the winner. |
| Series | A group of bingo cards with a definite number of unique faces. |
| Session | A bingo hall program containing regular and special games played. It can also include intermissions in between games. |
| Shutter Board | A portable bingo card made of plastic that has a 4×4 grid. Each box has small shutters for players to close over the called numbers. |
| Single Bingo | A pattern players need to create to win a 75-ball bingo. It consists of a single line across the card, either horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. |
| Six-Pack | A winning pattern where a player needs to mark six squares in the shape of a block to win. |
| Special | A term used for a game played outside or after a regular session. |
| Speed Bingo | A bingo game that uses a 3×3 card and 30 balls, and the numbers are called as fast as possible. |
| Speed Game | A type of coverall game where the numbers are called out as fast as possible. Another term for blowout game. |
| Split Pot | The prize won from the percentage of the cash paid by players when they bought their tickets. Another term for cash-in-prize. |
| Table Board Bingo | It is a lottery-type bingo where a mechanical table with permanent shutter boards on top. |
| TED | The electronic dauber system created by GameTech International. |
| Texas Blackout | A variant of the regular blackout game. The gist of the game is to mark all even numbers if the first number to be called is even. This rule is the same if an odd number was called first. After the first number, the game will be continued as a normal blackout. |
| Throwaway | A thin sheet of paper where the bingo card is printed. Another term for flimsy. |
| Tickets | The pages of a bingo book where individual bingo cards are printed. Another term for bingo sheets. |
| To View | It is the term used on the number of individual bingo cards on a bingo sheet. Another term for ‘on’s. |
| Triple Bingo | A pattern players need to create to win a 75-ball bingo. It consists of threes line across the card, either horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. |
| Up’s | The number of bingo sheets in a bingo book. |
| Validation | Additional payment players pay in advance to be qualified to win special prizes. |
| Wagering Requirements | An amount of money a player needs to wager before withdrawing their winnings from their online bingo account. |
| Warm-Up/Warm Up | The first game of the bingo session. |
| Welcome Deposit Bonus | A type of deposit bonus that gives players incentives when they put money on their account for the first time. |
| Wild Number | A number that all players can mark on their cards. It can vary from each game, and not all games have a wild number. |
| Winner-Takes-All | A game where the winner gets 100% of the money paid by the players. |
| Withdrawal | The action of a player getting their money out of their online bingo account. |
| Wrap-Up | The last game played by bingo players in a session. |
Gabe Harper has been working in the online casino business for a bit over a decade. He has worked on the backend of more established casinos, and has also watched scams come and go. While mostly an avid table game and poker player, Gabe is also known for his tips and bets whenever the Premier League rolls around.
