Exploring the Many faces of Bingo: What are the differences between UK 90 and US 70 Ball Bingo?

If you are an avid player of bingo in the UK, the chances are you are familiar (and particularly fond of) the British 90-ball format of the game. If the advent of online bingo sites has taught us anything, however, it is that there are a huge range of bingo variations on the market and many more entering the market on a daily basis.
Take the U.S. and Canada favourite 75-ball bingo, for example, which offers a different and far more diverse experience to players. Designed to be more fun and unpredictable, it is an interesting experience for anyone who has favoured the traditional, 90-ball version during their years of gameplay.

Exploring the differences between 90 and 75-ball Bingo

While there are obviously similarities between these two versions of the game, there are also considerable differences that distinguish what players can expect. Aside from the obvious observation that the 75-ball U.S. format has fewer potential winning combinations and shorter games, this version also differs in that it affords individual players a card per game with 24 numbers to mark off. In the UK format, the bingo card only has 15 numbers per strip, although both versions of the game can be played with multiple cards.

Perhaps the biggest difference is the less formulaic nature of the 75-ball Canadian and U.S. version, as the numbers printed on player cards do not run in set strips or patterns as they do in the UK. Instead, each card is entirely unique and challenges players to deploy strong hand-eye coordination in order to quickly market off numbers and identify winning combinations. There is also a significant difference in terms of how individual games are won, and this is also important for players to take note of.

Our Final Thoughts on these Distinct Versions of the game

More specifically, UK games are generally determined with individual lines or full houses, whereas the diverse nature of Canadian and U.S. cards are won on patterns. These are individual to each card, so once again players will need to be focused on monitoring the development of the game and the number sequence as it is called.

The pace of gameplay in the U.S. and Canadian version is also considerably slower, which is perhaps a deliberate ploy as the games tend to be a little shorter than the UK 90-ball version. This also helps players to deal with the individual nature of their card and the potential winning patterns, which can be daunting if you are relatively new to the format.

Last updated: Jan 24, 2023