The Bingo Variations for 2015

The game of bingo has remained globally popular since it first emerged in Italy during the 16^th century. It has evolved considerably since this time, however, thanks primarily to the advent of online gaming sites like paddy power bingo and the proliferation of bingo on mobile devices.

As bingo has become increasingly popular in the online space, the game has been popularised across a wider range of social demographics. This has forced developers to adapt and refine the range of variations that are available, as they look to appeal to everyone from young males to more mature female players. With this in mind, let’s take a look at some of bingo’s modern variations and their prevailing level of popularity.

Bingo U-Pick ‘em
This variation is intriguing, not least because bingo was considered as a primitive lottery game when it first emerged on the streets of Italy in the 1500’s. This is therefore a modern twist on a classic gaming pattern, where players get to pick the numbers that they want in a bid to win. It has been compared by modern observers to Keno, which is a Chinese game that shares almost exactly the same traits. The simplistic and classic nature of the game marks it as a popular variant.

Facebook Bingo
Social gaming represents huge business in the modern age, with Facebook arguably the best example of this. Facebook is now home to multiple, classic variations of bingo, with the main difference being the use of ‘power-ups’ to increase the advantage of players when competing to win a specific prize or jackpot. These are available through the unique model that underpins social gaming, as power-ups can either be earned through gameplay or purchased from the Facebook platform.

90 Ball Bingo
We have already touched on the popularity of classic bingo gaming patterns, so it would therefore be wrong to exclude what is arguably the single most famous variation available. This is 90 ball bingo, which is extremely popular in the UK and features cards with six strips and a cumulative total of 15 numbers that are distributed evenly across three boxes. Overall, this means that there are 90 numbers accessible through this variation and individual games can take a little longer to complete.

Death Bingo
Are final option is the fascinating entitled Death Bingo, which is a fun and instinctive game that combines modern interaction with traditional gaming patterns. The most fascinating element is the fact that the game inverts the classic gaming philosophy, as players are actually eliminated from the contest once they call bingo. The player left standing at the end will be the winner, despite having theoretically performed the worst according to classic bingo rules!

Last updated: Feb 9, 2023