What Is the Best Time To Play Bingo?

What is the best time to play bingo? The quippy answer is that you can play whenever you want on the sites we recommend, but in all seriousness, some times are better to play. Here’s how to decide.

Prize vs Odds

When deciding when to play bingo, the most significant factor is whether you want higher odds or a bigger prize.

Bingo is an exceptionally well-balanced game where randomisation means every ticket has an equal chance of winning during the game. Therefore, it’s usually easy to predict this balance.

If you want a higher prize, you must play at times with more players. However, you have a much lower chance of winning that prize because more people are in the game.

The reverse is also true. If you join a room with only a few players, your odds could be 10% or better. You’ll win regularly, but the payouts will be far lower than in a busy game.

People who play mainly for fun often prefer smaller rooms, but that’s not universal. Some people enjoy playing with a bigger group and aren’t seeking a big pot, just having a little fun.

The main thing to take away from this is that there’s no universal best time to play bingo, only player preference and individual situations.

 

Factors Affecting the Best Time To Play Bingo

When deciding the best time to play Bingo, some things to keep in mind include:

• Time of day
• Weather
• Location
• Jackpots
• Special events

Time of Day

What is the best time to play bingo? Time itself is the most significant factor affecting how many people are online and playing together.

Periods of low, medium and high activity determine the day.

The day starts with medium activity as many people enjoy a few bingo games on their way to work. People who play consistently during this period tend to be those who love bingo and play mainly for fun, so most people don’t get too many tickets.

Once the morning commute is over, it switches to a low period for most of the day. Bingo players tend to be busy at work and don’t play too much, although there can be a slight upswing during lunch hours if people have free time.

Late afternoon changes back to medium activity as people are commuting home. This time is quite similar to the morning rush, but people may buy more tickets after a day of work.

Things go into high gear in the evenings when people are settling down and relaxing, especially after they’ve eaten. The evening is when you can find the biggest games and larger jackpots. Big prizes tend to entice more people to play, so there are a couple of busy hours. Evenings are popular both online and at in-person bingo halls.

Once night hits and people get tired, player numbers plummet, and things are nearly dead overnight. However, some people will be awake and playing throughout the night, so you can still find a few people to play with if you prefer.

Weather

The weather is the next thing that affects the best time to play bingo. This one is simple. When the weather is good, player numbers are standard online and offline.

However, when it’s raining or the weather is otherwise poor, fewer people will travel to in-person bingo halls.

You can use the weather to your advantage when deciding how to play. If you want the highest odds of winning, going to a bingo hall in the daytime on a rainy day means you’ll have almost no competition. On the other hand, going to online games on a rainy evening means more players and bigger pots.

Location

The location has a relatively small impact on the best time to play bingo, but it does exist.

Generally, places with better transportation and a higher population will have more people at in-person games, regardless of how things are going online. Areas with worse transportation or lower population encourage people to play online instead.

In simpler terms, being in a bigger city means more competition at bingo halls, which means lower odds but better prizes. Bingo websites tend to be national or even international, so location doesn’t affect them.

Jackpots

We mentioned this earlier, but jackpot size affects how many players join each game. Bigger jackpots are more enticing, especially among players who join larger groups.

The logic here is simple. People who play for fun and don’t expect to win often don’t see much difference between a 1% or a 0.1% chance of winning. Since that’s the case, they don’t mind chasing a big jackpot on the off-chance they can win it.

Serious players often focus on mid-size jackpots instead. These are large enough to be worth pursuing, but not so big that they’re going to draw in huge crowds. Anyone trying to profit from bingo has to pick the best balance between risk and reward.

Huge jackpots can have an incredible draw, especially those at record highs.

Special Events

On rare occasions, special events can affect the best time to play bingo. For example, different groups may offer special prizes or games on National Bingo Day. Events like these tend to mean more players and bigger jackpots, so even people who don’t play bingo regularly may decide to participate in a few games.

 

Playing Bingo Casually

All the advice above is for people who want to play paid bingo games and enjoy a potential jackpot.

If you just want to have fun and play free bingo games, the best time is whenever you want.

 

Final Thoughts

So, what is the best time to play bingo? In the end, only you can decide what time fits your schedule the best. There’s no fundamentally right answer here, so decide how you want to balance the odds and go from there to manage your experience.

If you’re still not sure, try playing in the evenings. Playing in a big group is often more fun, and since every ticket has a fair chance of winning, you don’t have to worry about anyone being better than you.

Last updated: Jan 24, 2023