Best New Zealand Bingo Casinos

Online bingo might not be the most popular of casino games, but it certainly has a large audience of interested and dedicated players. Bingo itself is a pretty old game, with a history similar to lottery, used to raise funds for the government, communities, charitable foundations and such. In fact, it’s said that the game originates from 16th century Italy, though obviously there are different versions of bingo in different countries.

Modern times come with modern solutions, and online bingo has brought players together in new ways, yet again changing how the game plays out. Players get to chat with each other in rooms that come at times with live hosts. Different types of games are available, and there are a host of bonuses that players can take advantage of. Below we will take a good look at the details.

Online Bingo Games

There are two ways to enjoy bingo online: via video bingo or through bingo rooms. Video bingo is pretty much like table games, video poker, online slots, or scratch cards. All you need to do is start up the game, decide on your bet and press the play button. It’s also single player, which means you don’t quite get the whole experience that makes bingo such a popular gambling game.

Bingo rooms require dedicated software. There are only a handful of bingo game providers, such as Playtech (Virtue Fusion), Dragonfish and Jumpman Gaming. There are some notable differences between these providers. For example, the latter two tend to concentrate on just bingo sites, which are essentially copies of each other. Playtech’s Virtue Fusion platform on the other hand is usually an addition to casino sites that offer a lot more than just bingo.

These bingo rooms offer a lot more choices when compared to video bingo. Not to mention that you get to play, and chat, with other bingo enthusiasts. You can play a number of different games, enjoy side games at the same time, take part in chat games, and daub your tickets in search of big jackpot wins. 

How to Play Bingo Online

The first step is obvious: check out one of our suggested NZ casinos with online bingo, create an account and make a deposit. Then choose a bingo room you want to play at, purchase your tickets and get ready to fill them up. Of course, the process for daubing the numbers is completely automatic, which means that you don’t have to look for the numbers yourself.

It’s important to get to know the interface of your chosen online casino. As said, there are several different bingo providers and they all come with a different setup and way of doing things. It’s not all that difficult in the end, but most likely takes some getting used to at the start. It’s worth noting that some platforms might also be more mobile-friendly, whilst others offer a lot more functionality on the desktop versions. Explore your bingo options and find out!

Different Types of Bingo Games

You select your cards, check the numbers and wait for them to line up correctly. Your standard bingo card has a set of numbers divided into columns, with the winning condition is simply completing a pattern. This pattern can just be a sequence of numbers, or a horizontal or vertical line, or anything and everything. But there are variations to all of these rules. First of all, you have plenty of different numbers of balls in play:

• 90 ball bingo
• 80 ball bingo
• 75 ball bingo
• 52 ball bingo
• 50 ball bingo
• 40 ball bingo
• 30 ball bingo

And besides these, there is really no special rule that would limit which selection of numbers casinos and game providers can use. However, what is listed above is the most popular set of games. Each comes with different setups for the bingo cards, which again might differ from one provider to the next. The lower the number of balls at play, the faster you can expect the round to go.

One of the more interesting variants is the 52 ball bingo, which is actually played with playing cards. It still pretty much confines to the ideas behind bingo, but there are no balls in play at all. This game type can have different names, but you’re sure to recognise it as soon as you take a look.

Online Bingo and Slots

Did you know that online slots and bingo tend to go hand in hand? This is because most casinos give you the chance to play online slots, or other casino games, alongside bingo. These are also known as mini-games. That’s one reason that many bingo-oriented websites also deal out free spins, which you can then use alongside your free bingo tickets. It’s something to keep in mind when looking for casinos to play at.

Mobile Bingo

Mobile bingo is a difficult beast to tame. This is because your average bingo playing experience requires quite a bit of screen space. Especially if you are playing several tickets at once. Playing bingo at home is, therefore, a lot easier to experience than playing bingo on the go. Chatting with other players, whilst checking your tickets, and playing mini-games on the side makes things even more crowded. However, once again how effectively these issues with bingo games are resolved depends on the bingo game developer. Check out different options if you’re into mobile bingo gaming.

Bingo Jackpots

So, how are bingo wins actually paid out? The most common method is the jackpot. This is either created from a fixed sum determined by the casino, or from player contributions. Usually, both of these methods are used. Depending on the bingo game in question, there are then different triggers that can lead to winning the jackpot. The bingo jackpots themselves come in plenty of different sizes, usually linked to the popularity of the room and ticket price.

Of course, smaller prizes exist too. Jackpots are the main prize, with special requirements. Other bingo prizes come into play when you complete easier requirements, such as filling one line with your numbers. All of these depend on individual games, the number of players and other factors. Make sure to read the bingo room details to know what you’re getting into.

Social Bingo Gaming

Playing bingo online for money is just one face of bingo gaming. Sure enough, it’s about having a chance to score the big bingo win that draws players into this game. But the social aspect has certainly been there too since the beginning. And unlike other similar casino games, you’re not really competing against anyone. That’s what makes most bingo communities so friendly, and why it’s easy to have a good time whilst playing bingo games. Not to mention that online casinos can take this to a new level with promotions, tournaments and such.

Free Bingo

Who wouldn’t love free bingo games? Most bingo and casino sites give you access to free bingo games, but there are a couple of ways to go for it. First of all, you want to be looking at casino sites that offer online bingo games for free as part of the loyalty offer. These are quite common in fact. You will get access to free bingo rooms as soon as you are a depositing player. Most of the time the prizes are quite small, but they can grow substantially in bingo online rooms that are run only once a week or once a month. Secondly, you might want to take a look at dedicated bonuses.

Bingo Bonus Cash

You’re probably familiar with bonus cash from other casino games. It works much the same in bingo games, though with completely different terms and conditions. The basic idea is that this bonus cash will be given to you as a match for your deposited real money. You can then play bingo games with the bonus cash, however, it does not immediately turn into real money. Only once you have wagered the money enough times will it transform into real money. With online bingo games, this wagering requirement is usually only between 2x and 4x.

Free Bingo Tickets

More often than not you will also run into free bingo tickets. With this sort of promotion you will get a set number of tickets that you can usually use in selected bingo rooms. They tend to be of lower value, but it’s free tickets nonetheless. Added bonus is the fact that you usually don’t need to wager any winnings, instead they are for yours to keep or withdraw as you wish.

Online Bingo FAQ

1. What’s the difference between a fixed and progressive online bingo jackpot?

Fixed jackpot is a set sum that does not change no matter how many players compete for it. Progressive jackpot grows from each ticket bought, and as such is ideal for bingo rooms that come with larger amounts of players.

2. What kind of patterns do the bingo cards have?

There are some standard patterns for each bingo game type. The most usual one is a line, which tends to be all the numbers on a vertical or horizontal line. But there are also many more patterns, some quite complex. Video bingo games are a good way to check out what’s available out there.

3. What bingo games NZ players can enjoy?

Pretty much the whole field of bingo online games is available. The major providers all accept NZ players, so you get to choose your pick.

4. How do I know the bingo games are legit?

Like with any casino games, the best indicator of a safe and secure bingo site are the licences it holds. The more the better, and of course the presence of reputable gaming studios is a good sign as well.

5. Is bingo a game of luck?

Completely, there is no skill involved in playing bingo.