Bingo is one of the most popular games that you can play online. Its appeal is based on the fact it is very easy to learn, and gives all players the same chance of winning. Essentially, the game of bingo is based on chance, with each player being given a randomly-generated gamecard.

On this card are printed a series of 15 numbers, most often in the range from 1 - 90. Then a machine (or, online, a piece of software) is utilised to choose numbers at random. Once these numbers have been chosen (or “called”, as is the usual bingo terminology), the player marks them off on their own game card.

The object of the game is to be the first to mark off all of the numbers - thus winning a full “house”. At this point, the player will win the jackpot - or a share of the jackpot if there is more than 1 winner. Some of these jackpots can be quite high, especially if they have been “rolling” or accumulating over time.

Similar to a lottery, there can be more than 1 winner as the game cards are generated at random. For this reason, it’s quite possible for there to be 2 or more game cards that feature the numbers that have been chosen - in the same way as there can be in a lottery.

However, the difference with bingo is that we are not only looking for the exact sequence of numbers that has been drawn, as the principle is based on, for example, any 15 numbers out of 90 being possible winners. So when the numbers are called, it is theoretically possible for it to take 90 numbers being drawn before anyone wins.

Just to explain this further, if you imagine there are 90 possible numbers to be drawn. Then each game card has a random sequence from 1-90 printed on it. It could feasibly happen that the 15th number that everyone is after to complete their card is the last one to be drawn.

In order for this to happen, it obviously isn’t the case that everyone will have crossed off the same numbers, due to the random nature of the numbers on the cards. Although this may sound a bit confusing, from a mathematical point of view it makes perfect sense.

I wouldn’t suggest that this high level mathematical theory is the reason for bingo’s popularity, but the effect of it probably is. ie everyone has an equal chance of winning, right up until the last number is called. And it’s only when the last number is called that you know whether you’ll win or not.

Jon Jackson is a bingo expert, working with a UK online bingosite, that has been established over 10 years, BingoPalace.