- Prize Bingo
Prize Bingo is a game derived from standard Bingo games which is particularly popular in UK seaside resorts. Rather than winning cash prizes as per normal bingo, Prize Bingo instead offers points to the winner of each game which can be redeemed in a dedicated shop near to or within the Prize Bingo area although some games reward players with free games or tokens.
Prize Bingo is often found in UK amusement arcades, particularly in seaside resorts such as Blackpool.
How to play
The game is usually played via dedicated consoles connected to a central console where the Caller sits. Players can join a game by inserting coins into the slot on their console. Every console has a different order of numbers. Numbers are generated at random and The Caller reads them out. Most UK Prize Bingo installations have 75 numbers spread out across three different cards. The standard stake (usually 20p) enables two cards to be played while an extra 10p enables the third (usually gold) card to be played as well, increasing the chance of winning. If a player has activated all three cards, they have every number on one of the cards.
The aim varies depending on the individual establishment and the caller. Often, the aim is to cross off five numbers in a line on the same card diagonally, horizontally or vertically OR to cross off the four corner squares on the same card. Some games may be a certain type of line only or no corner squares. Bonus games are also played sometimes where if you create a line in a certain position, you win a special prize. While the consoles are fitted with sliders for players to cover up the numbers being read, unlike most deriatives of Bingo, Prize Bingo is usually configured so that the computer detects as soon as somebody has a winning combination and ends the game automatically, without the need for any intervention from the player. If more than one player has a winning combination, the prize is shared.
As Prize Bingo is mainly played for fun unlike more serious forms of bingo, slang names for numbers are commomly used. On a Prize Bingo board, the numbers are usually colour coded:
1 - 15: Red16 - 30: Yellow31 - 45: Blue46 - 60: White61 - 75: Green
The caller usually reads out the colour then the number, ie "Red on its own number 1", "Green seven and five seventy five", "Yellow two and four, a Duck At The Door"
Odds of winning
With Prize Bingo, somebody is guaranteed to win every game. While some establishments will not operate Prize Bingo until a certain number of people are there, the more people are playing, the less chance you have of winning. It is a random game of luck with no skill involved.
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