Bingo is a timeless game. Its popularity lies in the fact that it can be played in many different ways. There can be potential for large cash prizes when it is played in halls or casinos. Yet it can also be a fun family game done simply to see who wins. Creating your own bingo game is in itself a fun activity to do at home. Below, we dive into how to create your own DIY bingo game.
The Enduring Appeal of Bingo
First, a little background. The game of bingo as we know it today originated when an unofficial Italian state lottery was created in 1530. The modern game was then brought to households around 1929 when an American salesman named Edwin S Lowe saw it being played at a fair. He was the first to produce it as a boxed game.
Bingo has several variations, usually based on the size of the cards and the number of balls. Smaller cards, such as 3×3 grids, make for faster-paced games and usually come with smaller prizes. Bigger games that have larger cards and around 90 numbers tend to have higher prizes.
Find a Bingo Card Generator
The best way to save yourself a headache is to start with a bingo card generator. There are plenty of options online, and they won’t just give you a number either. You can use them to create themes, typing in names, symbols and even pictures. This can be great when creating fun games for everything from birthdays to bachelor parties.
There are also plenty of sites online where you can play bingo to get inspiration, without even wagering. One of the most well-known is Chumba Casino, a site that focuses squarely on providing fun, entertaining titles you don’t need to make deposits to play. However, there are other casinos like Chumba Casino that will have just as many games.
They can include bingo, casino table games, free-to-play well-known slot titles and imaginative hybrid games like Slingo. Trying these themed versions of bingo out can give you some great ideas when making your own DIY title at home.
Creating the Random Selection Process
Once you have printed the cards for your players, you need a random selection process. This is where you choose what number, symbol, name or term players will cross off each of the cards. The most popular way to do this is to add the selections to bingo balls.
You can buy bingo machines with balls included fairly cheaply. Alternatively, a large bag of ping pong balls from a brand like Pro Spin works just as well. Write the selections on each ball, then place them in a bowl or the machine, ready to pick at random.
If you don’t have these, then the cheapest option is to print all the terms on a single card and cut them out. Fold them, and put them in a box that is hard to peer into. They can then be chosen and called, so friends and family can cross them off the list. Whichever way you decide, and however you create your game, you are sure to have fun.