Home / bingo guides / tips for playing bingo online

Tips for playing bingo online

If you're a bingo fanatic who's only ever played in the bingo halls, you may be interested in how to play bingo online for money. While all bingo is a game of chance and doesn’t rely on skill or strategy, there are many things you can do to make your experience more enjoyable.

Get online bingo tips and tricks and find out where to play using our jam-packed guide to acing online bingo.

What does playing online bingo involve?

Before delving into our tips for online bingo, let's outline how our classic online bingo games work.

When it comes to learning how to play online bingo for money, it's really similar to playing in-person at bingo halls.

First, choose which game you'd like to play, as well as the ticket price and number of tickets. Each game, whether it's bingo90 or any of the others, has a detailed 'how to play' section. And remember, you can use our 24/7 Chat Rooms if you have any questions.

Then, you just wait for the bingo calls to begin.

A Random Number Generator acts as the bingo caller and announces the numbers. You simply mark your ticket when you see a number that's been called. Remember, you can use our auto mark function to make sure you never miss a number. But even if you don’t select auto marking, we’ll always tell you if you’ve missed a number and won a prize.

The winner is the first person to mark all the numbers on their sheet – this is known as winning the Full House. You can also win prizes for completing one or two lines of numbers.

FREE £20 BONUS - deposit £20 and play with £40

*Deposit from £10 and get a 100% bonus match up to £50. first deposit only. Any winnings can be withdrawn. Bonus money cannot be withdrawn. T&C's apply.

Join now

1. Play safely/control your budget

One of the most important things to consider in our bingo guide is how to play safely while controlling your budget. This applies whether you're playing online or in the halls.

You should never, ever spend more money than you can afford to lose and never chase your losses. Here at tombola, we have a host of Safeplay tools to help keep you safe while playing. You should check them out before trying our bingo games.

The first thing we’d advise you to do is to set a Deposit Limit. Having one helps you stay in control and removes all temptation to spend more than you intended. You can also lock your Deposit Limit in place for anywhere up to 12 months, giving you greater control over your budget, which is another one of our top tips for online bingo.

2. Join the community

Keen for online bingo tips on how to play socially? When considering the differences between online bingo and bingo halls, many point to the social aspect. Playing in a bingo hall is a chance to socialise with friends and even meet new ones. However, we’ve recreated that social element online and our tombola bingo community is just one reason why we are so popular.

Our Chat Rooms, and we have at least one for every game, buzz with conversation. They're a great place to chat with friends, old and new. There are rooms open 24/7 and, with Chat Moderators to keep them safe and fun, there’s almost always someone to chat to.

Another tip for online bingo with tombola is to pop into our Chat Rooms outside of games as well as during them. Many of our players go into a Chat Room just to catch up with friends or ask for advice. Our Chat Moderators host Chat Room games and quizzes throughout the day to give players the chance to win £1 in bonus money. They also regularly host themed nights, where prizes such as goody bags can be won, so keep an eye out for those.

3. Pick the right game

When choosing where to play bingo online, finding a site with a variety of games is essential. Check out our bingo games guide, which has over 20 classic and unique games, including our daily free bingo game, Free Form.

When it comes to knowing how to play online bingo for money while staying in control, we recommend using the lowest stake possible. Especially when trying out the games for the first time. This means you can try as many as possible without spending your entire budget.

If you like the more traditional variations of bingo, such as 90 ball, bingo Lite is a good place to begin with games starting from just 2p. But if you like bingo with a twist, we have the likes of Blocks and Cinco which are unique takes on classic bingo.

Our games are designed and created in-house and are exclusive to tombola, so you won’t find them anywhere else.

4. Pick your time

When it comes to online bingo tips and tricks, choosing where to play is the most important thing. Finding the best time to play is a close second. We'd always recommend choosing when to play wisely.

There are no guarantees of winning whenever you choose to play, but the mathematical odds are more in your favour when fewer people are playing. Many of our games also have a set Jackpot that remains the same, so there’s a chance to win big no matter what time of day you play.

If you do wish to play for the bigger prizes, check out our bingo promotions where prizes are boosted during peak and off-peak times.

[play bingo online]

5. Use auto dabbers

Another great tip for online bingo? Auto dabbers. When playing in the bingo halls, a momentary lapse of concentration could result in you missing out on a win but auto dabbers prevent this. This gives you a huge advantage while playing.

Even if you choose to manually mark your numbers and forget to dab a number, you will still win the game should you have the winning ticket.

Our bingo guide is here to help you, and auto dabbers let you sit back, relax and enjoy the social aspect of our Chat Rooms while watching your game play out. You'll even get to know the bingo lingo, such as the bingo calling numbers, along the way too!

Why choose tombola for putting your online bingo tips and tricks into action?

Not only are we Britain's biggest online bingo site, but we've also received loads of awards crediting our socially responsible approach, user experience and more. Our extensive bingo guides are filled with online bingo tips and tricks, helping you get the most out of your experience with us.

We hold the Gold Advanced Level 3 Safer Gambling Standard accreditation and were the first online bingo company to achieve the highest accreditation to help our players gamble responsibly. Our tombola community is at the core of our online bingo experience, with moderated Chat Rooms available 24/7 that host regular quizzes and games. This helps to make your online bingo experience a sociable one.

tombola online bingo guide FAQs

Want to know more about our app? We've answered our most frequently asked questions below

FAQs

What games are on the tombola app?

We have a whole range of bingo games for you to choose from.

Our classic games include:

• bingo90/90 ball bingo

• bingo80

• bingo75

• bingo60

• bingo50

• bingo40

• bingo30

• bingo Lite

You can also choose from 17 unique bingo games such as Pulse, Morph, Nevada and Cinco. With so many games to choose from, picking one to decide how to play online bingo for money is one of the hardest parts!

[Download the iOS app today] [Download the Android app today]

Do you have free bingo games?

Do you have lower-stake bingo games?

Do you have tips for my online bingo experience as a first-timer?

If you're new to tombola, start off by playing a wide range of games to see which ones you find the easiest to play, or that you enjoy most. You may even make friends in Chat Rooms that you find yourself socialising with time and time again, adding to your experience and enjoyment. Remember to ask for tips from more experienced bingo players!

Don't be afraid to use our tools either. Our auto dabber means you won't ever miss a number while our Safeplay tools mean players can safely and responsibly place stakes. We have plenty of helpful bingo guides that explain our tools in detail.

What are your tips for playing online bingo safely?

Safety is a huge part of our guide to online bingo.

All players must be aged 18 or over, as it is illegal for someone who is under 18 years of age to gamble. We will suspend accounts that are unable to provide information proving an appropriate age and bets placed by under 18s may be voided.

You can also use our Safeplay tools, which include:

• Deposit Limits: When you set a Deposit Limit, this will be applied across the tombola site. It can be set in place each day, week or month. If you lower your limit, this will be implemented instantly but if you increase it, the change will be implemented after 24 hours. If you lock your limit into place, you can't increase your limit until the lock period has passed.

• Stake Limits: Set yourself a maximum amount to stake per single game. This is known as your Stake Limit and it will stay in place until you change it. If you want to turn off or add to the amount, a 24-hour cool-off period will be applied. You can also lock your Stake Limit for a set period.

• Cooling Off: Exclude yourself for a set period, from 24 hours to five months, in your account settings. Note that this means your account cannot be reactivated until the time has passed.

• Time Keeper: The clock will start when a real money gaming transaction is made. You will get a notification once the selected time has passed, or you try to make another real money gaming transaction.

• Self Exclusion: You have the option to exclude yourself from the site for six months, 12 months or permanently using your account settings. You cannot reverse these exclusions.

What other safety accreditations do you have?

Do you have a guide on how to play bingo while staying in control?

It's important that you have fun in a responsible way when you play online bingo with us. Here are some tips for playing online bingo while staying in control:

• Remember that gambling should be viewed as an enjoyable pastime and is NOT a way of making money.

• Use our Safeplay tools to stay in control, from Stake Limits to Time Keeper.

• Only ever stake funds you can afford to lose.

• Speak to someone in the Safeplay team or seek help from GamCare if you don't feel in control.

• Don't attempt to make up lost funds by staking additional funds.

• Note down how much you are spending so you don't lose sight of this.

Do you have online bingo tips for staying within budget?

We do! Thanks to our Safeplay tools, you can stay on top of what you're spending when you play online bingo with us. Setting up Deposit Limits in the 'My Account' section is super-easy and we recommend doing this when you make your first deposit. Otherwise, you can set one at any time.

Remember to change your Deposit Limit if your circumstances change. You can get Deposit Limits of just £10 per month.

We also recommend using the Time Keeper tool for this purpose, as well as checking the guidance on the GambleAware website.

Can I gather tips for online bingo from other players?

As mentioned in our bingo guide, our bingo community is a huge part of the tombola experience.

We have moderated Chat Rooms open 24/7 for each game so you can engage with new and regular players. You can use these during or in between games, giving you ample opportunity to connect with others and gather all-important tips for online bingo.

Remember, you don't even need to stake money or play our games to access our Chat Rooms.

Do you have more information on how to play bingo?

What are your online bingo tips for resolving any technical issues?

The tombola tech team works day-in, day-out to make sure your online bingo experience is exactly as it should be.

If you find yourself battling glitches or other issues, get in touch with our Customer Services team. They're available 24/7 and can be reached by live chat, telephone or email to answer your questions.

The quickest way to reach us tends to be via live chat, where someone will respond to your message in just four seconds.

Start playing responsibly

If you feel confident that you've gathered enough tips for online bingo, it's time to take the next step and begin playing with us. You can register for an account by entering your details and choosing your username, then you'll be ready to join Britain's biggest online bingo community.

Again, it's worth noting that you don't need to stake money or play games to use our Chat Rooms or play our fabulous Chat Games.

Join now