We know lotteries are systems in which you buy tickets in advance with selected numbers that will hopefully be matched by the numbers that are drawn. In essence, you are trying to predict which numbers are going to come up in the draw.
Bingo can be looked at through a similar lens. You purchase a bingo card with 24 numbers printed on it, (this is the most common format in North America) in any order vertically to match the number range under each letter - with the middle number a “free” box - in the hopes that the numbers on the card are the same ones that are going to be drawn during the game.
Similarities and Differences
The lottery and bingo are played in essentially the same way, and most regulatory jurisdictions would classify bingo as a lottery. Bingo and lotteries are similar in how they are both conducted.
With that said, some aspects of bingo differ from lottery. Grand prizes for bingo are smaller than lottery jackpots, and many jurisdictions limit the number of total prizes that can be awarded each gaming session.
However, monster bingos are specially licenced bingos in which the prizes are much larger and where the jackpot can be end up as a very large amount—similar to a major prize on a lottery.
Unlike lotteries, in which many draws can be done without a jackpot winner, in a bingo game there is always at least one guaranteed winner. Special games, such as jackpots or other designated games like progressives, can be “limited” in that a player must get the designated winning line (whether that’s across, down, diagonal, four corners etc.) or a full card within a certain amount of numbers. If there are no winners by the last allowed number drawn, the prize money is usually added to a progressive amount or split to add more money to the regular games.
Bingo is also played at a slower pace. Games usually run around 5-15 minutes each, depending on how many lines are needed to win, or how quickly someone gets a winning line or card—the speed of the caller is also a variable to consider.
A ball is drawn, and after this happens there is a short break while the participants mark the number on their cards, after which the next ball is drawn. And, unlike lotteries, you don’t get to choose the numbers you play with; the cards you get have the numbers pre-printed on them.
Under each letter – b, i, n, g, o - there can be five numbers out of 15 for a player to use. The numbers on the cards are printed at random, too, and you could win a game with the same five numbers as someone else whose numbers are just in a different order.
Bingo's Social Aspect
Bingo is designed as a day, afternoon, and night-out entertainment activity. The lottery draw is a single, quick event but bingo games are a process that provides entertainment, builds suspense, and kills time for players. The giddy feeling you get before a lottery draw is the same you get playing a bingo game, but it’s much more prolonged.
You not only go to play bingo, you can also buy coffee, snacks, and dinner, and socialize with friends and strangers. It’s a fun time away from home with the chance of winning a little bit of cash.
Whereas it’s arguable that the fun in lottery comes from the prospect of winning a stupendous amount of cash, the fun in bingo is enhanced by the social aspect of the game, too.
So, bingo can be considered a lottery of sorts; a social entertainment event that brings friends, family, and strangers together for a bit of fun and excitement.
Whether it’s an old-fashioned dabber bingo, or the new electronic bingo machines that replace cards, this type of lottery system is highly popular, and is still just as much of a desired venue to try win some cash as it was decades ago when it was coordinated by churches and administered by the members.