BINGO - The game that everybody knows

(Courtesy of BC Lottery Corporation)

Bingo is the game that everyone knows how to play. What you may not know is that we offer three options to keep track of your numbers.

You can play:

• Paper [ Photo ] [ Rules & Regulations ]
• Electronic Computer Terminals [ Photo ] [ Policies ]

All BCLC bingo facilities offer paper bingo. Many, including ours, feature electronic touch screen computer terminals.

The type of programs, prizes and game selections differ from one day to the next. At drop-in bingo sessions you can join in whenever you arrive and pay for only the games you play. At regular booklet bingo sessions, you'll need to buy a book of bingo cards and play a session starting at a specific time.

Paper
The classic method of dabbing on your card as the numbers are called. Available at all 29 commercial halls where bingo is managed and conducted by BCLC.

Electronic Computer Terminals
This automated approach to traditional bingo, provides players with computer touch-screen terminals instead of traditional paper and dabbers. There are several Electronic Computer Terminal locations where you can play multiple cards by simply asking the cashier to set you up at a Computer Terminal. Then all you have to do is follow the easy step-by-step instructions on your screen.

Play Ka-Chingo!
Every day at 2:00, 8:30 and 11:00 p.m. (Pacific time) bingo players across BC join together to play for great prizes. It's called Ka-Chingo! and is a series of games played throughout the afternoon and evening, no matter which participating bingo hall you attend. The games are offered every day at BCLC commercial halls, and at a number of charitable and community organizations that play on various days of the week:

Get there early...
Sales for Ka-Chingo close 15 minutes prior to game time. Some bingo locations offer walk-in/drop-in sessions, so that you can play Ka-Chingo games only, while others require you to buy a package of games, or a session. If no one wins, the jackpots keep getting bigger and bigger. Haney's largest Ka-Chingo win to date was $50,000!

Winning at Bingo
To make it easy for you, bingo halls are equipped with flashboards that display the numbers as they are called. In addition, the pattern you are expected to match in order to win is displayed on the flashboard. Your job is to be the first player to match the pattern being played for, such as a vertical line. When you succeed…just yell BINGO. It's that simple.

Bingo is one of the most generous games to play in terms of the amount returned to the players. For every dollar spent on bingo each day, the bingo hall pays back between 55 and 65 cents. Most of the money is paid out on the spot, but some goes into growing jackpots, called progressives and accumulators, so that players have large prizes to be won as well.

Prices
The nice thing about bingo is that you can play for a whole evening on a budget. You decide how much you want to spend, then buy your cards and settle in for an enjoyable evening of social entertainment with a chance to win some great prizes.

Bingo is the game you can play for as little or as much as you like, depending on the number of cards you find challenging but manageable. For the novice player to purchase minimum cards for every regular game along with specials and Ka-Chingo cards, the average cost would range from $25 - $40. 

There are no additional costs for playing on a Computer terminal, but they are subject to availability on a first-come, first-serve basis.