The Most Unusual Ways to Play Bingo: High-Altitude Games and Giant Cards

Bingo is a game that most people are already familiar with, but there are some unusual facts about it that you might not be aware of. For example, what are some of the most interesting ways of playing bingo that show us how this game has captured the imagination of the public?

You Can Play for Free

The switch to online bingo games has brought huge changes, and one of the key benefits has been the possibility of now being able to play free bingo. These free games are typically available at certain times of day in special bingo rooms and perhaps the most surprising part is that they still offer cash prizes despite entry to the games being completely free.

This is just one part of the overall selection of games now offered online, with different versions featuring 75, 80, or 90 balls. Themed games and rooms have also added to the diversity of online bingo while making sure that each player can choose between picking a version that they’re familiar with or trying something completely new. You can still find simple, classic versions but there is more variety than ever before if you look for it.

The Biggest Game of Bingo Ever Played

Bingo is a game that can be played by just about any number of players, from just two up to thousands. Yet, it’s still a surprise to see that the biggest online game of bingo to ever take place involved almost half a million players. Organized by Coca-Cola in Japan, this mammoth game of bingo attracted 493,824 people in 2010 and there are no signs of that total being beaten any time soon.

The physical restrictions of land bingo mean that the biggest game played featured a rather more modest total of just over 70,000 people. That game was played in Bogota, Colombia and while there are no official records of the biggest game to be played in Britain, a 2,700-capacity bingo hall in Cricklewood is said to be the country’s largest venue. Other sources claim that Leyard in Connecticut holds the world record with a 4,000-capacity bingo hall that forms part of a casino.

If you’re looking for the largest bingo card to ever be used, you need to head to Cork in Ireland. At a fund-raising event for World Down Syndrome Day in 2019, players used a giant card that measured a thousand times bigger than a standard card.

The Highest Game of Bingo

Playing online bingo for free or with a giant group of players might seem unusual at first, but what about the idea of playing bingo at one of the Earth’s highest points? Englishman Peter Hughes decided to raise money for charity by climbing to the top of Mount Everest and playing bingo there.

He later reported that he “loved every single minute” of the experience and while it seems certain that other people have played their favorite game at high altitude, this trip holds the official record for the highest game of bingo ever played.

All of these fascinating ways of playing bingo show us how this game has become such a big part of our lives that people enjoy looking for new ways to play.