In This Article:
1. Getting started on Sky Bingo
2. Tickets & Strips
3. Buying a Bingo Ticket
4. Sky Bingo software and the Random Number Generator
5. Winning at Sky Bingo
6. Bingo Bonus Codes and Free Ticket Awards
7. Sky Bingo Gems
8. Sky Bingo Chat
9. Bingo Chat Games
i1) HOW TO WIN IN A GAME OF BINGO
i2) BINGO GAMES OFFERED ON SKY BINGO
i3) BINGO FEATURES EXPLAINED
i4) BINGO LINGO EXPLAINED
1. Getting started on Sky Bingo
1.1 Provided you have an Account with us, you will be able to log in to Sky Bingo through our website's home page or directly when you launch Sky Bingo on a mobile or other interactive application. The first time you log in you will be asked to choose a 'chat name' or nickname, and this will be displayed in the Chat Room and if you win a game. Your 'chat name' should be chosen appropriately and once selected it cannot be changed. We reserve the right to change any chat name to something more appropriate.
2. Tickets & Strips
2.1 To play Sky Bingo, first you must buy tickets for the game and then once the game starts, numbers between 1 and either 90, 80 or 75 are called out randomly. When a number called matches one on your ticket, it's marked off. All tickets must be bought before the 10 or 20 second (depending on the game) countdown to a game starts. A ticket is an individual grid made up of a varying amount of rows and columns dependent on the game type selected. For example, in 90 ball Bingo, a ticket is an individual grid of 27 squares made up of 3 rows and 9 columns. Each row contains 5 numbers and 4 blank squares. 15 numbers appear on every ticket. In a game of 75 Ball Bingo, a ticket is an individual grid of 25 squares made up of 5 rows and 5 columns.
2.2 A strip is a group of 'x' amount of tickets dependent on the game type. Every possible number from the game type will appear on each full strip. For example, in 90 Ball Bingo, every possible number from 1 through to 90 will appear on each full strip of 6 tickets.
2.3 When you're playing Sky Bingo, you can see your tickets and strips in the 'Ticket Area' of the Bingo window. You can alter the view of these by using the 'Zoom' button to control how many tickets and strips you view at any one time.
3. Buying a Bingo Ticket
3.1 To buy tickets, you must first be logged into Sky Bingo. You can then choose a Bingo room to play in and buy tickets either by selecting the 'Play Now' button on the right-hand side of the screen, or by buying tickets in advance using the 'Bulkbuy' option within the Bingo room or Lobby.
3.2 If you are using the 'Bulkbuy' option, you will need to select the day and session you want to buy tickets for. If the Buy button is displayed by that session then Advance Ticket Purchase is available for that game. Advance tickets will appear in Bet History as IN PROGRESS before the games are played. If you want to see your game being played, just log in to the game at the correct time. Alternatively if you don't watch it, you'll be able to see the results in your Bet History.
3.3 Tickets may be bought up to 7 (seven) days in advance of the game. Please note that you cannot cancel tickets for future games once they've been purchased and confirmed. Depending on the game, you can buy as many as 72 (seventy-two) tickets per game.
3.4 The price of a ticket varies for each Bingo game. When tickets are available for purchase, the ticket price is clearly published on the face of each ticket in the 'Purchase Tickets' pop-up window and at the top of the 'Ticket Area' of the Bingo window.
4. Sky Bingo software and the Random Number Generator
4.1 The software for Sky Bingo is powered by Virtue Fusion, who use a software-based Pseudo Random Number Generator (PRNG) developed by Sun Microsystems. The PRNG implements the SHA1PRNG algorithm, which is made available by the Java 2 Standard Edition 5 library class java.security.SecureRandom.
4.2 When you play any game or place a bet or otherwise use the Sky Bingo Services, you agree to be bound by any additional end user terms and conditions including, without limitation, the Playtech End-user License Agreement available at Appendix A of our General Terms and Conditions, available in our Sky Betting and Gaming General Terms & Conditions article.
4.3 We may link our prize pools with other Bingo sites in the Virtue Fusion Network. This provides players with more exciting and bigger prizes. You will always pay the same price for a ticket as anyone else in that game and be in with the same chance of winning it.
5. Winning at Sky Bingo
5.1 Dependent on the variant, there are numerous ways to win in a game of Bingo. For more information on this, please see the Rules Schedule below.
5.2 If you're a winner, but don't mark your card as you're going along, you'll still win the prize as the game will automatically recognise that you've won. If more than one player meets the winning criteria at the same time, the prize will be split equally amongst the winners. Winnings are paid directly into the winner's Account.
5.3 The minimum stake for Sky Bingo varies by which game you play. Depending on the game, you will be shown the value of your ticket and the maximum number of tickets that may be purchased for that game. Please refer to the rules within the Bingo rooms for more information.
5.4 Prizes are usually credited instantly, however please allow up to an hour after winning for the prize to be credited to your Account.
6. Bingo Bonus Codes and Free Ticket Awards
6.1 A 'Bingo Bonus Code' entitles you to a particular bonus or promotional offer specific to Sky Bingo. In order to claim this, you need to enter the code within the 'Bingo Lobby' to activate your offer.
6.2 To activate a Bonus Code in the Bingo Lobby, log into your Account and navigate to Sky Bingo. Click the 'Play Now/Play Bingo' button to load the Bingo Lobby, then once the Lobby has loaded, click the 'Bonus/Promos' button and select the 'Bonus Codes' option. Enter your Bonus Code in the new window that appears, and if the code is accepted, your bonus will then be activated.
6.3 If the code is not accepted, please check the terms and conditions of the promotion to ensure eligibility. Some offers are only valid on desktop and cannot be activated by mobile. Similarly, some offers are only valid on mobile and cannot be activated via your desktop.
6.4 On occasions, customers may also be awarded free tickets on Sky Bingo. If this is the case, an information window will appear on the first visit to the Bingo Lobby. This will explain what room your tickets will play out in, the date and time that the game starts, and the name of the game. The window will also tell you if you are required to be present at the start of the game to play your free tickets. Further information on free tickets can be found under the 'Bonus/Promos' header in the Bingo Lobby.
7. Sky Bingo Gems
7.1 Sky Bingo Gems is a loyalty scheme on Sky Bingo. The more you play, the more 'Loyalty Points' and rewards you can earn. All Sky Bingo players are automatically entered into Sky Bingo Gems, and you must be a Sky Bingo player to be eligible for Sky Bingo Gems. Sky Bingo Gems started on 1st March 2011. Play on Bingo before this time will not contribute to Loyalty Points
7.2 You can earn points by playing on Bingo and Bingo mini games. Each game carries a different amount of points - to see how many points you can earn on different games click on the 'How do I earn?' tab within your Loyalty Points Account. There are fewer points from Bingo side games (slots, numbers, scratch cards and table) than from Bingo tickets. Loyalty Points are not rewarded for playing on other games, for example, Sky Vegas games.
7.3 You can track your Loyalty Points within the promotions tab in the Bingo Lobby. This shows a record of your current loyalty level, how many points you have and how many points you need to move to the next level. Loyalty Points will expire after 4 months.
7.4 There are different Loyalty Levels. Everyone starts at Level One (the 'Pearl' level) and by earning points you can then move up towards the top 'Diamond' Level. You must first move up the 'Opal', 'Sapphire', 'Ruby' and 'Emerald' levels before you can reach the top 'Diamond' level.
7.5 You must earn a minimum number of loyalty points in a calendar month to remain at your current level or you will be moved down one level at the end of the month. Once you have earned the required number of points to move up to the next level, you will be moved to this level instantly and will then be required to earn a minimum number of points by the end of the calendar month to remain at this higher level.
7.6 To exchange your Loyalty Points for Bingo Bonuses or cash, visit the 'Points Store' (by clicking 'Bonus / Promos' and then 'Loyalty Points' while in the Bingo client). Redeeming your points has no effect on your progress through the Loyalty Levels. More points will be required for cash than for Bingo Bonuses.
8. Sky Bingo Chat
8.1 Sky Bingo Chat is a fun online community where you can chat with friends and other Bingo players, or get help from a Chat Moderator (CM). The language for our public Chat Rooms is English but if you wish to communicate in any other language, you can always open a private room.
8.2 Whilst using Sky Bingo Chat you must abide by the Chat Room Guidelines (available in our Sky Betting and Gaming General Terms & Conditions article, section titled 'Chat Facilities') and the terms as set out in our General Terms and Conditions, Section 23 (Chat Facilities), available here.
8.3 We have CMs to make sure our Chat Rooms stay fun and friendly. They work independently from Sky Bingo, and cannot answer queries about your Account or refunds. If you feel you have been a victim of chat abuse on Sky Bingo, please let one of CMs know about it immediately. They will investigate the problem for you and the player(s) involved will be dealt with accordingly.
8.4 The CMs have the authority to revoke your chat privileges if you persistently break our rules, ignoring our advice and warnings. The CMs and our Customer Care Team can also block or ban players from the Chat Room or enforce a complete block on a player from playing Sky Bingo if they do not conform to the Chat Room Guidelines. If you have your chat facility revoked when you login to Sky Bingo you will get a message telling you that you are not permitted to send chat messages or interact with other chat users.
8.5 If you send a message containing indecent, vulgar or discriminative language (including racial, sexual or ethnic) on Sky Bingo, the message may not be broadcast to other players. The sender will be notified that the message was not sent because it contains banned words. Please be aware that although we do our best to keep our lists of banned words current to avoid offensive behaviour in our Chat Rooms, we cannot always guarantee that such conduct will not take place. Please contact our Customer Care team if you feel that something is inappropriate or goes against our Chat Room Guidelines or General Terms and Conditions.
9. Bingo Chat Games
9.1 Bingo Chat Games are free games that our CMs play with Sky Bingo players who are logged in to the Chat Room. To play the chat games there need to be a minimum of 3 players. If there fewer than 3 players, the Chat Game in play will be voided.
9.2 Chat Game pay outs are dependent on how much is staked on the Bingo game which the Chat Game is played on. If a Bingo game is played at half past the hour, the Chat Game will be announced after the game before has finished. Anyone playing in the half past game will be eligible to play. The maximum pay out per Chat Game is £2 and if you stake above you will only get £2 back.
9.3 Only 3 Chat Game wins will be allowed per day, starting again from midnight each night, and players are only allowed to answer once per game to give everyone an equal chance of winning. On occasions due to chat lag, players can see differently to CMs. For example a player may see themselves as third place but the CM will see them as 5th place. Given this, the CM decision is always final.
9.4 Chat Games may not be played on free games, and winners must have deposited on Sky Bingo within the last 30 days. Winning players will be credited with bonuses within one hour. Bonuses won on Bingo Chat Games are non-withdrawable, and must be played through once in order to be withdrawn.
RULES SCHEDULE
i1) HOW TO WIN IN A GAME OF BINGO
Depending on the variant, there are numerous ways to win in a game of Bingo:
1. Be the first to mark 'x' number of line(s) (Regular/90 ball, 80 ball, 75 ball & 75 ball Bingo games)
2. Be the first to mark all 4 corners (80 Ball Bingo only)
3. Be the first to mark 4 middle squares (80 Ball Bingo only)
4. Be the first to mark off a preset 'pattern' (75 Ball Pattern Bingo only)
5. Be the first to get House i.e. mark off all numbers on a ticket (all Bingo game types)
Explanations of these are given below.
'x' number of Lines
Your ticket is split into a number of horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines, dependent on the game type selected. Each line will have an equal amount of numbers on each and to win the 'x' line part of the game you must be the first to match all of the numbers on one or more of your lines with the numbers called out.
4 Corners (80 Ball Bingo Only)
Win the 4 corners prize by marking off the 4 numbers in the top-left, top-right, bottom-left and bottom-right corners of your ticket.
4 Middle Squares (80 Ball Bingo Only)
Win the 4 middle squares prize by marking off the 4 middle squares in your 4 x 4 numbered ticket.
Preset Pattern (75 Ball Pattern Bingo only)
Win this prize by being the first player to mark off the numbers in a predetermined pattern, e.g. an X shape across the ticket. There are 3 types of pattern that can be played, and which include static, wild and crazy.
- A 'Static Pattern' can only be won by a player marking off the pattern on their ticket in the same way that it's displayed on the screen (There is only one position of the pattern).
- A 'Wild Pattern' can be won in multiple ways on the Bingo ticket but can't be rotated (There are several ways of achieving the pattern on the ticket).
- A 'Crazy Pattern' can be won anywhere on the ticket and can be rotated to achieve this.
House
Win the House by matching all the numbers on one of your tickets with the numbers called out. You've got to be the first player to do this to win. 'House' is also known as 'Bingo'.
Please note that certain House prizes are community-based. These will mean jackpots may be distributed to differing percentages of the players taking part.
i2) BINGO GAMES OFFERED ON SKY BINGO
On Sky Bingo, we have a range of fun Bingo games that you can enjoy. For more information on the different types of Bingo that we offer, please see below.
A) LUCKY NUMBERS BINGO
Lucky Numbers Bingo is another form of Bingo offered on Sky Bingo. It is a standard 90 ball Bingo game, but with an added lucky numbers Jackpot feature. Matching one, two or three of your chosen lucky numbers with any of the balls when the 1 line, 2 line and/or full house is won will win a Lucky numbers jackpot.
Game Rules
Each game will work just like the standard 90 ball Bingo game with the addition of these specific rules relating to the Lucky Numbers Jackpot feature:
1. A player must buy at least the minimum ticket purchase for the game.
2. Players who have purchased tickets via the schedule will be allocated the 3 lucky numbers that were saved at that particular point of purchase or 3 random lucky numbers if none were saved.
3. Players may save their selected lucky numbers, which will be used if they purchase tickets via the schedule view or in the next game.
4. Players will have the option to change their saved lucky numbers if they have not purchased tickets for that particular game yet.
5. As soon as a player purchases tickets via the standard ticket purchaser the lucky numbers stated within that purchase are the one's given to them in that draw. There is no way of changing the chosen balls once a player purchases tickets from the standard 'Ticket Purchaser' mechanism.
6. Players are only eligible to win one Jackpot in any single game i.e. a player matching 2 balls will not win the Bronze Jackpot for matching 1 ball as well, they will only win the Silver jackpot.
Lucky Numbers Jackpots
Every time there's a win in the standard 90 ball game, the ball that is drawn when the 1 line, 2 lines or full house is won will be the Lucky Numbers Jackpot ball. If one, two or three of the numbers you select at the start of the draw match any of these balls, then you'll win an additional prize. Please refer to the game for Jackpot prize details.
If your lucky number is drawn before the 1 line, 2 line or full house is won, it will be impossible to match with that number. All Jackpot winnings will be credited at the end of the game.
B) 75 BALL BINGO
75 Ball Bingo is another fun way you can play on Sky Bingo. In the 75 Ball Bingo game, numbers between 1 and 75 are called out randomly by our random number generator. The numbers called are marked on the tickets you've bought. Tickets for 75 Ball Bingo are individual grids of 25 squares made up of 5 rows and 5 columns, and strips are groups of 3 tickets. You can purchase a total of 24 strips for each Bingo game, totalling 72 tickets.
C) xTG GAMES AND PRIZES
xTG is a term used to tell people how many numbers they have to go. 1TG means one number to go, 2TG means 2 numbers to go, and so on. To reward our players some of our games will be scheduled with one of 3 types of new xTG feature, either (i) 1 To Go; (ii) 2 To Go; or (iii) both 1 and 2 To Go, (if you have either 1 or 2 to go on a ticket). These special games will have a specific prize payout for players who achieve the xTG criterion, ONLY when playing for the last prize in the game.
xTG Prizes
Before an xTG game starts, a blind will show that the xTG game is about to start. It will detail the prizes for the game. Prizes may vary and can be paid:
1. Per Player, e.g. you get one prize if one of your tickets matches the xTG criteria;
2. Per Ticket, e.g. you get a prize for every ticket which matches the xTG criteria; or
3. Prizes may be a share of an xTG Feature Pot, or a fixed amount, e.g. £0.10p per qualification.
All prizes will be paid to your Bingo Bonus Balance. If an xTG game precedes another xTG game, and they have exactly the same prizes, the blind will only show once before the first game. If an xTG prize is available in a game, at the end of the game, a special win animation will appear listing xTG winners. If you've won, your name will be top of the list. You can also check full details of your xTG win in your bet history.
i3) BINGO FEATURES EXPLAINED
To get you started, here are some of the features you may see on Sky Bingo:
Bingo Lobby
The Bingo Lobby is where you can select which of these you fancy playing in. It displays all the rooms that are currently open or opening soon and tells you how long is left before the next game starts, how many people are currently playing, what the ticket price is, and how much cash there is in the jackpot.
Clicking on the 'Schedule' button lets you search to see when your favourite game is next on and gives you info such as the price of the tickets for each game. From here, you can buy your tickets in advance of games so you don't miss out on the chance to win big cash.
Sky Syndicate
Sky Syndicate is a Feature that can be applied to a Bingo game. If the full house winner of the game that has the Sky Syndicate feature applied is a Syndicate owner, then they and the other members of their Syndicate will win a share of the Sky Syndicate prize pot. There must be at least 2 players in your Syndicate in order for it to be eligible to with the Syndicate prize.
To create a Syndicate, you must click ''Create Syndicate'' under the Syndicate tab and enter a name for your Syndicate. You can then invite up to 5 friends to join your Syndicate. To invite others to join your Syndicate, you can either click 'Add Member' or click the Syndicates icon next to a Roomie or Buddy. Invited players will be notified and will need to Accept the invitation to join your Syndicate. The invitation expires in 7 days.
If you are invited to join a Syndicate, you will see a message on the screen when you access your Account. The message will give you the option to Accept or Decline the invitation. It will also allow you to Block further invitations to join the sender's Syndicate. Besides your own Syndicate you can join up to 3 other Syndicates.
To leave a particular Syndicate, you first select the name of the Syndicate under ''My Sky Syndicates'' and then click the Remove button next to your chat name. If you do not wish to participate in or be invited to join Syndicates, you can select the option ''Remove me from Sky Syndicates'' under the Chat tab of Options. If you wish to reactivate the feature, you need to deselect this option. If you own a Syndicate removing yourself from the Syndicates will automatically delete your Syndicate.
All notifications of invites, or players joining or leaving your Syndicate will be shown as pop-up messages on your screen and in your Inbox.
During the Bingo Game
Here are some of the features and functions you may wish to use during your Bingo Game:
1. Sorting Your Bingo Tickets During a game, your Bingo tickets or strips can be sorted to highlight which are closest to winning a prize. This feature can be turned on or off, but is set to on as default when you start playing. Click on the toggle button to turn it off, it'll be green when it's on and red when it's off.
2. Numbers 'To Go': Whilst you're playing you'll be able to see how many balls you need to be called for you to win the current prize by looking at the right-hand side of your ticket. The colour of your ticket also tells you how many numbers are needed, as they change colour when there are 5 or less numbers needed to win a current prize.
3. Dabbing Numbers: When your numbers are called out they can be marked-off your ticket by 'dabbing'. You can dab the numbers yourself or allow it to be done automatically. The auto-dab feature will be turned on by default, but if you want to have the fun of dabbing the numbers yourself, click on the Ticket Options button at the top of the ticket area and select Auto-tab to toggle this setting. Don't worry if you miss dabbing a number when it's called out. If your ticket's a winner, you'll get your winnings whether it's been dabbed or not.
4. The Bingo Caller: The Bingo Caller introduces the Bingo games and calls out the number of each Bingo ball called. You can turn off or adjust the volume of the caller's voice at any time in the Sound section of Options menu.
5. The Call Board: The Call Board publishes each ball called and allows you to track the numbers called during a game of Bingo. The Call Board is a grid that shows every number between 1 and 90. At the start of the game no numbers appear on it. But as each Bingo ball is called, the current number is displayed boldly and appears on the grid. The number of balls called is also displayed. During a game, click the 'Call Board' button to expand the board to see which numbers have been called.
i4) BINGO LINGO EXPLAINED
For some of the basic terms used on Sky Bingo, look no further:
Caller: The caller draws the Bingo numbers.
Chat: When you're playing a game of Bingo, chat with other players using our Sky Bingo community Chat Room.
Chat Games: Our CMs will introduce mini games in the chat window whilst you're playing Bingo. They give you a great chance to win some bonus cash.
Chat Moderators (CMs): Chat Moderators (CMs) are people who regulate the Bingo chat facility to make sure everyone stays friendly and has fun.
House/Bingo House: (also known as Bingo) is when all of the numbers on your ticket are called.
Line: A line is when all of the numbers are called on one of the horizontal lines on your ticket.
Lobby: The Bingo Lobby is where you can select which Sky Bingo game to enter.
Marking/Dabbing: Marking/Dabbing is the crossing off of the numbers on your Bingo ticket when they're called out.
Strip: A strip is a row of 6 Bingo tickets.
Ticket: A ticket is your Bingo game card. It contains the numbers which need to be called out for you to win.