Is Bingo a Fair Game

The game of bingo traces its origins back to the Italian lottery game of the sixteenth century and like all lotto family games, bingo is a game of luck and chance. The outcome of the game depends on the selection of the numbers. There is no playing skill or strategy involved since the only thing the player does is mark the numbers on the cards as they are called. The lucky player has the card with the winning numbers; the unlucky player does not. Many times player wonder about the fairness of the game, especially if they are playing online.

The best way to explain why bingo is a fair game is to look at the ball selection process in land based bingo. The numbered bingo balls tumble around in the bingo machine's mixing chamber. A ball is drawn in the rube which the bingo caller then calls. If all of the bingo balls are equally weighted, then every number has the same chance of being selected as every other number. The selection of each number is an independent and random event. The selection of one number is in now way related to the selection of any other number. Since every number has the same chance of being called, then every bingo card has the same chance of having the winning numbers, and the game is a fair game.

This isn't the situation if the balls are not equally weighted. In this case the lighter balls tend to float at the top of the mixing chamber while the heavier balls stay at the bottom. To the casual observer everything appears normal, except that the lighter balls tend to be drawn into the tube and their numbers called more often than those of the heavier balls. The lighter balls have a better chance of being selected than do the heavier balls. Cards having the numbers corresponding to the lighter balls have a better chance of having the winning number. Since all cards do not have the same chance of winning, the game is no longer a fair game. Alert players will learn to select cards containing the more frequently called numbers and increase their chances of having the winning card.

In online bingo, a software program called a Random Number Generator (RNG) mimics the ball selection process of the bingo machine. It randomly selects numbers in an independent manner so that each card has the same chance of winning. Online bingo games are fair games. Most online bingo sites have their software tested for fairness and will indicate this fact on their website. They realize that some players feel uneasy playing online because they think the computer can cheat them. Most online playing sties try to alleviate these fears of the players.

Players can rest assured that their bingo games are fair and when they lose, it is because they were not lucky enough to have the cards with the winning numbers. Players can enjoy the games without the fear of being cheated.

I am an experienced writer for popular online bingo sites and bingo games strategies, my aim is to give you the best source of information about playing bingo and also reviews about the top UK online bingo sites.