Prize Bingo

Prize Bingo is a game derived from standard Bingo games which is particularly popular in UK seaside resorts. Rather than winning cash prizes as per normal bingo, Prize Bingo instead offers points to the winner of each game which can be redeemed in a dedicated shop near to or within the Prize Bingo area although some games reward players with free games or tokens.

Prize Bingo is usually found in UK amusement arcades, particularly in seaside resorts such as Blackpool. Essentially, a prize bingo installation is a set of linked slot machines.

Early forms of prize bingo had a 'ball machine' - this mixed up colour-coded balls with each number on and the machine would release numbers when a button was pressed, these would be announced by the caller and put aside, being returned to the 'pool' when the game had finished, usually via some kind of mechanical device. However, in the last few decades, these installations (if they are still open) have been converted to electronic operation, with most systems now being controlled by some kind of computer. This has many benefits over traditional methods, including less electromechanical equipment to service, and more importantly, the opportunity for faster games, with the winner being automatically verified by computer, rather than having to shout their numbers out for the caller to check. This article is mainly concerned with the modern electronic systems.