The Bingo game used to be associated with dear old ladies with blue tinted hair who would jump up from their chairs shouting out "Bingo!" But those days are long gone. Bingo today is a game that attracts players of all ages who are almost addicted to the game. They wouldn't miss a single game for anything.

So what exactly is Bingo? Traditionally, Bingo was a land based game that used to be played in palaces and community halls. It helped people to make new comrades and socialize. In the process they also had the chance to win prizes. Since the advent of the Internet, it has now evolved to become a very popular online game which reaches out to people all over the world. Players can still make comrades, socialize and win prizes ? online. They can do all this from the comfort of their homes.

The main principle of Bingo was that numbers were called out at random. Players were given cardboard cards printed with a unique set of numbers in five columns and five rows. The numbers would have to form a pattern, which was called out. Players had to strike off the corresponding numbers on their cards. Who ever cancelled out all the numbers on their card first in a predetermined order and called out "Bingo!" would be the winner.

Bingo was also played with Bingo hardwares where the numbers were electronically drawn and matched to the Bingo cards. The advantage was that you could play a lot of games in a short period of time.

So how is Online Bingo any different from traditional Bingo? It's very similar actually. It's a cross between live Bingo and the hardwares. The numbers are drawn by a random number generator as was done by the Bingo machine earlier... The matching numbers on the Bingo cards are marked automatically. If two players finish simultaneously they share the prize money. When you play a multiplayer game you have as much fun as with live Bingo.

The great thing about online Bingo is that you can chat in Bingo rooms, play with your comrades and socialize online. Similar to live Bingo, Online Bingo is also played in two different ways. The difference lies in the layout of the Bingo cards and in the number of Bingo balls that you draw when you play. The two forms are:

US Bingo ? online players have to match the numbers drawn with numbers set out in a 5 x 5 matrix. This can take anything between seconds to minutes depending on the internet sequence.

UK Bingo - online players have to match the numbers drawn with numbers set out in a 3 x 9 matrix. This can take between four to four and a half minutes.

If you want to match free Online Bingo, there are games that offer small prizes. You just have to find the right site to play on. Once you have decided on the one you like, there will be no stopping you. So go ahead and enjoy. Bingo!