Bingo has been described as "Community Lotto" which is a pretty good way to sum it up.

The game of Bingo itself is a very simple lottery but with a strong community built around it which makes it one of the most fun and addictive gambling pass-times for people of all ages.

Once seen as a game limited to seniors, Bingo has really hit the mainstream in recent times and with the advent of online bingo gaming, it's appeal can only continue to grow.

How the game works is simple. Players buy printed sheets before the start of each game which are marked with unique sets of numbers.

There are basically 2 variations of the game - 75 ball and 90 ball.

90 Ball Bingo

As the name suggest, this version of online bingo is played with 90 balls.

It is known that 90 ball bingo is traditionally played in the United Kingdom and Australia and that many online bingo rooms started to give their players the chance to enjoy this variation of the game.

The rules of 90 ball bingo are not very difficult to understand, and there aren't many differences between this variation and the other most popular variation 75 ball bingo.

Since 90 ball bingo is mostly a game that is played in the UK, the playing cards are usually known as tickets. Like other versions of this game, the tickets have nine columns and three rows.

There are nine squares in each row but only five of them are numbered, the other four squares are left blank. The numbers range from 1 to 90 and when the game starts every number from 1 to 90 is being called so a number is daubed at each call of the game.

The object of the 90 ball bingo game, like in other versions of online bingo is to complete the winning patterns. This variation has three possible winning patterns (three possible chances to win).

Each one of the winning patterns has a specific prize associated with it. The winning patterns include: Single Line- The first player to correctly cross off any horizontal line wins this pattern.

Two Lines- The first player to cross off any two different horizontal lines wins this pattern.

Full House- The first player to cross off all the three lines in the ticket wins the full house pattern.

As soon as the first player wins (one of the players cross off a single line) he receives the corresponding prize and the game continues until the second prize is won.

The 90 ball bingo game continues until one of the players wins the full house and receives the biggest prize of the game.

75 Ball Bingo

Each card has different sets of numbers so there are no duplicates in any one Bingo game, giving each player a unique card, although this doesn't guarantee just one winner.

The numbers are aligned in columns marked B, I, N, G, and O respectively with 5 from a range of 15 numbers being printed in each row, i.e. a random 5 numbers from 1 to 15 in column B, another 5 from 16-30 in column I and so on.

In a popular variation of the game, the middle number on the card is already marked off.

When the game starts the 'caller', a human kind of gameshow host, draws numbered balls from a tombola and calls them out to the room.

If players have those numbers on any of their cards (because typically you play more than one card at once), they mark them off with a kind of felt pen called a 'dauber'.

In modern games, the bingo caller may call randomly generated numbers instead, and even be replaced entirely by a computerised screen. Bingo players try to match the numbers being called to a specific pattern specified at the start of the game.

This pattern may be to mark all four corners of one card, or to cover all the numbers (a pattern called a "Cover-All"), or to mark off a complete straight line or one of many other patterns as there are lots of different variations.

The first person to mark off numbers matching this pattern shouts out "Bingo" and collects a percentage of the total stake money..or some other prize, it depends on the game rules.

Typical bingo prize jackpots can be anywhere from a few pounds and plush toys, to thousands of pounds, brand new cars and more.

Progressive jackpots on the internet have seen prizes regularly hit six figure jackpot sums and one English site (Millionaire Bingo) will even make a millionaire out of a winning player!

When playing bingo in the off-line bingo halls, you need to be quick and pay attention if you are going to get anywhere at all.

Bingo callers don't exactly hang around so you've got to keep up with the pace they set if you are not going to miss numbers and thus, greatly reduce your chances of winning.

In the online world, you usually have some labour saving tools at your disposal. Auto-Daub is an essential feature, allowing you to play many cards at once with the game itself marking off the numbers for you - absolutely no chance of missing any numbers!

You can of course turn this feature off for a more realistic feel. You can also typically buy cards for less online. A typical game card in a bingo hall with cost around 50p per card on average, whilst online you will find them for 5p.

These are great for the casual player who is more interested in the community aspect than winning the big bucks.

Oh and yes, the community. This is probably by far the most important aspect for many bingo gamers with the gambling itself being a welcome addition to the social side of things.

Virtually all online bingo game sites have a thriving community of friendly, regular players and the bingo world is one of the most varied and accommodating there is. You'll come to play bingo and keep coming back for all the friends you have made!