Online free bingo is the beloved bingo that we played but technology has taken it online. In the process, it has become accessible to everyone. What's more now you don't even need to stick to time schedules or travel distances to play the game. Play it for as long as you like wherever you have access to the Internet. Globally it's estimated that online bingo industry is worth $1 billion.

How it's played online

To ensure that 'all is fair' the sites use random number generator software to call out the numbers on screen. If you were to play the conventional bingo, regular bingo balls would be used. Of course the games are virtual, but the winnings are very real. You can get the cash winnings deposited in your account when you strike the right combination of the numbers on your cards.

In fact a number of bingo halls are also providing online bingo facility to their customers. Whether you play bingo on paid or free sites, the chat feature on almost all bingo sites makes it pleasurable for members to chat and socialize. It almost feels as if you are in a bingo hall or in a casino. Many players have their own bingo community where players chat and play regularly.

Some sites require that the players download software before the start of the game. While others provide gaming platforms on JavaScript and Adobe Flash. For all sites you would have to create a username and a login id with your secure password. On signup free sites as well as paid sites will offer a number of free games or some free bonus to get you started.

Cash prizes and big tournaments

There are large cash prizes that can be won when playing in the big bingo tournaments. Many smaller games of online bingo also allow players to get smaller prizes without any deposits. If you win the games, the site may even offer you an additional bonus limited to a certain percentage of the winnings. If you are planning to play on a paid free bingo  site, it's important that you check out the authenticity of the site before paying the membership fee. Most of the paid sites also offer a range of net payments.

Software has even made it simpler for the players to play the game. With features such as 'auto-daub', 'auto-bingo', 'best card sorting' and 'best card highlighting', players can chat with each other, while the software does all the work of choosing the winning combination for the bingo game.

Currently there arc two ways of playing the game online. The first is known as the 75-ball bingo on a 5X5 card. While the second option is known as the 90-ball game where the 9X3 card is marked.

Change in US laws

With recent change in laws, the US Government has asked the banks to stop processing the credit cards for the purpose of online gaming. This can have an effect on those that use their credit cards for funding the account on the paid bingo sites.