Bingo Lingo – An Introduction to the UK Bingo World
Free bingo sites are a massive part of our culture in the UK, and so many millions of people enjoy playing the game. We don’t see Bingo ever going out of style! Ever since it began, it has enchanted audiences of all ages. This is one of the great things about the game – it is simple and easy to follow, meaning that grandparents can play it with their grandchildren! Bingo is definitely a social occasion for some people, who love going to their weekly Bingo game at their local hall. While it began in land based casinos, there’s now a really popular online Bingo market.
Playing online slot games and bingo games means players can play whenever they fancy and from the comfort of their own home! Some players simply play the game to have fun and be a bit more social, but others definitely have their eyes on the prize! This is where Bingo Lingo comes in! We have put together this guide to help you understand the new words and phrases that you’ll no doubt encounter in online Bingo. Make sure you read on to discover all about the world of Bingo Lingo!
If you want to learn how to play bingo follow the above link instead, or keep reading below for the bingo lingo overview!
Quicklinks: History of Bingo | Bingo Calls | How to Win at Bingo | Bingo Names | Pay by Mobile Casino
A brief history of Bingo UK
Let’s take things back to the beginning! The origins of Bingo can actually be traced all the way back to 1530 in Italy. It is linked back to the Italian lottery, or known as Il Gioco del Lotto d’Italia. The game then went on its travels through France and Britain, as it began to rise in popularity. By the 18th Century, Bingo was a broadly played game through the cities and towns in Britain, before making its way into the United States.
The version of the game that was being played, however, was not the one that we are familiar with today. It was when Bingo entered France that it was adapted into the version that we would recognise today. The French lottery, or Le Lotto, is what the game was based on, as by 1778 it was the most popular gambling game in France. This is the version of the game that moved to Britain, as a fun game of chance. The game is worth a huge £1.3 billion in the UK today! Of course, it is now in the online world as well!
What is online Bingo? And how do you play it?
As we have discovered, Bingo has been around for ages! But its popularity certainly hasn’t dwindled. Many players love the social aspect of land based Bingo, as they enjoy meeting up with friends and talking with like-minded players. But some people just love the comfort of their own home and their own company, and online Bingo gives you just that! Playing real money Bingo online really isn’t that much different to playing in a land based hall or casino, in fact some people think it’s easier! This is mostly due to the auto-daub feature that casinos have installed. This feature allows you to not even have to check the numbers on your card.
Actually you don’t even need to be paying attention at all thanks to auto-daub, this frees up your time to make a cup of tea or read a book! The reason this feature is in place is to ensure the data connection meets the UK regulatory approval for speed and stability. Firstly you’ll need to choose an online Bingo site to play the game and you’ll need to create an account to do this. You’ll also have to choose which game of Bingo that you want to play and in what room, and buy your cards. You can play online Bingo on pretty much any device, and there are plenty of Bingo apps out there. But remember that playing on apps means no real money prizes, unlike with these bingo offers, which give you freebies but also offer real money prizes!
What does Bingo Lingo actually mean?
Although Bingo itself is a super simple game to follow and play, the game actually has its own language - we could even write bingo games books about it! Cool, right? Don’t let this make you feel overwhelmed though! This is what this guide is for – we’ve got you covered!
If you fancy playing now, check out some cool bingo offers first.
History of Bingo Lingo in the UK
Bingo Lingo was actually invented in the UK, with the game itself arriving in Britain during the 1800s. Bingo Lingo refers to the Bingo calls that are made during the game. They actually originate from cockney rhyming slang that was born in the East End of London. Those of you that are familiar with cockney rhyming slang are likely to have already heard most of the Bingo calls that are made! For example for the number 25, the caller would yell out ‘duck and dive!’ Of course we are referring to what you would hear in a land based casino hall, but as Bingo made it into the online gaming world Bingo Lingo followed. Although the Bingo Lingo that we see in online chat rooms is certainly different to what you would hear in the Bingo halls, but it’s important to know where it originally came from.
Top 10 most used Bingo Lingo words
Let’s begin our guide on Bingo Lingo by covering the most used words! After all, it will be very useful for you to know the most popular words and phrases, right? These are the types of things you’ll hear in player chat rooms, and now you can understand what’s going on too. If these are the only phrases you want to remember, then you’ll probably be able to get by in player chat rooms.
- 1tg: You’ll find that this word is so commonly used in the online Bingo world, and it means that the player only needs one more number to win the game. Players will use this when they are feeling excited about their potential big win!
- 2tg: Then this means that you are waiting on two numbers to win. Players definitely post things like this as they get more excited and sure of a win.
- 3tg: Yep, you guessed it! This means that you’re waiting on three numbers to secure your big win.
- WTG: This is a nice one, as you’re congratulating your Bingo buddy on their big win! It means ‘Way to Go,’ and this phrase isn’t just used in online Bingo but is considered text speak as well.
- GL: This means good luck! You’ll often see players post this message in the chat before the game begins. But it’s also likely to see this message posted when you post 1tg, 2tg or 3tg.
- LOL: This means that you have found something funny, as you are ‘Laughing Out Loud.’ You’ve probably already heard of this one due to text messaging, or you’ve likely used it yourself! You may use this because someone has said something funny or told the group a good story to entertain everyone.
- OMG: This is used when players want to show they are shocked or excited. It means ‘Oh my God!’ Maybe your friend has won a game, or even a huge jackpot prize! Of course this word has many meanings and it can also refer to a player’s frustration at being so close to winning for a long period of time.
- FYI: This one means ‘For your Information,’ and players can use it to raise an issue with a player or to give them some advice. This is quite a common slang word in everyday life as well.
- SYS: This one means ‘See you Soon,’ and will be said when either a player is leaving or when a player is saying goodbye to someone. This is polite as it lets the host of the chat know that you won’t be responding anymore.
- BRB: And finally we have ‘Be right Back.’ This means that the player isn’t quitting the game, but they are taking a quick break. Maybe they need a bathroom break or to go and make themselves a nice cup of tea!
So we’ve covered the most common Bingo Lingo terms, but now it’s time to get more specific. We have covered welcome terms, gameplay terms and goodbye terms – you’re welcome!
Welcome Bingo Lingo terms
These are the words and phrases that you’ll see when you first join in the chat room, as players and friends rush to greet each other. It’s a nice touch that welcome words are a part of Bingo Lingo, as it makes everyone feel welcome and excited about the game that’s about to begin.
- GTSY: This is used to tell people that you are ‘glad to see you.’
- GM: You can wish your fellow players a ‘good morning!’
- LTNS: This means ‘long time no see,’ and will be used among players who haven’t spoken to their Bingo buddy in a long time.
- WB: This is used to ‘welcome back’ players to the game, you’ll typically see this used among friends.
Bingo Lingo terms during Gameplay
These are the words and phrases that you’ll hear during the game, as players can ask questions, congratulate each other and just generally talk to one another.
- GG: This means ‘good going,’ so it can be used to congratulate another player.
- GLA: ‘Good luck all,’ is what you’re wishing all the other players with this nice phrase.
- GLE: This is a very similar one, as you’re wishing ‘good luck everyone.’
- BLNT: You’re wishing a player ‘better luck next time,’ for their future Bingo games.
- UL: This basically means the same as the above, you’re saying ‘unlucky.’
- WD: This means ‘well done.’
- HHIS: This stands for ‘hanging head in shame.’ You could use this phrase if you’ve lost, or if you’ve got confused by the rules for some reason.
- FAQ: This is a common phrase, and stands for ‘Frequently Asked Questions.’
- RTF: This means that you’re telling a player to read the FAQ. This probably means that they have asked a common question that would be answered there.
- ?: This is a quick way of asking a player to explain something.
- ?4U: This literally means that someone in the chat has a question for you.
- SAC: This means ‘sorry all close,’ and could be used if your browser shuts down.
- QT: This means that you’re calling someone a ‘cutie.’ Maybe they’ve done something nice for you or given you a nice compliment and you want to thank them!
- PM: This means ‘private message.’ This is the type of phrase you’d use if you want someone to private message you for a more private conversation.
- LY: This is a quick way of telling someone ‘love ya!’
- NP: This is used really often in text speak, and it means ‘no problem.’ You could use it to reply to someone who is thanking you for something.
- OIC: You guessed it! This means ‘oh I see.’
- NETUA: This means ‘nobody ever tells us anything.’ You could use it if people have been keeping things from you and your friends!
- OTOH: This is a fast way of saying ‘on the other hand.’ You could be having a little debate with people in the chat.
- PPL: This means ‘people.’
- CM: This refers to the ‘chat master,’ the person that’s in control and monitoring the chat.
- EMSG: This means ‘email message.’ You could use it when you want to ask someone to send you an email rather than carry on the conversation in the chat room.
- AKA: This means ‘also known as.’
- AFAIK: You are saying ‘as far as I know.’
- *H*: This is an action word, and means that you’re giving another player a virtual hug.
- *S*: This is giving someone a virtual smile.
- *W*: This is giving someone in the chat room a virtual wink.
- *K*: This is giving another player a virtual kiss.
Bingo Lingo terms for Goodbye
These are the words and phrases that you’ll see appear when the game is coming to an end, has finished or players are leaving.
- BBS: This one means ‘be back soon,’ so it’s likely this player is just taking a quick break.
- BBL: This means ‘be back later,’ so the player will probably be gone for a longer period of time.
- BBIAM: This means ‘be back in a minute,’ so you won’t have long until your friend returns to the chat!
- AFK: You’re ‘away from keyboard’ if you write this.
- AFK2P: This is where it gets more specific, as you’re ‘away from keyboard to pee!’
- TC: Writing this means you’re telling someone to ‘take care.’
- SYS: This is just a quick way of saying ‘see you soon.’
- TTYL: This means ‘talk to you later,’ so it’s likely you’d say this to your friends.
- TTFN: This has a similar meaning to the above but its more casual as it means ‘ta ta for now.’
- L8R: This means that you’re telling everyone ‘later,’ a casual way of saying goodbye.
- L8R G8R: This one is fun! It means ‘later gator,’ a funny way of saying goodbye.
- CU: You’re saying ‘see you.’
- CYA: This means ‘see ya.’
- CYAL8R: You guessed it! This phrase means ‘see ya later.’
- HB: You’re asking your friend to ‘hurry back,’ so you can carry on playing and chatting.
- KIT: This means you’re asking someone to ‘keep in touch.’
- HAGD: This means ‘have a good day,’ so you’ve likely had a morning Bingo game session and now you’re off to work!
- GN: This means ‘goodnight,’ because it’s time for you to stop playing and get yourself off to bed!
- G2G: You’re telling everyone that you’ve ‘got to go.’
- B4N: This means ‘bye for now,’ so you’re likely to be back for your next Bingo session soon.
- POOF: This is fun! It simply means that you’ve disappeared from the chat.
How am I supposed to remember everything?
Luckily Bingo Lingo is easy to pick up, but maybe you’re still feeling overwhelmed by everything there is to remember. So we have put together some helpful tips to help you understand and memorise how to communicate in online Bingo chat rooms.
- Make sure you categorise (like we have done above) the words into easy to remember categories and sections. Separating the words out in this way means that you can memorise things better, and you can play to the stages of the game.
- Keep an eye out for action words by looking for asterisks, and you’ll instantly know that the player is communicating an action.
- Keep an eye out for acronyms, as Bingo Lingo uses so many of them, and you can logically work out what the person is trying to say.
- Another thing to look out for are Phonetic combinations, as these are also used fairly regularly. Take the word we discovered earlier, L8R G8R, as a prime example of this.
- Read the conversations going on in the chat rooms, there’s no better way to learn than to absorb the information that’s already out there!
Is Bingo Lingo going to prove useful to me?
So what are the benefits of using this Bingo language? Lots of benefits is the answer to that! First off, it’s a great way of communicating what you want to say quickly during the game. This means that you aren’t wasting any of your precious game time typing out long messages. Also the language of Bingo Lingo is really easy to pick up, especially if you use text speak as a lot of the words you probably use in your everyday life already. What’s more, you can make new friends easily in these chat rooms, and everyone likes meeting new people! Chatting with players can help you pick it up faster anyway, and if you make friends then they can help you improve your Bingo Lingo skills. Plus if you join in the chats you could learn tips and tricks of the game from more experienced Bingo players than yourself. Also chat rooms can come with lots of little bonuses and advantages, for example they can offer bonus games or the opportunity to win free tickets. All of this adds to your chances of winning!
Making good use of your new Bingo Lingo skills
So you now feel like you’re ready to begin practising your new skills in a real game of Bingo – go you! What you need to do now is to choose what version of online Bingo you’d like to play. Two of the most common versions, that you’re likely to have already heard of, are 90 Ball and 75 Ball Bingo. The numbers show how many calls of numbers could happen during your game. Once you’ve chosen the number of cards that you’d like to play on, the game can begin and you can join the Bingo chat room! The chat room is such a great feature of online Bingo games, and they can be exciting and fun places to be a part of. There’s so much interesting conversation going on in the chat room, and you can sit back and enjoy all the talks! Of course, if you get confused by some of the Bingo Lingo going on you can always refer back to this guide to help you – it will always be here for you whenever you need it.
How to Get Started with Bingo Lingo
Bingo is such a classic and well-loved game, and we don’t ever see it going out of fashion! People love the social aspect of land based Bingo, while others prefer to stay in the comfort of their own home. Of course, if you get lonely you can always use the chat room feature that most online casinos offer now! What we love most about Bingo is how easy it is to play, and this means that everyone can be included in the fun. Bingo Lingo is not something that all players know exist! It’s such a fun and quick way of communicating with like-minded online Bingo players. Although learning the Bingo Lingo will take some time to do, it is a very simple and worthwhile thing to do! We definitely believe it’s a language that you’ll be grateful that you learnt! So what are you waiting for? Try out some Bingo Lingo today and watch the chat room light up with interesting conversation! Now that you know everything bingo-related, why not check and play some free bingo games for cash at Umbingo?
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