Directory Links

Bingo Equipment

Bingo is a game usually played in halls, which uses various types of equipment including cards, cages, chips, daubers and balls. Here is a list of the bingo equipment used in bingo games, along with the function of each one.

Bingo cards are numbered in a five by five grid. Cards have twenty four number spaces and one blank space in the center, which counts as a “free space.” Numbers on the cards are distributed and sorted into a five by five grid in no specific order. There are so many cards that players can choose from, that a player is relatively unlikely to ever have the same card twice. Up to nine thousand different bingo cards are available in a series.

Bingo balls come in many different colors, which can be more neutral, like white or black, or bright, like red and green. Balls can also come in fluorescent colors that glow in the dark. These balls are usually between ¾'' and 1 ½'' in diameter. Balls are generally made from plastic or wood, and numbers on these balls vary in color and design.

Next on the list are bingo daubers. These daubers are used to mark called numbers off on paper bingo cards. Today, there are so many daubers for players to choose from. Daubers come in exciting shapes and colors. There are fluorescent daubers, for those who enjoy a bit of color in their lives. Ladies can even take along a man-shaped dauber, which comes with a tattoo, and a cute little swimsuit.

Bingo Chips are pretty much just as important as in any other casino game. These chips serve the same function as the daubers, covering numbers that have been called, but are used on cardboard bingo cards, rather than paper. Chips come in an assortment of colors and sizes, and can even be transparent. There are magnetic chips available that are lifted with a magnetic wand, therefore removing the hassle of chips slipping out of a player’s hands.

Last, but not least, bingo cages will be discussed. This piece of equipment helps ensure that a game is fair. Balls are spun around in the cage allowing for a random distribution of balls. One by one, balls roll out randomly, and their numbers are called out.

All of the above equipment is necessary to run a proper bingo game. It's true that some of these items may be expensive, but if you want to run your own bingo game, you're going to have to splurge a bit.