The “first 75-ball real money online bingo product in the U.S.” — part of a variety of offerings at Borgata Bingo — was announced Wednesday by BetMGM.
This is the first bingo product built exclusively for BetMGM by Entain, the international sports betting and gambling giant formerly known as GVC Holdings.
“Borgata Bingo provides players with an engaging digital gaming experience — one that builds upon the fun of live, in-person bingo,” Matthew Sunderland, vice president of gaming for BetMGM, said in a statement. “We’re pleased to introduce this first-of-its-kind platform as we further expand the Borgata brand online.”
Borgata Bingo features both 75- and 90-ball bingo games, and players can play Slingo and their favorite slot games — including BetMGM’s own progressive jackpot games — without ever leaving the app.
According to the Borgata bingo web page, 90-ball bingo is the more traditional version of the game and is particularly popular in the United Kingdom. Bingo is said to have started in Italy about 500 years ago.
“When you buy in to play the game, you’ll be given a long strip of tickets made up of six cards in a 9×3 grid format,” according to the website. “The cards feature a total of 15 numbers across 27 squares (five in each row) as well as 12 blanks.
“The numbers on all of the cards won’t recur (basically each number from 1 to 90 occurs once somewhere in your strip of tickets), which makes it easier to follow the game as you won’t have to rummage through your tickets looking for the same number on all your cards.
“When the game starts, a series of random numbers between 1 and 90 are called out one by one, and players mark each off on the ticket where it appears. To win the game, you’ll need to get a ‘full house,’ which is effectively when you’ve crossed off all 15 numbers that appear on one of your tickets.”
The more popular version in the U.S. is 75-ball bingo, and it has its own rules of play.
“When you first try bingo in the 75-ball version, you may find it a little more complex than its 90-ball counterpart,” according to Borgata’s bingo page.
“Instead of ticket strips, players buy a single card displaying a 5×5 grid of 24 numbers between 1 and 75 surrounding a star-marked square in the center. The same numbers could show up on lots of different cards, meaning that game play is often a little bit slower.
“Each of the five columns on the card is represented by a letter spelling out the word ‘BINGO,’ with numbers listed in multiples of 15 (so the first column will contain five numbers between 1 and 15, then next, between 16 and 30, and so on). The ultimate goal is to complete a predetermined pattern in order to win the single-prize jackpot, such as a single row of numbers.”
Borgata Bingo is available for download in New Jersey on both iOS and Android and is accessible via desktop at bingo.borgataonline.com.
Integration with MGM Resorts’ MLife Rewards program allows Borgata Bingo players to redeem points from their online game play for stays at MGM Resorts properties such as Borgata; MGM Grand, Bellagio, and ARIA in Las Vegas; MGM National Harbor in Maryland; and Beau Rivage in Mississippi.
Borgata and its online casino partners — led by BetMGM — have taken in an Atlantic City casino industry-leading $341.2 million in gross gaming revenue in the first 10 months of 2021.
BetMGM also offers online casino play in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.
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