OneTaskBy Tim King · Updated
Bingo Card Generator
Random 75-Ball, 90-Ball and Word Bingo Cards
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How the Bingo Card Generator works
This bingo card generator makes random cards for a 75-ball game, valid 90-ball tickets, or word bingo cards from your own list of words. Generate up to 50 different cards at once for a party, a classroom, a meeting or a family game night, then print or copy them.
How the bingo card generator works
A 75-ball card is a 5 by 5 grid with B holding 1 to 15, I 16 to 30, N 31 to 45, G 46 to 60 and O 61 to 75, and a free centre square unless you turn it off. A 90-ball ticket follows the UK rules: three rows of nine columns, five numbers in every row, every column used, column one holding 1 to 9 up to column nine holding 80 to 90, and numbers sorted down each column. Word bingo shuffles your list onto a 5 by 5 card, so it needs 24 different words with a free centre or 25 without.
The formula for the chance that one 90-ball ticket has a full house within c calls is C(75, c − 15) ÷ C(90, c): all 15 of its numbers must be among the c called.
First example. After 60 calls, one ticket has about a 0.12 percent chance of a full house, roughly 1 in 860.
Second example. With 100 tickets in play, the chance that at least one has a full house after 70 calls is about 80 percent, which is why a typical 90-ball house is won in the high sixties or seventies.
How many different 75-ball cards are there? The B, I, G and O columns each allow 15 × 14 × 13 × 12 × 11 orders and the N column 15 × 14 × 13 × 12, about 5.5 × 10²⁶ cards in all, so a repeat is never a worry.
Chance that a 90-ball ticket has a full house (all 15 numbers called) within a given number of calls
| Calls made | One ticket | At least one of 100 tickets |
|---|---|---|
| 45 | 0.0007531% | 0.07528% |
| 47 | 0.001641% | 0.164% |
| 49 | 0.00344% | 0.3435% |
| 51 | 0.006963% | 0.6939% |
| 53 | 0.01365% | 1.356% |
| 55 | 0.02598% | 2.565% |
| 57 | 0.04817% | 4.704% |
| 59 | 0.08712% | 8.346% |
| 61 | 0.154% | 14.29% |
| 63 | 0.2667% | 23.44% |
| 65 | 0.4528% | 36.48% |
| 67 | 0.7551% | 53.14% |
| 69 | 1.238% | 71.22% |
| 71 | 1.997% | 86.7% |
| 73 | 3.176% | 96.03% |
| 75 | 4.979% | 99.39% |
| 77 | 7.704% | 99.97% |
| 79 | 11.77% | Over 99.99% |
| 81 | 17.78% | Over 99.99% |
| 83 | 26.57% | Over 99.99% |
| 85 | 39.27% | Over 99.99% |
| 87 | 57.48% | Over 99.99% |
| 89 | 83.33% | Over 99.99% |
Tips and pitfalls
For word bingo, write more words than one card needs, about 30 to 40, so cards differ enough that several players do not win on the same call. For a classroom, use vocabulary or answers to sums as the words and read out the questions instead. Print one card per player and keep a list of called numbers to check winners.
FAQ
What is the difference between 75-ball and 90-ball bingo?
75-ball bingo uses a 5 by 5 card headed B, I, N, G, O and is the usual game in the US. 90-ball bingo uses a 3 by 9 ticket with 15 numbers and is the standard game in the UK and Ireland.
Are the 90-ball tickets valid?
Yes. Every ticket has five numbers in each row, at least one number in each column, numbers in the right column ranges, and each column sorted from top to bottom, matching the format used in UK bingo halls.
How do I make word bingo cards?
Choose "Word bingo (your list)" and type your words, one per line or separated by commas. You need at least 24 different words with a free centre or 25 without, and more words give more varied cards.
Can I turn off the free space?
Yes. Choose "No free space" and the centre of a 75-ball or word bingo card holds a number or word like the other squares. Without it, a line through the centre needs five called squares instead of four.
How many bingo cards can I generate at once?
Up to 50 cards in one press, each drawn independently with the browser's cryptographic random source. Press Generate again for another batch if you need more players than that.
See also: all Lists & Lines tools, Writing & Editing, Markdown & HTML, Ciphers & Alphabets.
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