Are you a big fan of bingo and want to see the game in movies and TV shows? Well, we’ve got you covered!
All the players who have reached the stage of only having one number left to get on their card when the game is won are known within the bingo world as ‘1tg’.
They are the ‘one-to-go’ players.
Of course, these are the most frustrated players at the end of any game because they were so close to winning.
Only one call of the right number and they would have taken the prize instead of the winner.
But 1tg players end up losing just the same as everyone else – and that usually means they win absolutely nothing.
And that’s why some online bingo sites have had the brilliant brainwave of giving some of the prize money to all the 1tg players left in the game when someone else gets a full house.
Credit: Pexels
READ MORE: 5 Lessons Online Bingo Could Learn From Video Games
This 1tg bingo variation means everyone who was also very close to winning gets a share of the prize.
The sum depends on how many there to share it between.
Clever, isn’t it? It means that the 1tg players can walk away with something and don’t feel hard done by.
Some online games are even offering 2tg games where players with only two numbers left to cross off get a small share of prize money too.
Those are just a couple of the fascinating ways bingo is evolving and re-inventing itself in the booming world of online playing.
Of course, bingo had become one of the UK’s most popular games in the sixties and with the rise of online casinos, it has become even more popular.
Credit: Pexels
READ MORE: Could Bingo Ever Be Seen In A Big Screen Blockbuster?
It’s these little tweaks and extras that online operators can provide that make it even more appealing.
Some like the pure classic bingo format. Others are seduced by clever little extras like 1tg or 2tg bingo.
The variation possible with digital game design can increase the appeal for many players.
The changes can be as profound as varying the number of bingo balls in a game…
Or changing the patterns that signify a winning line.
Online bingo operators have found that it’s easy to try all sorts of different styles and extras – and see which one’s players prefer.
That is why the game is growing at an exciting rate across the world.
Online bingo has become a popular game in many countries across the world.
One thing that has not changed is that over the years the widespread popularity of the game means it has always been a favourite scene-setter in TV and film shows.
Bingo has starred in many great movies and programmes.
Just for fun we rounded up some of the very best screen appearances by bingo.
How many of these have you seen?
The Simpsons
One of the world’s most successful cartoon series ever featured a big bingo scene in 1992.
Lisa meets Jasper at the Springfield Retirement Castle, and they play bingo.
Do you remember what happens after Lisa gets very excited when she has four numbers in a row and becomes a 1tg player?
The Full Monty
The 1997 smash-hit British movie featured jobless steelworkers from Sheffield forming a nude dancing act like a working-class Chippendales.
Bingo themes run throughout the script – including one woman in the audience shouting ‘bingo’ when the scantily dressed men appear on stage.
Rampage
This 2009 thriller was full of action and suspense – and bingo. At one stage the bingo players are so focused on playing the game they don’t even notice the scary killer walking between them.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
The 2000 movie version of a hit US TV show features a classic funny bingo comedy scene.
Star Larry David joins a bingo game as a beginner but rather than patiently waiting for the numbers to be called he thinks he should hurry the game along a bit – with disastrous results.
Better Call Saul
This Netflix streaming series is a spin-off from the award-winning Breaking Bad series.
It features lawyer Saul trying to win new will-writing clients – by holding bingo sessions in a retirement home.
It’s not really a comedy but sometimes Saul’s plans work really well – let’s just say that other times they don’t work at all.
Cocoon
This 1985 comedy feature film centred on three seniors in a retirement home who discovers aliens living there too.
There are a lot of laughs – including a great bingo scene among the expert players and the aliens in the retirement centre.
Many TV series and films are now including gambling scenes, including bingo scenes.
Grandma’s Boy
A comedy classic from 2006 in which a video game fan moves in with his grandmother – and she takes him to play bingo instead of video games.
Of course, he ends up winning the event and scoops the $18,000 jackpot.
Big Momma’s House 2
Filmmakers seem to be attracted to the comedy potential of bingo games.
This 2006 laugh-fest is set in another retirement home – with plenty of crazy games of bingo featuring all manner of cheating.
Bad Grandpa
This movie appeared in 2013 and featured a scene where the lead character caused mayhem at a bingo game.
He deliberately provokes the other players and to create a humorous outcry.
The Badabook
Imagine a bingo scene in a horror movie!
Let’s just say that in this 2013 scary movie the bingo scene doesn’t go exactly as the game organiser hopes…
As bingo gains new fans and players online, its popularity seems certain to continue to grow in the future.
Expect film and TV directors to take note.
Watch out for more and more fans of bingo in the years to come – and keep your eyes peeled for more and more appearances by bingo in films and TV.
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