Slingo is taking the market by storm; it has become wildly popular even in the short time that it has been available. Players simply love this hybrid bingo slot machine game which was the brainchild of a New Jersey businessman back in 1996. Although it was initially launched via the AOL platform, it took a while to gain popularity, but now you will find it in many different online casinos and games sites. The game can be played for fun or for money, so all that remains is for us to answer the question: What is Slingo?
The Game Board
If you begin a game of Slingo, you will be faced with the initial board. It features a five-by-five bingo card with a prefilled random number sequence and below this a random number generator in the form of a slot machine. There are 75 possible bingo numbers, and the slot machine features one single reel. The premise of the game requires users to spin the wheel and then match the numbers that come up with those in their grid. Depending on where you are playing there will be a different number of maximum spins allowed this is often 16 free spins, and four paid, but in the non-gambling version, you would pay for your extra lines because you have already won points or free spins during gameplay. In a casino version, you can purchase the extra spins for cash. The game requires you to keep up with play as you must quickly mark off any numbers that have appeared on the slot real before the next spin takes place.
Game Variations
As with all games, various incarnations have come out over the years, and each gaming house can put their own graphics around the board. A Multiplayer Slingo or Slingo party was also created to enable players to engage with each other using the chat facility. On some of the play for fun sites, the grid became more extensive, and there were many different power-ups that could be earned and added to enhance the play of your game. Of course, any game that proves to be successful and popular is likely to be snapped up by the casino and gambling companies and turned into a real money game. The software house behind real money Slingo is Gaming Realms, and at this point, they purchased the slingo.com domain and rights to the naming of the game. This did mean that some free sites had no choice but to shut down. Initially, it was very much an inhouse operation on the site slingo.com, but as is the way of most software houses, they now licence the game to many different locations. There are now more than eight versions of the game available in casinos all over the world offering different levels of betting, spinning, and RTP. There are also other deviations from the original format still able to run under the banner of Slingo, and it maintains its popularity as one of the most played games across the Internet.
Wild Cards
One of the ways that gameplay has been enhanced is by the addition of various symbols that offer players something extra. So, when the wheel is spun, you may just have numbers on display, but you may also see some symbols. The Joker, the Super Joker, a free spin icon, and a coin symbol are all quite common. The game is played against the clock, so once you have set your steak you will be given your number of spins and the time limit for these. Be sure not to overlook any symbols that appear as they can really help you get a winning game and plenty of extras. The Joker, for example, offers a wild card feature which means you can mark off any of the numbers that appear in the column above. The Super Joker works in a similar way, but this time you can remove any number of your choice anywhere on your grid. If you happen to get a combination of three or more super jokers and jokers, most casinos will issue this as an instant money win. The free spin icon is relatively self-explanatory and adds one free spin to the amount you have left. If you get a coin symbol again, you will have an instant cash prize.
Safe Play
It is always a good idea to try and find the free version of a game so that you can have a look at it without risking any money. If you decide to try the gambling version of Slingo, then you should protect yourself with all the standard gambling safeguards that are available through online casinos and websites. This means you can set a spending limit and a loss limit, and you can also choose the number of hours that the website is available.
