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How to Hold a Successful Bingo Night

How to Hold a Successful Bingo Night

When it comes to planning any kind of PTA fundraising event, it is always best to put together a check list of the things you need to remember. This is important because not only will you avoid forgetting anything, but also, you can check each task off as you go along.

A bingo night might sound like a hassle free fundraising event and it is! There’s not much planning involved. However, there are still certain areas you need to remember in order for the event to run smoothly.

I have listed below the important factors to remember along with some ideas of how to make your event a success.

Before the Event

  • Volunteers – make sure you have enough volunteers for your event. Remember you will not only need volunteers on the night, you will also need help advertising the event, sourcing any items needed and preparing the hall before and after the event.
  • Licences – Always check to see whether you need any licences and insurances before booking your event.
    If you are raising funds then you will not need a bingo operating licence according to the Gambling Commission website. However please do check that your circumstances apply to this exception and always check out other licences, for example you may need a licence if you plan to sell alcohol on your premises.

Items for the Event

  • Prizes – Decided how many games will be played throughout the night and source enough prizes for each game. You may choose to have a grand finale prize for the last game to encourage players to stay the whole night.
  • Ample Tables and Chairs – make sure you have enough tables and chairs for the amount of tickets sold or plan to sell
  • Bingo Books – These are need for the players so they can mark off the numbers that have been called out – all players have a different set of number on their cards
  • Pens and Dabbers – you could sell these to raise even more funds
  • A Large Board – This is needed so that you can write the called out numbers on it for all players to see. A white board, chalk board or a paper flip board will do the job.
  • A Bingo Ball Cage – there are many bingo ball cages on the market to choose from

How to Play the Game

  • Once all tickets are sold. All players sit in their chairs with their bingo dabbers ready
  • You should go through the basic rules of the game with the players before the game starts to avoid any confusions
  • You will then release a ball from the cage and announce the number and add it to the board to have it on show, repeat this with each number
  • Eventually a player will call out to you to let you know that they have completed a full line
  • When a player has called out to say that they have a full line, you check the numbers if it is correct, you give them their prize and move onto the next game card
  • You can choose how may lines a winner must complete to win, however usually the games go like this:
    The first game finishes when a player wins by completing a full line, the second games finishes when a player completes two lines and then the final game finishes when a player completes all lines on their game card which is known as a “full house”. Click here to view the full bingo game rules >

Raise even more funds

  • Refreshments – Sell refreshments at your event to raise more funds and keep all players hydrated during the game
  • Raffle – Add a raffle game to the event. You could sell the tickets at the start of the event or even before the event and announce the winners at the end of the very last bingo game.

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