Slingo: the slots and bingo hybrid

What Slingo is

Picture a bingo card with a slot machine underneath. Instead of a caller drawing balls, you spin a set of reels, and the numbers that land tell you which squares you can mark. Completed lines across the card are what you're working towards.

It borrows the look of bingo but plays more like a slot: you start each spin yourself, results come from a random number generator, and you aren't competing with other players in a shared game. That's the key difference from real bingo, where every player in a game has an equal chance at one prize pool.

How a Slingo round works

In the classic game, as described in Slingo's Wikipedia history (opens in a new tab), a round goes like this:

1. You get a 5x5 card. Each column holds numbers from one range: 1–15, 16–30, 31–45, 46–60 and 61–75.
2. A row of five reels sits below the card, one reel for each column.
3. You spin. Any number on a reel that matches a number in the column above it gets marked off.
4. A Joker lets you mark any number in the column where it lands; a Super Joker lets you mark any number anywhere on the card.
5. You keep spinning, up to 20 spins in the original game, trying to complete lines.

Real-money Slingo titles keep that core idea but set their own rules: how many spins come with a stake, what each completed line pays and which extra symbols appear. Those details live in each game's help screen. Under the Commission's RTS 3 rules on game descriptions (opens in a new tab), rules, payouts and the RTP or likelihood of winning must be available before you play.

Where Slingo came from

The jump from a free online game to a real-money casino product came under Gaming Realms, which turned the format into a range of branded titles. Reports differ on the exact 2015 sale price, so we haven't quoted one.

Slingo vs slots vs bingo

That last row matters. UK standards accept that bingo's likelihood of winning can depend on how many people take part, while Slingo, like a slot, has a pay table and a return set in advance.

Slingo RTP and what a session costs

There's no single Slingo RTP. Each title publishes its own figure, so the only reliable number is the one in the help screen of the version your app runs. Our guide to finding a game's RTP in an app shows where it usually sits.

To turn any RTP into pounds, multiply the amount you stake by the house edge. As an illustration only, if a Slingo title listed a 95% RTP, £20 of play would cost about £1 on average, and £100 would cost about £5. Your actual result in any session can be far better or far worse, which is why a budget set in advance matters more than the average.

On the rules side, the Commission defines online slots for its stake limits as casino games using a reel format played online. Slingo games spin reels, so expect slot-style stake limits of £5 a spin from age 25 and £2 for 18 to 24-year-olds; the stake range shown in the game is the final word. Our page on slot stake limits explains the rule.

Playing Slingo on a phone

Slingo fits a phone better than many casino games, because the card and reels sit in one compact layout. Whether a title plays in portrait or landscape varies by game. Our guide to Slingo on mobile covers screen layout and controls, and landscape vs portrait mode explains the wider choice.

Our partners' published app details don't list Slingo by name, so check the app's game lobby. For apps ranked on their Slingo range, see the best Slingo apps, and for more game words, the full casino app glossary.

Partner apps to check for Slingo games

None of our partners' welcome offers is tied to Slingo: each gives spins on selected slots, and whether a Slingo title counts depends on the offer's game list. 18+, new customers only, terms apply.

• Coral Casino: bet £10 on slots, get 100 free spins. You deposit (some methods excluded), stake £10+ on slots and receive spins worth 10p each on selected games, to accept within 48 hours and use within 7 days, with no wagering on winnings. Neteller, PayPal, Paysafe, Skrill, prepaid cards and certain debit cards are excluded. Runs 1 October 2026 to 1 February 2027.
• Ladbrokes Casino: play £10 on slots, get up to 500 free spins. After a deposit and £10+ on slots, 50 spins worth 10p land each day for your first 10 days on selected games; claim by 23:59 daily, use within 7 days, no wagering. Prepaid cards, PayPal, Paysafe, Neteller, Skrill and Moneybookers deposits don't qualify.
• PlayOJO: 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza at 10p each for a first deposit of £10 or more, winnings paid in cash with no wagering. New UK customers excluding Northern Ireland, through the designated offer link, one offer at a time.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.