You do not need a manual. You need one phone, one screen, and ten minutes. Watch the short video, or follow the steps below. They say the same thing.

The video is on its way. Everything in it is already written here: follow the numbered steps in this article, or read the transcript.

Read the transcript

This video shows you how to run your first bingo game. You need one phone, one screen, and about ten minutes.

Tap the link in our email, then press Confirm and open my hall. You land on your console. It has a card for each job. Next event, Live now, Money, and Share.

We made a draft game for you, called My first game. Find it on the Next event card. Keep it, or make your own on the Events tab.

Now look at the Share card. Tap Copy link, and send the link to a friend. Or let your friend scan the square code with a phone camera. They tap Join, pick a name, and get a card. No app and no account.

Next, run a quick test. Tap Go live on the Next event card, then Go live on the Events tab. Press Start calling. Then press Draw ball, and press Release. The ball lands on your friend's phone. Your friend taps the number on their card to mark it. That is the whole game loop.

On the night, put the big screen up, and share the link again. Open the controller and call the balls at your own pace. When a player taps Bingo, their claim shows up on your phone, already checked. You confirm the winner. That is it. You just ran a game.

One: open your console

1. Open the email we sent you and tap the link to your hall.
2. Press Confirm and open my hall. We set up your hall and sign you in.
3. You land on your console. It has a card for each job: Next event, Live now, Money and Share.

Two: keep "My first game"

1. Find the draft game we set up for you on the Next event card.
2. Keep it, or make your own on the Events tab. One game with one pattern is plenty for a first night.

Three: share the join link

1. Open the Share card on your console.
2. Tap Copy link and send it to a friend. Or let them scan the square code with their phone camera.
3. They tap Join, pick a name, and get a card. No app, no account.

Four: run a test

1. Tap Go live on the Next event card. The Events tab opens.
2. Press Go live next to your game. The controller opens.
3. Press Start calling. Press Draw ball, then Release.
4. Watch the ball land on your friend's phone. Ask them to tap the number on their card.

Five: go live for real

1. On the night, put the big screen up and share the link again.
2. Open the controller and call the balls at your own pace.
3. When someone taps Bingo, their claim shows up on your phone, already checked. You confirm the winner.

What you'll see

Your console with four cards. The Next event card says "My first game" with a Go live button. The Share card shows the join link and the square code.

An event is one game night. It holds the games you will play, in order.

Make a new event

1. Open the Events tab on your console.
2. Under Create an event, give it a name players will know, like "Friday night at the hall".
3. Add a date and a time if you know them. Press Create event.
4. When you go live, the controller opens. Pick a pattern for each game, like a line or a full house. Add a prize if you have one. You can always add a game on the night.

Your first event is already there. We named it My first game. Keep it or make your own.

Give it a date

Pick a date and a time, or leave them blank. A date puts the event on your console as the next one up. A blank date means you run it whenever you are ready.

Change it later

Nothing is locked. In the controller you can add games or change a pattern, even on the night. If an event is in the past, your console keeps its summary so you can see how it went.

What you'll see

The Events tab. Your events are listed at the top, each with a Go live button. Below them, the Create an event form has a name box, a date box and the Create event button.

Players get their cards from one link. It is on the Share card of your console.

Give players the link

• Tap Copy link, then paste it into a text, an email or your social post.
• Or let players scan the square code on the Share card with their phone camera.
• The link opens a page where each player taps Join and gets a card. No app, no account.

Before the game

1. Send the link a day ahead so people can join from home.
2. On the night, put the big screen up: the same code shows there.
3. The Live now card counts the phones in the room as they join.

If the link does not work

• The Share card is empty until your hall has an event. Create one on the Events tab.
• A link from an old event will say the game is over. Share the newest one.

What you'll see

The Share card with the link, a Copy link button, and the square code players scan.

The big screen is a web page. Any laptop, TV or projector that opens a web page can show it. Watch the short video, or follow the steps below.

The video is on its way. Everything in it is already written here: follow the numbered steps in this article, or read the transcript.

Read the transcript

The big screen shows your game to the whole room. It is just a web page, so any TV, projector, or laptop can show it.

There are two screens to pick from. The big screen shows the last ball, the pattern to win, and the join code. The hall board shows only the numbers that have been called, in a grid.

While a game is live, both links are on your console, in the Live now card. They are also in the Screens menu of the controller.

Open the big screen link on the laptop that connects to the TV or projector. Make the browser full screen. Leave it open all night. It updates by itself each time you release a ball.

Before players arrive, test it. Release one ball, and watch it land. Turn off your laptop's sleep timer. If you do not, the screen goes dark in the middle of a game. If the screen ever goes blank, reload the page. Nothing is lost.

Two screens to pick from

• Big screen shows the last ball, the pattern to win, and the join code. Use it on the main screen.
• Hall board shows only the called numbers, in a grid. Use it on a second screen or for players who like to check.

While a game is live, both links are in the Screens list on the Live now card of your console. They are also in the Screens menu of the controller.

Set it up

1. Open the big screen link on the laptop that is plugged into the TV or projector.
2. Make the browser full screen. On most laptops that is a key at the top of the keyboard.
3. Leave it open all night. It updates by itself every time you release a ball.

Tips that save a night

• Test the screen before players arrive. Release one ball and watch it land.
• Turn off the laptop's sleep timer, or the screen goes dark mid-game.
• If the screen ever goes blank, reload the page. Nothing is lost.

What you'll see

A dark screen with the last ball in large type, the pattern for this game, and the join code in the corner.

Going live opens the controller, the page you run the night from.

Start the night

1. On the Next event card, tap Go live. The Events tab opens.
2. Press Go live next to your event. The controller opens.
3. In the controller, pick your first game and press Start calling.
4. Put the Big screen link on the TV or projector. The Hall board link shows the called numbers only.

While you play

• The controller calls the numbers. Players daub on their phones.
• A bingo claim checks itself. You confirm the winner and move to the next game.
• Back on your console, the Live now card shows how many phones are in the room.

If something goes wrong

• Lost the controller tab? Open Controller from the Live now card. The game picks up where it was.
• Screen went blank? Reload the big screen page. Nothing is lost.

What you'll see

The controller lobby: the join code, a count of players in the room, and a Start calling button.

You call the balls. The controller checks the claims. Nobody has to count squares by hand.

Draw, then release

1. Press Draw ball. The next ball shows on your phone only.
2. Read it out loud.
3. Press Release. The ball lands on every phone and the big screen at the same moment.

Like a steady pace? Turn on the auto caller and it releases a ball on a timer. Turn it off any time.

When someone taps Bingo

• The claim shows on your phone, already checked against the called balls.
• A good claim says winner. Confirm it, say the name out loud, and move to the next game.
• A false alarm says so. Players see "not yet" and the game goes on. Nobody is embarrassed.

Only you can confirm a winner. Players cannot confirm each other.

More than one winner

Two claims at the same time are both shown. Confirm both and split the prize the way your hall does it.

What you'll see

The controller during a game. The last ball shows in large type. Below it are a Draw ball button and a Release button. The claims panel lights up when someone taps Bingo.

Knowing the player's screen makes it easy to help someone in the room. Watch the short video, or follow the steps below.

The video is on its way. Everything in it is already written here: follow the numbered steps in this article, or read the transcript.

Read the transcript

Knowing the player's screen helps you help someone in the room.

Players open your link. The join page shows your hall name and logo. They type a name and tap Join. There is no app, and no account.

Each player gets a card, with numbers in a grid. When you release a ball, it shows at the top of their screen. If the number is on their card, they tap it to mark it. A player can hold more than one card. They swipe between them.

When a card matches the pattern, the player taps the Bingo button. The claim goes to you. The player sees claim sent until you confirm it.

Between games, players see: waiting for the next one. When the event ends, they see: thanks for playing.

If a player gets lost, they can reopen the link. Their card comes back on the same phone. The How to play button on their screen explains the card and the Bingo button.

Joining and playing

1. The link opens a page with your hall name and logo. The player types a name and taps Join. No app, no account, no password.
2. Each player gets a card with numbers in a grid. A player can hold more than one card and swipe between them.
3. When you release a ball, it shows at the top of their screen. If the number is on their card, they tap it to mark it.
4. When a card matches the pattern, the player taps Bingo. Their claim goes to you.

Calling Bingo

When a card matches the pattern, the player taps Bingo. They see "claim sent" until you confirm or say not yet.

Between games

After a game ends, players see "waiting for the next one". When the event ends, they see "thanks for playing". They keep the same card screen all night.

If a player gets lost

• They can reopen the link. Their name and card come back on the same phone.
• The How to play button on their screen explains the card and the Bingo button.

What you'll see

A player's phone: your hall name at the top, the last ball, a card grid with tapped numbers filled in, and a big Bingo button.

Right now, every card in your hall is free. That is on purpose, and it is the whole story for today.

What is on today

• Players join for free and play for free.
• You run the night, call the balls and confirm the winners.
• Prizes are yours to give, the way your hall always has.

What is coming

Paid cards, tips and donations are built but switched off. They open when the terms are set and your hall turns them on. Until then, no money moves through the platform and nothing asks your players to pay.

Your console already has a Money tab. Until then it says payments are not open yet, and there is nothing to press. When they open, it walks you through connecting a payout account. We never see your bank details.

About fees

The fees and the rules live on the terms page, not here. Read them there before you switch anything on. This article will not restate numbers, so it can never disagree with the terms.

Fundraisers

Many halls run bingo for a cause. The free game works for that today. Collect in the room the way you always have, and tell players what the night is for.

What you'll see

The Money tab on your console. Today it says payments are not open yet. When paid cards open, it shows a Connect payouts button.

Players see your hall name on every screen. A logo and your colours make the night feel like yours.

Your hall name

You chose a name when you created the hall. It shows on the join page, on every card and on the big screen. Change it any time in Settings.

Your logo

Upload a logo in Settings. A square image works best. It shows on the join page and the big screen. Keep it simple: a logo that reads well on a phone reads well everywhere.

Your colours

Pick a main colour and a background colour. Players see them on the join page and the card. We keep the text readable on top of them, so pick what you like.

Your web address

Your hall has its own web address, with your name in it. It is on the Share card. You can change it once, so pick it with care.

What you'll see

The Settings page with a name box, a logo upload, two colour pickers and a preview of the join page.

Bingo night is for everyone in the room. The player screen is built so nobody is left out.

Large and clear

• Numbers on the card are big, and the last ball is bigger.
• Every button is large enough to tap with a thumb.
• Text and colours keep a strong contrast, even over your hall colours.

Screen readers

The card reads as a grid. Each square says its number and whether it is daubed. A new ball is read out when it lands. The Bingo button says what it does.

Less motion

A player who turns on "reduce motion" on their phone gets a calm screen. No spinning balls, no confetti, bolder daubs. The game plays the same.

One hand, one phone

Everything works by tapping. Nothing needs a swipe or a long press. A player can play with one hand on a small phone.

How you can help

• Read every ball out loud, and leave a beat before the next one.
• Put the big screen where the whole room can see it.
• Let players sit near the screen if they ask.
• Tell players about the How to play button on their screen.

What you'll see

A player's phone in the calm view: a bold card, big numbers, no animations, and the same Bingo button.

Most problems on the night have a one-step fix. Try these first.

A player cannot join

• Check they are on the newest join link. An old link says the game is over.
• Ask them to reload the page. Their name and card come back on the same phone.
• The Share card is empty until your hall has an event. Create one on the Events tab.

The big screen went blank

• Reload the big screen page. Nothing is lost; the called balls come back.
• Check the laptop did not go to sleep. Turn off its sleep timer for the night.

No sound on the big screen

• Most browsers keep sound muted until someone taps the page. Tap the screen once.
• Check the volume on the laptop and on the TV. Both need to be up.

A bingo claim did not show

• Ask the player to tap Bingo again. The claim goes to your phone.
• Make sure you released the last ball. A claim checks against released balls only.
• A false alarm shows as "not yet" on their phone. That is the check working.

The controller closed or froze

• Open Controller from the Live now card on your console. The game picks up where it was.
• Your phone's lock screen can pause the page. Keep it awake during the game.

Still stuck

Open the question mark at the top of your console. Search for the thing you see on screen, like "blank" or "join".

What you'll see

Your console's Live now card with a Controller button, the quickest way back into a running game.