Side, mini, instant and chat games explained

As a bingo fan you may not have given much thought to the other games available to play whilst playing bingo and originally bingo sites were offering a few games to keep bingo players amused between games. So what are side games are they the same as mini games, what the bingo is an instant and how can you play a chat game?

Chat games are played within the chat dialogue box (or chat room) next to your bingo game and are instigated by the chat moderators they don’t have big prizes but can net you a few extra bonus bucks to play bingo with. These games are very simple and are usually won buy the first player to match and then ”˜shout’ something. For example in the game ”˜Any Two’ each player selects two numbers from the number board and then the first player to type (shout) *ANYTWO* when their numbers are called wins. Chat can be fast and use chat speak, or bingo lingo so it is worth having a look at our guide to give you a hand understanding acronyms like 1TG (one to go).

The difference between a side and mini game is basically where they are on screen. Some bingo sites will have a mini screen within your bingo game where you can then launch and play a mini game to play during or between your bingo games. Mini games available are usually shown as small icons within the screen and there may be a limited choice.

A side game is played in a separate window to your bingo game so you can make it the size you choose and play it along side your bingo. You usually have a much larger choice of side games as they are not opened within the bingo screen. Side games can come from different software suppliers and so vary in the time they take to load but all are usually very quick to load.

Like texting side games have unexpectedly exploded in choice, popularity and subsequently jackpot levels. Access to progressive jackpot slots now means there are bingo players winning million pound jackpots on the slots whilst playing at their favourite bingo site and so the choice of side games is becoming a significant factor in deciding where to play bingo.

Side games usually fall into several categories one of which is instants. Instant games are ones that you win instantly without any extended playing as in bingo or the slots where there are multiple spins or calls. Instant games are like scratch cards where you are hoping to reveal matching symbols to win, or like the classic football scratchy where you have to find the ball.

Slots are another favourite side game as they are fun to play and come in a huge range of themes from girly ”˜fluffy favourites’ to more macho slots like ”˜Alien Invasion’. All slots work on the same principle of spinning the wheels to try and get matching symbols on the same line. There are many variations of slots, with multiple reels, and paylines, wilds and multipliers.

You will also find some classic casino games to play as side games like Roulette and Keno (a hybrid of bingo and the lottery).
Most bingo sites will let you play the side games for fun so you can have a try on the ones you fancy before you part with any cash, mini games are usually only for depositing players but it varies depending on where you are playing, so get spinning or scratching and good luck.