40-Ball bingo is the rarest bingo variants found on the web today, perhaps because it is similar to the much more common 50-Ball format. The first 40-Ball game appeared in March 2015 and was based on the popular Rainbow Riches online slot machine. Because of this, 40-Ball bingo is often referred to as Rainbow Riches Bingo.
As with all other online bingo games, any numbers present on your tickets which match those called by the announcer will be automatically marked off your ticket(s). This allows you to play many more tickets per game than you could ever manage when playing bingo in person.
40-Ball is just one of many varieties of bingo that you can play online but take note that it is incredibly similar to the more common 50-Ball format. Because of this, I’d absolutely recommend that fans of 40-Ball bingo try some 50-Ball games if they struggle to find enough 40-Ball games to satisfy them! Of course, if 40-Ball bingo does not appeal to you, then don’t worry! The more popular 90-Ball and 75-Ball variants are everywhere in the lobbies of online bingo websites, in addition to exclusive online variants such as 30-Ball and 80-Ball bingo.
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£10 Deposit
Our Score
First-time depositors only (18+ country restrictions apply). Min deposit: £10. Max offer: 2,500 Free Bingo Tickets (on 250 on Street Party valid for 21 days & 2,250 For Kaching valid for 24 days) & 25 Pending Free Spins (on a game of our choice). Promo code: BINGO25. Free Spins are valid for 7 days & will be available once £5 of deposit funds have been wagered. FS winnings are capped at £2.50. All winnings are credited to your real money balance. We reserve the right to deny promotional offers based on abusive bonus activity across sites operated by the Company. Deposit balance is available for withdrawal at any time (UK only). General withdrawal restrictions & full T&Cs apply. Valid until further notice. View Full T&Cs.
Are you wondering which titles are specifically classed as 40-Ball bingo games? Well, don't worry about searching for them, as we have a complete list here for you to view. All our games come with a review attached to them and the best bingo sites where you can play them for real money. If you're not a fan of 40-Ball, then fear not, as our dedicated bingo games page features all 90, 80, 75, 50, 40, and 30 ball games for you to look at.
The rules of 40-ball bingo are as follows:
A 40-Ball bingo card or ticket contains two sets of four numbers. The tickets used in each game often use unique designs. There are no blank spaces or patterns employed in 40-Ball bingo tickets – after all, there are only eight numbers printed on each of them!
If you enjoy playing 40-Ball Bingo using the traditional view, then it’s possibly worth being aware that:
As we state in all of our playing strategies, bingo is a game of chance, so no systems or methods guarantee you will win. However, you can give yourself a better opportunity to land a bigger prize by playing during peak hours. Yes, this may mean you win less often, but if Lady Luck is on your side and you score a win, the prize pool will be much larger, meaning more cash is coming your way.
It's also a great idea to play games with a progressive jackpot or bonus rounds, as these can pay you even more than just being in a standard 40-Ball room with basic prizes. Another top tip is to take advantage of bonus offers such as those found on our £5 deposit bingo sites page. This gives you more money to play with and, in some cases, up to 200 free bingo cards.
Despite my best efforts, I haven’t been able to resist referring back to the Rainbow Riches 40-Ball game many times whilst writing this article! The game also presents an excellent example of a 40-Ball progressive jackpot, dubbed the ‘Rainbow Road Progressive Jackpot’.
Fans of the online slot may well remember the ‘Road to Riches’; any such player will instantly recognise this progressive jackpot feature! Bronze, Silver, and Gold pots have been positioned along the Rainbow Road, and the corresponding jackpot payout will be awarded if the game's leprechaun mascot happens to reach any of these pots.
The progressive jackpot offered in this game is not linked to any other bingo games, so the prizes tend to be much smaller than, say, the jackpots offered in the Deal or No Deal bingo games. But, on the plus side, this also increases your odds of winning such a jackpot!
Just as with 50-Ball Bingo, the big advantage of choosing to play a 40-Ball variant is that it is a much faster game! 50-Ball bingo already lowered the ball count to nearly half of the UK’s favourite 90-Ball bingo game, and 40-Ball bingo obviously drops ten further balls, making the game even quicker still!
Winning combinations occur very quickly in 40-Ball bingo – on occasion, I have literally started a game, gone to put the kettle on, come back, and it’s all been over! The beauty of this is that you can probably play over twice as many rounds per hour of 40-Ball bingo compared to 75 or 90-Ball bingo.
If 50-Ball and 40-Ball bingo are so similar, why do both versions exist?
Although there isn't a concrete explanation for this, I would hazard a guess that game providers like Playtech wanted to create an even faster game that, in turn, would generate more money for the operator quicker than a 50-Ball game.
Can I win more than once on a 40-ball bingo card?
Yes, you can! Because there are just eight numbers on each ticket, it is common for a single player to collect both the single-line and full-house prizes during a single round of 40-Ball bingo.
How much can I win?
This has many variables, such as the number of players in the game, the price of the ticket, and the number of tickets purchased. At the time of writing, I observed typical line wins in the region of 100x the price of a single ticket and 700x for the full house prize. The progressive jackpots offered in 40-Ball games tend to be a few thousand times the cost of a single ticket – don’t expect life-changing sums from these jackpots.
What is the ‘Lucky Number’ I am asked to select at the start of a game?
Every time the announcer calls your chosen lucky number, a single gold coin will be thrown into your personal wishing well. When 40 coins have accumulated in the well, a bonus prize will be paid directly to your bingo room balance.
In truth, there isn’t much genuine need for 40-Ball bingo to exist right now – every game I have tried within this category could easily have been adapted to the 50-Ball format. They do say that variety is the spice of life though, and a developer may soon come up with a 40-Ball game that turns this scenario entirely on its head! Should that occur, you can be sure that we’ll be the first to let you know here at nodepositbingofree!
Article by Chris Howlett
Chris has over 11 years of experience playing and writing about bingo and online slots.