A win at the bingo is a wonderful feeling, a little moment to feel lucky and like you are perhaps even a little bit special.
In fact, a number of studies have found that bingo players like to play for that winning feeling more than for the chance of winning any money.
In other words, it’s the win itself that is the real reward, not the prize. We have written an article about this actually, and it’s really interesting – honest!
So with this in mind, the idea of two people winning the game at exactly the same time is one that is worth exploring.
Is this something that is even possible, and if so, what happens?
Are Multiple Winners Possible in Bingo?
Can you actually imagine the side eyes and evil looks you would get if you called bingo at the same time as somebody else?
Equally, can you imagine how annoyed you would be if you saw your final number come up for a full house only for some random to have the absolute cheek to win at the same time? What a liberty!
Well, believe it or not, this is possible.
It’s not something which that many people will have witnessed in real life but it is super common online, and it does happen in bingo halls too.
This is because all of the tickets are created at random, and the order in which the balls are drawn is random, so there is no way of ensuring a single winner.
It could occur in any number of ways; for example one player could have 1TG (1 to go – see our bingo lingo/chat terms page) and not get their last number for another 20 calls, while another player could get their last 5 numbers all in a row.
If both of those players are waiting for the same number, they will both win at the same time regardless of how they got to that point.
What Happens if Two Players Win Bingo at the Same Time?
The process for two winning players is very simple, and very fair too, even though it’s probably quite annoying if it happens to you.
The prize money for the game is split equally between however many winners there are.
Yes, there can be even more than two winners at the same time. We have never seen more than 3 in our own experience but it’s certainly possible for more to win, especially in big games online with lots of players and tickets in play.
Here are a few examples:
| # Winners | Prize | Split |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | £10.00 | £5.00 |
| 2 | £23.50 | £11.75 |
| 3 | £25.00 | £8.33 |
So it’s nothing too taxing, just basic maths required.
If this does happen to you, don’t be too disheartened. Yes your winnings will be cut in half (or into third if there are 3 winners), but you’re still a winner, so enjoy it.
Having said all this, in some games – mostly those organised by community groups and churches etc. – a separate rule might be employed.
The dreaded ‘first to call it wins it’.
That means that, whoever is first to call bingo, wins the full prize. As you can imagine, this isn’t a great system and can lead to arguments and resentment, so always check the rules before you decide to play.
Most People to Win a Game of Bingo at the Same Time
You may well have witnessed two, three, or even four people sharing a prize at an online bingo site, but have you ever seen it happen in person?
If you have, chances are it will have only been two people sharing the prize.
Well, imagine having to share that luck win with 100 other people! That’s exactly what happened at an outdoor game in Brazil in July 2022.
Due to a printing glitch, lots of people had the same numbers on their bingo cards, so when the final number was called over 100 people yelled bingo at the same time (but in Portuguese), before rushing the prize tent to claim their win.
Sadly, because of the error, that main prize of BRL 1,000 – which is about £150 – had to be shared equally among all of them, so each person walked away with just BRL 10 – which is about £1.50.
Ouch.
To add insult to injury, most people had paid BRL 20 for a strip of 3 bingo cards, so they were down even though they had won.