Slingo games feel like a modern innovation, so you may be surprised to hear that the first online Slingo games appeared all the way back in 1995, since when variations of this game have been played by tens of millions of people. In this article we are going to look at the origins of Slingo and also provide an outline of how this game works and how it differs from slots and online bingo.
Slingo was invented in 1994 by bingo fan Sal Falciglia, who conceived of the idea as a combination of slot machine and bingo that would work well as a TV show. The idea didn’t make it to TV, but instead was taken up by the pioneering internet provider AOL, which added the concept to its selection of online games. Slingo quickly rose to the top of the charts on AOL, and a couple of years later was taken up by IGT and has since become a fixture on hundreds of online casinos.
Now let’s take a look at how the game works, including a few of the special features which set it apart from either bingo or slot games.
How to Play Slingo
- Choose the Coin value you wish to play for on your chosen Slingo game.
- The grid will be randomly filled with (normally) 25 numbers from 1 to 75.
- Spin to reveal 5 numbers below the grid.
- Any matching numbers are marked on the grid.
- You get points for making horizontal, vertical or diagonal lines.
- As you earn points, you move up the leaderboard on the left of the grid.
- When there are no more spins or no space on the board your game ends and you receive your reward depending on how many lines you scored.
Slingo: Important Features
There are some symbols to look out for which will make it faster and easier for you to pick up on how to play Slingo.
The Wild or Joker symbol plays a major role, and is one part of the game where the player has an active role. When one of these symbols shows up beneath a reel of the grid, the player gets to choose which of the available spaces on that reel of the grid to mark as complete. Make sure to choose the space which is most likely to lead to a winning line as soon as possible! If there are a few spaces which are close to creating a Slingo, best strategy is to pick the one which is involved in the most lines. For example, the middle space could potentially be part of two diagonal lines plus a horizontal and vertical line, making it the most valuable space on the grid.
Other features to look out for when playing Slingo include the Free Spins symbol which, as the name suggests, will give you an extra spin of the reels. There may also be regular slot game symbols among the numbers on the spinning reels, and matching three of these will bring an award. A lot of Slingo games also have a bonus game – such as a pick and click style game – which is triggered when three or more Scatter symbols show up on the reels.
One of the great aspects of Slingo games is that they have such variety in themes and gameplay that no two games are ever quite the same, keeping players coming back for more! These hybrid games are perfect for playing on your phone, as their speedy action and popping visuals make them ideal to play on the move.
The McLuck Social Casino is one of the best landing spots if you want to play some Slingo games for free. There are plenty of options to choose from here and it won’t cost you a cent to start spinning those reels!
