Try It Now!

Welcome to Mobo Bingo

What is Mobo Bingo?

Mobo Bingo is a modern, hosted bingo game designed for:

  • Live events
  • Bars & venues
  • Parties, fundraisers, and corporate events

Unlike traditional bingo:

  • Players usually play on their own mobile phones
  • The host controls the game from a Host Console
  • A shared HUD (big screen display) shows calls, instructions, and visuals
  • Paper bingo cards can also be printed for offline or mixed play

You (the host) are always in control:

  • You decide how players win
  • You control when and what gets called
  • You can automate calling or run it manually
  • You can mix mobile players and printed cards in the same game

The Main Parts of Mobo Bingo

Understanding these three parts will make everything else easy.

Host Console

The Host Console (YOU use this)

What it is: The Host Console is your control panel. You run the entire game from here.

What you do with it:

  • Start and restart games
  • Choose how players win
  • Call bingo spaces (manually or automatically)
  • Add or remove player cards
  • Print bingo cards
  • See winners and scores
  • Control ads, themes, and visuals

Where it’s used: Typically on a laptop, desktop, or tablet.

👉 If you can see buttons like Start Round, Call Next, Winners, and a list of players — you are in the Host Console.

Host Console

The HUD (Big Screen Display)

What it is: The HUD is the audience-facing display — usually shown on a TV, projector, or large screen.

What players see on the HUD:

  • A QR code and join instructions
  • Recently called spaces
  • The bingo board
  • Visual animations
  • Background themes or videos
  • Promo ads (if enabled)

What the HUD does NOT do:

  • It does NOT control the game
  • It does NOT call numbers
  • It does NOT manage players

👉 Think of the HUD as the scoreboard + stage screen.

The Controller (Players’ Phones)

What it is: The Controller is the player’s mobile experience.

How players use it:

  • They scan the QR code or visit the join link
  • Enter the Access Code
  • Receive bingo cards on their phone
  • Tap spaces as they are called
  • Press BINGO when they win

Key idea: Players do not need to download an app — it runs in their mobile browser.

Typical Game Flow (Big Picture)

  1. You open the Host Console
  2. You start a round and choose settings
  3. Players join on their phones
  4. Cards are generated (mobile or printed)
  5. You call spaces (manually or automatically)
  6. Players call BINGO
  7. Winners are displayed
  8. You restart or close the round

Everything below explains exactly how to do each step.

How to Start a Bingo Game (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Open the Host Console

  • Open the Host Console in your browser

  • You’ll immediately see:

    • A Players list on the left
    • A card display area in the center
    • A Settings panel on the right
    • An Access Code and QR code

👉 Do not worry if no players are present yet — that’s normal.

Step 2: Go to the “Startup” Tab

On the right-hand panel:

  • Click the Startup tab
  • If no game is running, you’ll see Start Round
  • If a game is already running, it will say Restart Round

Step 3: Choose How Players Win (Game Rules)

Before starting, you must choose how bingo is won.

Win Pattern Options

You can choose one:

  • Standard (Up, Down, Diagonal) The classic bingo rules. Most common choice.

  • Cover Entire Card Every space must be filled.

  • Center Cross A cross through the middle of the card.

  • Outside Border Only the outer edge of the card counts.

👉 This applies to all players for the round.

Step 4: Set Cards and Winners

Initial Cards Per Player

  • Choose how many cards each player starts with
  • Example: 1 is typical, 2–3 for faster games

Winners Per Game

  • Choose how many winners are allowed

  • Example:

    • 1 = first winner only
    • 3 = first three winners

👉 When the winner limit is reached, the game stops accepting new winners.

Step 5: Click “Start Round”

Click Start Round to open the game setup window.

Step 6: Choose the Bingo Style (Layout Type)

You’ll choose what kind of bingo spaces are used:

Layout Options

  • Standard Bingo (B1, B2, … O75) Traditional bingo calls like “B12”.

  • Standard Bingo – Numbers Only Calls are just numbers like “12”.

  • Randomized Numbers Non-traditional numeric play.

  • Word Bingo (WORDO) Uses words or phrases instead of numbers.

Step 7 (Optional): Word Bingo Setup

If you choose Word Bingo:

You must provide at least 75 unique words or phrases.

You can:

  • Generate words with AI (type a topic and click Generate)
  • Paste your own list (one word or phrase per line)

👉 The game will not start unless there are 75 unique entries.

Step 8: Start the Game

Click Start.

🎉 The round is now live.

How Players Join the Game

Once the game starts:

  1. Players scan the QR code on the screen OR
  2. Visit the join link and enter the Access Code

As players join:

  • Their names appear in the Players list
  • Cards are automatically created for them

👉 Players can join before or after the game starts.

Managing Bingo Cards (Mobile & Print)

Mobile Cards (Most Common)

  • Players automatically receive cards on their phones
  • They tap spaces as they’re called
  • They press BINGO when they win

You can:

  • Click a player → Add Card
  • Delete cards if needed

Printed Cards (Paper Play)

Mobo Bingo supports paper cards, even during a live game.

From the Host Console you can:

  • Print All cards
  • Print Selected cards
  • Print individual cards

Before printing, you can choose:

  • Card title
  • Background color or image
  • Circle or square spaces

👉 Printed players can still win — you simply verify their bingo visually. Also on the bottom of the cards in your host cosole is an ID which should match the ID of the printed card.

Calling Bingo Spaces (Running the Game)

Once the game is running, open the Call tab.

Manual Calling

Call Next Random

  • Calls a random unused space
  • Announces it visually and (optionally) by voice

Call a Specific Space

  • Click any available space from the list
  • Disabled spaces are already called

Auto-Call (Hands-Free Mode)

You can let the game call automatically.

Start Auto-Call

  1. Click Start Auto-Call

  2. Set:

    • Time between calls
    • Optional ads every X calls

  3. Click Start

The game will:

  • Call spaces automatically
  • Pause for ads (if enabled)
  • Stop when winners are reached

Stop Auto-Call

  • Click Stop Auto-Call at any time

Winners & Scores

Open the Winners tab to see:

Bingo Winners (This Round)

  • Player name
  • Exact time bingo was called

Multi-Game Winners

  • Tracks wins across multiple rounds
  • Can be cleared manually

👉 Bingo claims are automatically validated by the system.

Optional Features (Nice to Have)

These features are not required to run a successful bingo game, but they can greatly improve the look, feel, and flow of your event—especially for larger groups or public venues.

You can use all, some, or none of these features depending on how simple or polished you want your game to be.

Themes & Backgrounds

What this feature does

Themes and backgrounds control what players and the audience see behind the bingo game. They affect:

  • The Host Console background
  • The HUD (big screen) background
  • The overall atmosphere of the game

Think of this as setting the mood for your event.

Option 1: Generate a Theme with AI

This option creates a custom background image using AI.

How to use it:

  1. Click Theme Generator

  2. Type a short description of a theme Examples:

    • “Rock concert stage”
    • “Country fair at sunset”
    • “Neon retro arcade”
    • “Beach party”

  3. Click Create Theme with AI

What happens:

  • The system generates a themed image

  • The background updates instantly for:

    • The Host Console
    • The HUD
    • All players

👉 This is great when you want something fast, fun, and visually impressive without designing anything yourself.

Option 2: Upload Your Own Image

You can use your own photo or artwork instead of AI.

How to use it:

  1. Open Theme Generator
  2. Click Upload Your Own Image
  3. Choose an image from your device (camera photos work too)
  4. The image is uploaded and applied as the background

Common uses:

  • Venue logo or branding
  • Event flyer or sponsor image
  • Holiday or themed artwork
  • Custom designs made by your team

Option 3: Remove the Theme

If you want to go back to the default look:

  1. Open Theme Generator
  2. Click Remove Theme

The game returns to the standard Mobo Bingo background.

👉 You can change or remove themes even while a game is running.

Promo Ads

What this feature does

Promo Ads let you play audio or video messages during the game.

They are commonly used for:

  • Venue promotions
  • Sponsor messages
  • Announcements
  • House rules
  • Special offers (“Next drink is half off!”)

Ads can be played manually or automatically during Auto-Call.

Adding Promo Ads to a Game

Before ads can play, they must be added to the game.

How to add ads:

  1. Go to the Startup / Restart tab
  2. Find the In-Game Ads section
  3. Select an ad from the dropdown list
  4. Click Add Ad To Game

Once added:

  • The ad appears in the list
  • It becomes available for manual or automatic playback

👉 You can add or remove ads before or during a game.

Playing an Ad Manually

You can play an ad at any moment when Auto-Call is OFF.

How to play an ad manually:

  1. Click Play Promo
  2. Choose an ad from the list
  3. Click Play

What happens:

  • The ad plays on the HUD
  • Audio/video is played as designed
  • The game temporarily pauses while the ad finishes

👉 This is perfect for announcements or sponsor shout-outs between calls.

Auto-Playing Ads During Auto-Call

If you are using Auto-Call, ads can play automatically.

How it works:

  • You choose how often ads play (for example: every 5 calls)
  • The system pauses the game
  • Plays the ad
  • Automatically resumes calling afterward

Important notes:

  • Auto-ads only play if ads are added to the game

  • If a player calls BINGO during an ad:

    • The win is saved
    • The announcement appears after the ad finishes

👉 This keeps the game fair while still allowing uninterrupted promotions.

HUD Display

  • Click Open HUD
  • Use for TVs or projectors
  • Shows join instructions, calls, and visuals

Restarting or Ending a Game

Restart Round

  • Keeps players
  • Starts fresh cards and calls

Close Round / Reset Cards

  • Ends the session completely
  • Clears cards and state

First-Time Host Checklist

If this is your first game, do this:

  1. Start Round
  2. Choose Standard Bingo
  3. Set 1 card per player
  4. Set 1 winner
  5. Start the game
  6. Ask players to scan the QR code
  7. Use Call Next Random
  8. Celebrate your first BINGO 🎉