Welcome to the Tambola (Housie) Game Guide 2024! Find out all the information about the Indian Styled Bingo game, Tambola.
Tambola, also known as Lotto or Housie, is a popular board game that is easy to learn and can be played as a family game and at parties. The game usually involves buying a tambola ticket with numbers written on it from 1 to 90. Players then get to match the numbers generated by the Tambola number generator. If they match the winning combination, they win the prize pot.
To avoid the hassle of buying a Tambola game board and hosting a game night, you can look into various Tambola online games. Online Tambola games are easy to access and offer you a chance to win real money. Moreover, many variations of the classic tambola game available online are fun and entertaining. Watch this video to know how to play Tambola online and win real money:
Here is a brief overview of the Tambola (Housie) game:
| Country of Origin | Italy |
| Game Genre | Lottery-style board game |
| Players | 2+ |
| Various Names | Housie, Bingo, Lotto |
| Tambola Ticket Number Range | 1 to 90 |
| Tambola Number Generator | Available Online and Offline |
| Tambola Ticket Variations | Ludo Tambola, Festival Tambola, Special Occation |
| Tambola Online | Download Zupee Cricket X Tambola and Strike off boxes |
What is Tambola (Housie)?
Tambola is a board game played with a caller/host/dealer calling out numbers from 1 to 90 and the players crossing out the numbers. The numbers are printed on a specially designed card called tambola tickets. The first player to tick off all their numbers and achieve any pre-decided winning points is the winner.
Tambola or Bingo traces its history to the 16th century, specifically to 1530 in Italy. It was once a state-run lottery known as Lo Giuoco del Lotto D’Italia – a game many Italians and French aristocracy still play.
With the advancement of technology, you can now play Tambola online. In fact, many platforms allow you to win real money. One such platform is Zupee. Zupee’s Cricket X Tambola is a skill-based game where you can apply your knowledge and craft strategies to win REAL MONEY!
Download Zupee Cricket X Tambola and Strike off boxes! Click the “Download App” button.
Tambola (Housie) Game: 6 Steps to Play
The traditional offline rule of playing tambola is very straightforward. First, the game host distributes the tambola tickets consisting of 15 numbers from 1 to 90 arranged in rows and columns. They will then announce a number by reaching into a non-transparent box – containing 90 tiles printed with the numbers – and picking a tile randomly without looking at it.
After announcing the selected number, the players must strike off the number if it is on their ticket. As the game progresses, the players try to make a winning combination. The first player to claim a winning combination by striking off numbers wins the game.
Here are 6 steps to playing the tambola (Housie):
- Know the prerequisites
- The caller announces the numbers
- Dab the announced numbers
- Match a winning combination
- Verify the tambola ticket
- Award prizes to the winners
Check out how to play Tambola in detail.
Tambola Game Online
Cricket X Tambola is an online Tambola game with a twist. Here, the tickets include four types of numbers rather than numbers from 1 to 90. At the beginning of the game, each participant gets two locked tambola tickets.
Rules to Play Tambola Online
Here are the rules to play Tambola game online on Zupee:
- Once you choose a tornament, you will receive two locked tickets.
- In a live cricket battle, your tickets get unlocked when any of these 4 events occur:
- LD (Legal Delivery)
- Zero runs
- Runs 1, 2, or 3
- 4 or 6 runs
- All boxes on the Tambola ticket (Housie tickets) that contain the event are immediately highlighted. You will have 15 seconds to decide and cut the number from each ticket. After this, the tickets will be locked again until the next delivery. You can earn points by making these winning combinations:
- 3 points for the corner
- 4 points for the Top row
- 6 points for the center row
- 4 points for the bottom row
- 10 points for a Full house
- You and your opponents will strike off boxes to score points during each round of games. As you strike off boxes, try to maximize your total.
- Several other players can simultaneously claim the same row, corners, or full house. Every player receives the same number of points for claiming the winning combination. Remember, a winning combination can only be claimed once.
- The tournament ends whenever one or more players successfully claim a house. The player of players with the most points at the end of the game wins!
To play Cricket X Tambola, Click the “Download App” button.
Other real cash games on Zupee
- Ludo Supreme – an online time-based Ludo game
- Ludo Ninja – a dice-less ludo online game
- Ludo Turbo – a move-based online ludo game
- Ludo Supreme League – a single-player tournament
- Trump Cards Mania – IPL-based Trump cards game
- Cricket Cards – Trump Cards with a twist
Tambola Game Tickets
To play Tambola, you need Tambola tickets. These tickets are in various forms and varieties, both offline and online.
Offline Tambola tickets Generator
Offline tambola tickets are physical tickets that you can purchase. They have 15 numbers distributed typically in 3 rows and nine columns in a haphazard manner by following the specific guidelines mentioned below:
- Each of the three rows contains five numbers from 1 to 90.
- Each of the nine columns may have one, two, or three numbers, but each must contain at least one number.
- The first column of any tambola ticket contains numbers ranging from 1 to 9, the second column contains numbers ranging from 10 to 19, and so on, until the ninth column contains numbers ranging from 80 to 90.
- No number appears more than once on a Housie ticket.
Here’s what a classic Housie ticket looks like:
Tambola Tickets Online Generator
Online tambola tickets you buy online on various websites and apps. A random number generator creates these tambola tickets. They are widely used by people who do not want to invest in physical tickets.
Many platforms also offer a different style of Tambola ticket based on the gameplay. For example, Cricket X Tambola allows you to play Tambola online while watching cricket. The ticket has 15 numbers distributed in 3 rows and nine columns. However, the numbers are not 1 to 90. Instead, there are four types of numbers on the Cricket X Tambola:
- LD
- 1,2,3
- 4,6
- 0
Tambola Game Number Generator
The host/dealer/caller is an essential part of the game in classic tambola. The host is responsible for drawing or generating tambola numbers. They generate the number by picking them up from a non-transparent box/container without looking at them and then announcing the number to the audience/players. Every time, the host has to randomly pick up a tambola number from 1 to 90 and call it out to the players.
So, traditionally, it’s the organizer of the tambola game, i.e., the host/caller, who is the tambola number generator. Hence, it becomes tough for the host to buy their tambola ticket and play the game.
But when you play a tambola game online, you don’t have to worry about the tambola number generator. On Cricket X Tambola, the tickets are generated automatically and are RNG certified .
Tambola Game History
Tambola or Bingo traces its history to the 16th century, specifically to 1530 in Italy. It was once a state-run lottery known as Lo Giuoco del Lotto D’Italia – a game many Italians and French aristocracy still play.
Tambola making its way to France and Germany
Lo Giuoco del Lotto D’Italia later arrived in France in the late 1770s. The French version, known as Le Lotto, became popular among French nobility and relatively wealthy members of society.
A similar type of Lotto became popular in Germany in the 1850s, less than a century later. It was based on the Italian and French bingo games. Parents and teachers used it to help children learn mathematics as it represented a layout similar to multiplication tables.
Lotto (Tambola): New Name, Same Game
The French version went to Great Britain and the United States in the 20th century. During that time, Le Lotto gained massive popularity and underwent several transformations. The new variation, Housey-Housey, which had tickets with five numbers each on three lines and nine columns, emerged.
In the 1920s, the first modern version of the game gained its initial storm in popularity when it started appearing at fairs and carnivals. Later, credit was given to Hugh J. Ward, who most likely took the name ‘Bingo’ from pre-existing slang for marketing purposes. In 1942, Erwin S. Lowe received a patent for designing a modern and special Bingo card.
Since the British Betting and Gaming Act of 1960 legitimized social gaming, the name ‘Bingo’ has been used in Europe. Today, Bingo is played worldwide, and the game is continuously reaching a wider audience with online tambola games and Internet bingo growing in popularity.
Tambola game variation
The tambola game is widespread and is played not just in India but all across the globe. In several countries, this board game is played in different variations. Here’s an overview of the variations of the tambola gameplay in different world regions.
Tambola gameplay Italy
In Italy, the game’s prize is often small financial sums or symbolic tokens. You can buy any cards/tickets you wish, and the prize money is split into five lots: Ambo, Terno, Quaterna, Cinquina, and Tambola. When players combine 2, 3, 4, and 5 numbers on a single horizontal row, they can claim the prize of lots of Ambo, Terno, Quaterna, and Cinquina. A player can then claim the Tambola prize lot after marking all the numbers off the whole card.
Lotto Gameplay in United Kingdom
In the UK, the prizes are pre-assigned to winning tickets. In other words, after buying their tickets, the players can instantly discover if they have won a reward or not if the last digit of their ticket ends in a specific number (traditionally a zero or a five).
USA Tambola Gameplay
The game variation in the US is similar to the UK tambola. Players choose or proactively mark prizes with the winning numbers.
Housie (Tambola) Gameplay India
In India, players buy tambola tickets. The same money is then used to award prizes.
To play Cricket X Tambola, Click the “Download App” button.
Tambola Game: FAQs
Is Tambola same as Housie?
Yes. Tambola is a popular version of Housie and Bingo.
How to play Tambola?
To play, each player gets one ticket with 15 numbers between 1 to 90 on a 3×9 grid. The player needs to strike out the numbers announced by the host. The player with a winning combination gets the ticket verified and can then claim the prize. Look at this article to learn how to play tambola and its rules.
Can I play Tambola online?
Yes. Many websites and apps allow you to play tambola online.
What is the difference between private and public games while playing tambola online?
In a private tambola game, you can create a tambola game (current or future day/time) and invite friends and family to participate, whereas, in a public game, you can join games that are open to all.
What does ‘Auto-cut’ mean in an online tambola?
Auto-cut is a feature provided on a few online tambola games, where the numbers called out are automatically cut or crossed out on your ticket in case you are late to join the game or missed a few numbers while chatting with other players.
What is Boogie, and what is its impact on a tambola game?
When a player claims for a winning combo, and it turns out wrong after verification by the host/caller, it is called ‘Boogie.’ If a player claims a Boogie on a ticket, a host cancels out the ticket. The player cannot further participate in the game. Hence, the game loses one player/ticket on a Boogie claim.
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