Play The Machine Bingo - 40 Ball Bingo

Published On 4th June 2021

Not content with adding Morph and Potions to their bingo roster, Tombola have launched yet another exciting variation to the popular numbers game. Stoke up the boiler and prepare to get heated with the arrival of The Machine. This steam punk inspired game gives you the chance to win two jackpot prizes. However there's a neat twist in the shape of the pressure prize. This is your shortcut to all the prizes that are still in play. Are you ready to take on The Machine?

Type Of Game: 40 Ball Bingo
Cost: 10p to £1
Open: 24/7
Prizes: Gold & Silver
Extras: 4 Different Rooms
Special Features: Pressure Prize

How To Play The Machine Bingo

The Machine is a stylish looking variant on the bingo game. It's safe to say we've not seen anything like it. It's a 40 ball that's played on a cog. We've suggested steam punk as the inspiration for the game but we also get a sense of HG Wells The Time Machine. It's all steam, cogs and pressure guages. We'll actually go out on a limb here and say this is quite possibly the best looking game of bingo around. Rather than a simple TV rebrand of a 90 ball game, Tombola have really put together something quite unique.

When you login to Tombola and enter The Machine you're offered access to four different rooms. These are Train, Submarine, Airship and Tank. Each room runs it's own game and players can opt to wager 10p, 25p, 50p, or £1 per game. To play a game you simply choose one of the price levers and purchase a ticket. The prizes on offer are reasonable. When we played for 25p a ticket the gold prize was £64 whilst the silver prize was £32.

Gold & Silver Prizes

Each player in a game has just one bingo card. This is made up of 20 different numbers on a gold outer cog and a silver inner cog. There are 8 numbers on the silver cog and 12 on the gold cog. The aim of the game is to mark off all the numbers on one of the cogs in order to win the respective prize. The full cog/house amounts are highlighted at the top of the page.

When the game starts numbers emerge from a steamy chimney at the bottom right of the screen. If a number matches then this is marked off your bingo card. The game plays until both the gold and silver prizes are won. The silver prize doesn't have to be won before the gold and vice versa. Because you're essentially playing two bingo cards the same player doesn't tend to win both prizes although it is possible.

Pressure Prizes

The reason why it's possible to win both gold and siver pots is the pressure prize element of The Machine. During each call the cogs will turn leaving a number on both the silver and gold cogs highlighted. These highlighted pressure numbers are connected to your pressure gauge. If the next number call matches a pressure number then your gauge will increase by one. What you want to see is all your pressure numbers crop up during play. You'll need to call six pressure numbers to blow The Machine.

The pressure gauge is a unique element to The Machine. When you match five pressure numbers during normal game play then you win all the prizes that are still available. This means you could claim gold and silver prizes or which ever prize has yet to be called. To make matters more exciting look out for the red light on the pressure gauge. When this lights up then you know that fellow roomies are close to completing their gauge and blowing The Machine.

Our Verdict

If you take a quick glance at The Machine then you might walk away wondering just what the heck is going on. It is a little complicated in it's make up but it's easy to understand in the following way. Essentially you're playing two bingo cards during a 40 ball game and the aim is to complete the numbers on those cards. You additionally have a 6 number card but you don't know the numbers. The aim is to complete this card because it beats the other two to the prizes.

We gave The Machine a try and loved it. The graphics are amazing, the soundtrack atmospheric and even the bingo caller is spot on. All the cog turns and steam add to the experience. The problem with The Machine is it's hard to win. All the rooms were incredibly busy! Getting any pressure number calls is also quite hard and there's no reward for getting close to blowing The Machine. That said, this is probably the best 40 ball version of bingo online. It may even be the best version of bingo. In short The Machine is a cracker of a game.