It fits around real life
The most common point: people love not having to be at a hall at 7pm sharp. A round or two after the kids are in bed is the new housie night.
Housie
The 90-ball game Kiwis know from the club hall, the church fundraiser and the RSA - and how the same buzz carries over to bingo-style games at Platinum Play.
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The short answer: Housie is New Zealand's name for 90-ball bingo: you mark off called numbers on a 15-number ticket and win for a line, two lines or a full house. At Platinum Play you can play bingo-style games on desktop or mobile, with deposits from NZ$10.
What housie actually is
Ask anyone over forty in Whanganui or Invercargill about housie and you will probably get a story about a smoky hall, a trestle table of raffle prizes and a caller who took the job very seriously. Housie is simply the Kiwi (and Aussie) name for 90-ball bingo. The name comes from "house", the old shout for a full ticket, and it stuck here long after Britain settled on "bingo".
The game itself is gloriously simple. Every player holds a ticket with fifteen numbers printed on it. The caller draws numbered balls from 1 to 90 one at a time, reads each one out, and you dab or cross off any number that appears on your ticket. The first person to complete a winning pattern calls out and, once the ticket is checked, collects the prize for that stage.
That is really all there is to it, which is exactly why it has lasted. You don't need to know odds, strategy or poker hands. You need a pen, a bit of concentration and ideally a friend who will nudge you when you miss 47. Clubs, schools, marae, bowling clubs and churches have used housie nights for decades to raise money, and plenty of families still treat a housie session as a social night out as much as a game.
Online, the same idea lives on as bingo. The balls are drawn by a random number generator or by a presenter in a studio, the ticket marks itself automatically, and you can play from the couch at 10pm instead of waiting for the monthly hall night. Platinum Play Casino lists bingo alongside its pokies, blackjack, roulette, video poker and scratchcards, and every one of those games runs on the same account whether you log in on a laptop or a phone.
Housie rules, step by step
Get your ticket
Each ticket carries 15 numbers across three rows. In a hall you buy a book of tickets for the session; online the game deals them for you once you choose how many to play.
Listen for the call
The caller draws one ball at a time from 1 to 90 and reads it out, usually with a nickname. Mark the number if it is on your ticket - online this happens automatically.
Chase the first prize: one line
The first player to cover all five numbers on any single row wins the one-line prize. Play carries straight on afterwards.
Two lines
Next up is two complete rows on the same ticket. Some halls skip this stage and go straight from one line to the full house.
Full house
All fifteen numbers covered. This is the big prize of the game, and the moment the old "house!" shout comes from.
Reading a housie ticket
The layout looks random at first, but there is a tidy system behind it. Each of the nine columns covers its own band of numbers: the first column holds 1-9, the second 10-19, the third 20-29 and so on, with the last column taking 80-90. Numbers in a column always run from smallest at the top to largest at the bottom.
Every row has exactly five numbers and four blank squares, which is why a single line is such an achievable first prize. It also means you can scan a ticket fast: when the caller says 63, you only need to look down the seventh column.
In a hall, experienced players run six tickets at once - a full "strip" that uses every number from 1 to 90 exactly once, so each call marks something. Online games handle the marking for you, so the only limit on how many tickets you play is your budget.
Example ticket 3 marked
423416382
1527365577
938496890
Three rows, five numbers each, columns grouped by tens. Red squares have been called.
The calls: half the fun of housie
Part of what makes housie feel different from a plain number draw is the patter. Callers have used rhyming nicknames for generations, partly to make numbers easier to hear across a noisy room and partly because it is fun. Every region has its own favourites, but these are the ones you will hear almost everywhere in New Zealand.
- 1 - Kelly's eye. The oldest call in the book, and nobody quite agrees which Kelly it was.
- 11 - Legs eleven. Usually answered with a wolf whistle from the back row.
- 22 - Two little ducks. The room often replies with a "quack quack".
- 45 - Halfway there. Exactly half of the 90 balls.
- 88 - Two fat ladies. One of the most recognisable calls of all.
- 90 - Top of the shop. The highest ball in the draw.
How to play for money
In a hall, the money side is simple: you pay for your tickets, part of the takings goes to the prizes and the rest goes to whatever the night is raising money for. Prizes are often modest - a meat pack, a voucher, a cash envelope - because the point is the evening, not the jackpot.
Online bingo works on a similar principle, but the stakes and prizes are set by the game itself. You choose a ticket price, the number of tickets, and the game shows you the prize for each stage before the draw starts. A few practical things are worth knowing before you put real money on it:
- Set a session budget first. Housie is quick and it is easy to buy "just one more round". Decide what the night is worth to you before you open the game.
- More tickets, more chances - and more cost. Six tickets cover more numbers than one, but every extra ticket is extra spend. There is no hidden trick that changes the maths.
- Read the bonus rules. Platinum Play's welcome package carries 35x wagering, and speciality games often count for less than pokies when you clear it. If you want bingo to be your main game, check the contribution table in the promotion terms first.
- Use the smallest deposit to test. Deposits start at NZ$10, which is enough to see how a game feels before you commit more.
When you do deposit, Platinum Play spreads its welcome package over your first three deposits: 100% up to NZ$400 on the first, then 100% up to NZ$200 on each of the next two, for up to NZ$800 in total. The bonus has to be claimed within seven days of opening the account, so it pays to plan your first few sessions rather than rushing them.
NZ$10smallest deposit
NZ$800welcome package over 3 deposits
35xwagering on bonus funds
7 daysto claim after sign-up
Where to play housie-style games online
Traditional housie nights are still around - check your local club, school newsletter or community noticeboard. For something you can play any evening, bingo-style games at an online casino are the natural next step. Platinum Play has been running since 2004 and is part of the Fortune Lounge group, and its mobile casino specifically lists bingo, scratchcards, video poker, blackjack and roulette as games you can play on the go.
What changes online is the pace and the company. There's no hall, but live studio games bring back a presenter who draws and calls the numbers on camera, so it still feels like someone is running the room. RNG bingo games are faster and quieter - good for a few quick rounds on the bus home.
You also get the rest of the casino on the same login. If a housie session runs dry, the pokies and tables are one tap away, and your balance, loyalty points and bonus progress all follow you between desktop and phone. Loyalty points build up with every real-money bet and can be swapped for casino credits later on.
Housie is one of New Zealand's most familiar community games - legal, social and still raising money for good causes up and down the country.
Is housie legal in New Zealand?
Yes. Housie run by clubs, schools, churches and other community organisations is a long-established and lawful form of fundraising in New Zealand, covered by the Gambling Act 2003. Most hall games fall into the low-stakes categories that the Act allows without heavy paperwork, which is why you see them on community noticeboards rather than in casinos.
Online, it is legal for adults in New Zealand to play at overseas casino websites, and nobody is penalised for having a few rounds of bingo from home. Platinum Play accepts New Zealand players, shows prices in NZ dollars and keeps your account secure with SSL encryption on every transaction.
The usual age rule applies everywhere: you need to be 18 or over to play for money. If housie or any other game stops being fun, free and confidential help is available from the Gambling Helpline and the Problem Gambling Foundation.
What players say about housie online
We read through a good number of player comments about switching from hall housie to online bingo. The same themes came up again and again, so here they are in our own words.
Live callers bring the atmosphere back
Players who missed the chatter of a real caller say the live studio games are the closest thing to the hall - someone on screen, calling the numbers, reacting to wins.
No more missed numbers
Auto-marking gets a lot of love. Nobody has to explain to the table why they didn't notice their full house three calls ago.
Housie questions, answered
Is housie the same as bingo?
Yes. Housie is the name most New Zealanders grew up with for 90-ball bingo. The ticket, the calls and the line, two-line and full-house prizes are the same game you would find in a British bingo hall.
How many numbers are on a housie ticket?
Fifteen. A ticket has three rows and nine columns, each row holds five numbers and four blanks, and the columns run 1-9, 10-19 and so on up to 80-90.
Can I play housie online in New Zealand?
Yes. Adults in New Zealand can play bingo-style games online, and Platinum Play Casino lists bingo among the games you can open on a phone, tablet or computer with the same account.
What is the smallest deposit at Platinum Play?
The welcome package starts from a NZ$10 deposit, and the first three deposits are each matched 100% up to NZ$400, NZ$200 and NZ$200.
Do bingo games count towards the 35x wagering?
Check the promotion terms before you play with bonus money: pokies count in full, while many table and speciality games count at a reduced rate or not at all.
What does 'legs eleven' mean in housie?
It is the traditional call for number 11. Housie callers use rhyming nicknames such as 'Kelly's eye' for 1, 'two little ducks' for 22 and 'top of the shop' for 90.
Fancy a round tonight?
Open Platinum Play on any device, pick a bingo-style game and start with as little as NZ$10. Your first three deposits are matched up to NZ$800 in total.
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