{"id":8961,"date":"2025-04-28T16:27:35","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T15:27:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/?p=8961"},"modified":"2025-04-28T16:30:59","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T15:30:59","slug":"what-is-slingo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oddsmonkey.com\/blog\/matched-betting\/casino\/what-is-slingo\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Slingo?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Slingo is an online casino game created in 1994 by New York property developer Sal Falciglia Senior. Its name tells you a lot about what the game involved – Slingo is a portmanteau of the words <\/span>slots<\/b> and <\/span>bingo<\/b> (okay, I could have used \u2018blend word\u2019 instead, which is another word for the same thing, but opted for portmanteau in a vain attempt at sounding more mysterious, exotic and perhaps even a bit smarter).<\/span><\/p>\n

Most online casinos will host multiple variants of Slingo, which share the same core mechanic but have different graphics, themes, and (sometimes) features.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The first time you play Slingo, it might not seem obvious how to play it. With that in mind, this article will explain how Slingo works, the best way to play it to maximise your RTP, and where you can play it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How Does Slingo Work?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Slingo games are all played on a numbered 5×5 grid that resembles a bingo card, because that\u2019s pretty much what it is. Like bingo, the aim is to complete lines (called \u2018Slingos\u2019) by finding all the numbers on them or – the ultimate prize – complete the whole grid for a full house.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Slingo Layout<\/span><\/h2>\n

Here\u2019s a screenshot of Da Vinci Diamonds Slingo in demo mode, which shows the basic features of Slingo. A \u20ac0.20 stake is used throughout the screenshots throughout this article:<\/span><\/p>\n

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The most important part is that 5×5 grid, which displays your numbers. To the left are the payout amounts for different numbers of winning lines. 1 or 2 lines pay nothing, but after that, you\u2019ll win an ever-increasing amount as you complete more winning lines, up to a maximum of 12, which is a full house.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Immediately to the right of the grid is a breakdown of how much you\u2019ll win if you get between 3 and 5 Wilds and\/or Super Wilds on a spin. In the screenshot, you\u2019ll win \u20ac0.80 if you get three wilds, \u20ac10 if you get four, and \u20ac400 in the unlikely event you get five.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To the right of this is the spin button, which starts a game of Slingo. Underneath this is the stake selection button. The stake is for the whole game of Slingo (assuming you don\u2019t pay for any extra spins), rather than for each spin.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You start a Slingo game with 8 spins, but are sometimes given more if you get a Free Spin symbol.<\/span><\/p>\n

Symbols<\/span><\/h2>\n

There are many versions of Slingo, and they tend to share common symbol types, although the actual name and design of the symbol varies from game to game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some of the symbols you\u2019ll come across in Slingo:<\/span><\/p>\n

Number Symbol<\/b><\/p>\n

Most of the symbols you\u2019ll get are number symbols. If you get a symbol that matches with one in the same column of your grid, you\u2019ll \u2018dab\u2019 (mark off) that number.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Blocking Symbol \/ Devil<\/b><\/p>\n

This symbol blocks that column for the rest of the spin, so you won\u2019t get any more symbols.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Wild \/ Joker<\/b><\/p>\n

The Wild or Joker is a powerful symbol that you can use to mark off any number in the column above on your grid.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Super Wild \/ Super Joker<\/b>
\n<\/b><\/p>\n

Even more powerful is the Super Wild or Super Joker. This allows you to mark off any number on the entire grid.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Free Spin<\/b><\/p>\n

This gives you an additional spin for free.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Coin Award\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

This symbol gives an instant cash prize. Da Vinci Diamonds Slingo doesn\u2019t have an equivalent symbol, so the one below is taken from another Slingo game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Breakdown of a Slingo Game<\/span><\/h2>\n

To start a game of Slingo, you choose your stake, then click the spin button. This is where the slots part of Slingo makes an appearance, as the winning numbers are revealed at the bottom.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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If you get a Wild Symbol (called a Joker with some versions of Slingo), you can choose which number to select from the column above. In this example, you\u2019re best to select the 39, as it\u2019s the centre square (you\u2019ll find out the optimum Slingo strategy in the next section):<\/span><\/p>\n

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There are also Super Wilds (or Super Jokers). With these, you can select any square on the grid:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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In the example above, there\u2019s a Wild symbol but all of the squares in the column above are already filled. If this happens, the Wild can\u2019t be used to select a number.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you get a full column, row, or diagonal, you get a Slingo:<\/span><\/p>\n

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Once you\u2019ve completed all the spins, the game ends. If you have 2 or fewer Slingos, you can choose to \u2018End Game\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Alternatively, you always have the opportunity to pay more money for an extra spin. The cost of an extra spin varies significantly, and depends on how favourably the grid has been filled in, and the likeliness of completing Slingos.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this example, the cost for an additional spin is \u20ac0.06 for an initial \u20ac0.20 stake. Since only two Slingos have been completed and it\u2019s not that easy to make multiple additional Slingos, the additional spin cost is quite low:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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After one additional spin, three Slingos have now been completed, so you have the option to \u2018Collect\u2019 your winnings:<\/span><\/p>\n

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If the grid is more complete, the cost for an extra spin increases, sometimes to many times your original spin stake. With Da Vinci Diamonds Slingo, a warning message is shown if the spin price reaches a certain threshold, relative to your original stake:<\/span><\/p>\n

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In the example below, the total amount staked is \u20ac18.09. This includes the original \u20ac0.20 stake and \u20ac17.89 in extra spins:<\/span><\/p>\n

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If you have 8 or more Slingos, you have the additional option to receive a smaller payout and also play the bonus round. For Da Vinci Diamonds Slingo, the value of the bonus round increases if you\u2019ve completed more Slingos:<\/span><\/p>\n