How to Play Housie

The game of Housie is similar to American Bingo. While in the United Kingdom it is known as Bingo or Housey Housey, our friends to the south in New Zealand and Australia know the game as Housie. In the same way Bingo is often used in America as a fundraiser, in Australia and New Zealand Housie is commonly used to raise funds for sports teams and churches. The rules of Housie are simple and the game is fast-paced.

Purchase your tickets. If you can choose the amount of your ticket, start out small to minimize potential losses.

Look at your Housie ticket. In the first column you will see numbers from 1 to 9, in the second the numbers 10 to 19 appear, the third contains 20 to 29. This pattern continues until the final column (the eighth) which contains the numbers 80 to 90.

Listen to the caller. She will call out numbers. When you have those numbers, mark them with a highlighter, bingo marker or similar instrument.

Make a row. If the numbers called fill a row on your Housie card, you can win if you are the first to call out.

Signify your win by calling out “Housie!” or “Whooo!”

Strategize. If you are feeling lucky, bet more on your Housie ticket to win bigger, or wait to see if you can fill more than one row before someone else does.

Play by the rules. Don’t criticize the game strategy of your opponents, and don’t try to distract them. Most of all, make sure you pay attention and really have a win before you call out Housie!