Cash Bingo is the "fast and furious" bingo game played across the UK, both in traditional bingo clubs as well as the seaside arcade venues.

A player typically has one or more cards, on which the bingo numbers stay the same for each game. A coinslot is positioned nearby, and the player inserts coins to join in the game.

It's often known as "MCB" or Mechanised Cash Bingo, because the coins are collected either in separate cash boxes or, more usually, by dropping onto a conveyor belt where cash from many positions is taken to a single point.

On the player cards, a series of plastic shutters is used to slide across and cover the numbers as they are called. Traditionally, the numbers are sorted into columns - 1-20 in the first (red), 21-40 in the second (yellow) and so on.

The numbers are called from a computerised system called an "SRCe", ECM's advanced system rig controller. This automatically "listens" to all of the coinslots, claim buttons etc., and as well as calling the numbers it checks cards, operates the conveyors, performs all of the auditing and accounting and drives the stage displays! It also prints out the receipts for the winner so that the cashier knows exactly how much to pay and who to pay it to.

To start the game, the caller invites people to put in the appropriate amount of money, then begins calling the numbers. Players can usually join the game up to the fourth number called, after which they are "locked out" and any money they insert goes towards the next game.

The caller calls the numbers almost as fast as they can be read, in the form "Blue 43, White 71, Red 17" for example. Wins can be a single line across or down, any diagonal or the four corners.

To claim, a player either shouts or presses a claim button, which immediately stops the game. The caller checks the card number and if valid the win is paid. It's as simple as that!

There are variants on the game: cards may be either loose "scatterboards" or fixed into the table; there may be one, two or four cards per player position; games may be a single line or "full house"; games may be for cash or prizes. The basic idea remains the same, however, and Cash Bingo is one of the most popular games played in bingo clubs today.

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