Blackout Bingo Review After Playing [2026]: It’s a Fresh Take on the Classic

Is Blackout Bingo legit?

Blackout Bingo is a legit gaming app you can download from the App Store for the iPhone and iPad. The game runs through the Skillz platform, which supports many game apps, and even made our list of the best bingo games that pay real money. The App Store shows that many other users are happy with Blackout Bingo, which has earned 4.5 out of 5 stars, based on over 95,000 ratings.

My testing experience showed that Blackout Bingo does pay real money (if you win cash tournaments and withdraw the funds). I also like that Blackout Bingo's replay feature offers a level of transparency not found with many other game apps.

You can watch your past games, including your competitors' boards, to verify that your competitor had the same game board and won (or lost) legitimately. It also makes it easier to improve your skills.

What is Blackout Bingo?

Game	4.4 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score products and companies on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence our ratings.
Gaming platform	Skillz
Compatible systems	iOS
Minimum entry fee (for cash tournaments)	$0.60
Minimum cash deposit	$10
Minimum withdrawal amount	$0
Withdrawal processing fee	$1.50 for withdrawals under $10
Withdrawal methods	Mailed paper check for U.S. players (or as a refund to your original payment method up to the amount of total deposits)
States that prohibit cash tournaments	Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Louisiana, South Dakota (as of this writing)
Tournament types	Practice (free) Head-to-head Brackets Special mode Leagues
	Download Blackout Bingo

How does Blackout Bingo work?

Blackout Bingo spruces up the typical bingo gameplay interface with cute decorations representing cities around the world, including Paris and Mexico City.

Just like traditional bingo, you have five columns on the board with numbered squares. The goal is to score as many bingos as possible before the timer runs out.

You can score a bingo by tapping ("daubing") five squares in a row, whether straight up and down, left to right, or diagonal. You can also score by getting the squares in each of the four corners (plus the free square in the middle).

If you daub all of the squares on a board (known as a "blackout" or sometimes called a "full house"), then you finish the game early.

If you've ever played other cash bingo apps, such as Bingo Cash and Bingo Clash, then Blackout Bingo will feel pretty similar. You can pay an entry fee to join cash tournaments and potentially win real money, or you can use the in-game currency (called Z on the Skillz platform) to play in free tournaments.

4.9

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score products and companies on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence our ratings.

Earn Up to $483 Every Time You Win

Right now you could 13X your money — add $10 and get a $5 bonus to use towards tournaments.

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My experience with Blackout Bingo

I played 14 cash tournaments and several free "Practice" tournaments in Blackout Bingo, as well as a special mode tournament. Overall, I thought Blackout Bingo was really fun to play, and it had features that stood out to me compared to other bingo apps.

I've played quite a few bingo gaming apps, and most are extremely similar to one another. These games are all fast-paced, require multitasking, and are best suited to attentive players who like to think on their feet.

While all of that is true for Blackout Bingo, it also offers more extensive versions of everything I've seen in other bingo apps, including more types of tournaments, more forms of in-game currency, and more reward options.

Blackout Bingo also offers more kinds of boosters than other bingo apps I've played. You only get access to some of them when you play specific games (like special mode tournaments) or after you've played for a while and tried out a cash tournament. I like how this keeps the game interesting and motivates you to play.

All this to say, Blackout Bingo is entertaining, but it might not be a great choice for newbies. If you're not already familiar with cash gaming apps, and with bingo games in particular, then you might find it easier to start with something like Bingo Tour.

How to use boosters in Blackout Bingo

I encountered four types of boosters in regular Blackout Bingo games:

1. Free Daub: Lets you daub any square you want.
2. Golden Ball: Lets you choose from four balls with numbers that are on your board.
3. Time Boost: Adds 10 seconds to the game clock.
4. Double Points: Lets you score twice the usual number of points on daubs and bingos for the next 10 seconds.

If you daub squares quickly enough, then you can get access to one booster every two turns. But you can only hold three booster buttons at a time, so you have to pay close attention and keep using them if you want to get more.

Three at once is more boosters than some other bingo game apps let you hold, and Blackout Bingo makes them a little trickier to use. While games like Bingo Cash give you two booster buttons side by side so you can choose which one to use, Blackout Bingo stacks boosters so that you have to use the one on top first.

This made it harder for me to strategize. Not only did I have to think about which booster to use, but also whether it was better to use the top booster immediately or let boosters stack up and risk burying a good option.

Special boosters

I found that Blackout Bingo offers additional boosters only during certain games.

For example, during a special mode game, I could use a Free Column booster that let me daub an entire column of squares at once. Some special games also offered a Double Golden Ball booster that let me choose two of our balls instead of just one.

You'll find such boosters as you continue playing the game and leveling up your status, which adds some mystery to the game. You'll have to either hear about these boosters from other players or discover them as you go.

My tips for scoring better on Blackout Bingo

Every player in a Blackout Bingo tournament is working with the same board, so you need to daub numbers quickly to score the most points and strategize to get the most bingos (and multi-bingos) as possible.

Beyond that, you'll need a solid booster strategy to maximize points. Here are the top tips I discovered while playing Blackout Bingo:

• Never let more than two boosters stack up. As soon as you get a third booster, you can't get any more until you've used one. Don't risk letting any booster go to waste.
• Use Time Boost boosters immediately. These boosters add 10 seconds to the clock no matter when you deploy them, so use them right away rather than let one of them fill up a booster spot.
• Try to save Double Points boosters. If you can save a Double Points booster until right before you score at least one bingo (ideally multiple), it will be much more effective.
• Use boosters to daub the four corners. You can use both the Golden Ball and Free Daub boosters to cover the four corners of your board. That gives you one easy bingo and a better setup to try for more bingos.

Keep in mind that Blackout Bingo also offers extra points if you can get a blackout on your board (where you've daubed every single square) and you finish early. The only way to finish early is to get a blackout.

How much money can you make?

Blackout Bingo has cash tournaments with a wide range of prize pools, so you can potentially win anywhere from $1 to over $150. The highest prize pool I saw during my time playing was $200 for a head-to-head game (winner-take-all).

Personally, I stick to tournaments with low entry fees (and low prize pools). The entry fees for higher cash prizes can be intimidating. For example, the entry fee on the $200 cash tournament I saw was $120 — too risky for my tastes.

I mostly stuck to basic, one-card tournaments with an entry fee of $0.60 and a winner's prize of $1. For comparison, many other bingo apps have tournaments with $1 entry fees and $3 prizes for the first-place winner. So, Blackout Bingo not only has lower entry fees but also lower winnings for its most accessible cash tournaments.

After only an hour of playing Blackout Bingo, I had a final balance of $14. But that doesn't account for my initial deposit, which I spent on entry fees, or how much of that total is bonus cash.

My initial deposit was $8, and I got $3 in bonus cash as part of a promotional deal. That means my net winnings after one hour were $3.

While it's nice to make a few bucks to play a fun game in your spare time, don't expect to turn Blackout Bingo into a steady side hustle that covers your bills.

Withdrawing cash with Blackout Bingo

Blackout Bingo has a lackluster primary cashout method: For U.S. players, you'll receive a paper check, which seems quite outdated compared to apps that pay out using digital platforms.

Fortunately, you might get part of your winnings through a faster method. If you've made deposits into the game, then you can get up to that amount of money back as a refund. The refund will go to your original payment method.

Since Blackout Bingo lets you deposit money using a credit card, Apple Pay, or PayPal, refunds can come back through those methods. Thankfully, this will almost certainly be faster than a paper check arriving in the mail.

I chose not to cash out my winnings via paper check since it wasn't worth the hassle to receive a little more than $3. Instead, I cashed out only the $8 I had deposited. Plus, I had to pay a $1.50 fee for withdrawing less than $10.

What are other users saying?

Blackout Bingo generally receives positive reviews on the App Store, which aligns with my positive gameplay experience. I didn't notice any glitches, and gameplay was smooth. App Store user Sms591234 agrees. They described the game as "Fun, addictive, challenging."

However, some users have reported app glitches or trouble contacting customer support. App Store user 1sttimehome said, "Recently I won a $50 tournament … However, I only received $10 of that win and have been contacting support for weeks. … It's been 6 weeks."

Six weeks is within Blackout Bingo's estimated four- to six-week withdrawal period, but it's still quite a long time to wait for your winnings. With that said, patience will be important if you decide to play this game for extra cash.

Alternatives to Blackout Bingo

If Blackout Bingo's fast pacing and intense strategy aren't a fit for you, or you have an Android device, then there are other game apps and side hustle options you can use to have fun and try to make money on the side.

Bingo Cash

Bingo Cash is an online bingo game where you compete against other players for cash prizes or free gems. This game has a bit of a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, it's really fun to play.

Like with Blackout Bingo, I wouldn't exactly call Bingo Cash "relaxing," as it requires a lot of multitasking and keeps you engaged. You can play it on Samsung Galaxy and Apple devices.

Visit Bingo Cash | Read our Bingo Cash review

Scrambly

Scrambly is a great option if you're looking for an easy way to earn a bit of extra money in your spare time. It offers a combination of one-time earning opportunities, such as downloading a certain app, and ongoing opportunities, such as playing certain games.

Android users can download Scrambly from Google Play Store. While there's an official iPhone app on the App Store, it appears to reward players for walking rather than playing games as the Android version does.

Visit Scrambly | Read our Scrambly review

Solitaire Cash

For a different kind of game with a slower pace, consider Solitaire Cash. This app lets you play a classic game while competing against other gamers for real cash prizes.

If you like solitaire (and are actually half-decent at it), you could pass your free time clearing decks and potentially winning some money. You can find it on the Samsung Galaxy Store or App Store.

Visit Solitaire Cash | Read our Solitaire Cash review

InboxDollars

For a more reliable income, try out InboxDollars. This platform is easy to join, and you can earn rewards by completing tasks such as surveys and app testing. Unlike gaming apps, where you can easily lose money playing for cash prizes, InboxDollars lets you earn more consistently. However, it also offers games.

You can complete tasks on the InboxDollars website or download the app on the Google Play Store or App Store.

Visit InboxDollars | Read our InboxDollars review

FAQs

Bottom line

Blackout Bingo is best for people who want a fast-paced, challenging version of a cash gaming app. If cash tournaments are available in your state, then it's possible to win real money playing Blackout Bingo — just be prepared to wait a long time for the paper check to arrive via mail.

If you want gaming apps with faster cashouts or more relaxed gameplay, consider other legit gaming apps for making money during your downtime.

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4.9

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score products and companies on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence our ratings.

Possible to win real cash prizes in tournaments

Confirmed as legit by our team

More fun and engaging to play than other bingo cash games

Simple interface that's easy to use