Slingo was an online single and multi-player game that combines elements of slots and bingo. The game was created by New Jerseyreal estate developer, Dave Lyons and Sal Falciglia in 1994, who also founded the company Slingo, Inc. to create and market games based on the Slingo theme. In July 2013, RealNetworks acquired Slingo for $15.6 million, and in July 2015 RealNetworks announced that it would sell Slingo to London-based gaming company Gaming Realms. Slingo has since become popular in the UK online gambling industry, with many sites now hosting the game, including its various iterations of which there are currently 12. These are known collectively and individually as ‘Slingo Originals’ and were developed by Gaming Realms’ development and publishing branch of the same name. Both the games and brand have enjoyed commercial success, and have been praised for their playability and originality.
Play
A player has 20 turns to "spin" the numbers below his or her bingo card. Five numbers appear, and if they are found on the card, they can be marked off. During the game, other special items may show up in the number spots below the card. Jokers are wild, and can be used to mark off any number in the column in which it appears. A joker in the center column may sometimes become a Super Joker, which can be placed anywhere on the board. Devils also occasionally appear during the course of the game. If a devil appears in place of a number, the player's score is cut in half. Frequently though, a cherub appears and cancels the devil's effects by shooting it with an arrow. Other special items include coins, which grant automatic points to the player, and Free Spins. The last four spins of the game must be bought using points. A player may use accumulated free spins in place of the fee for any of the spins. Time limits are imposed on spins as well. If a player does not begin his spin within a time limit, he loses that spin. If a player does not mark off all possible numbers or jokers within the time limit, those are considered lost. At the end of the game, the winner is the player who has the most points.
Points are earned from Slingo CD-Rom to Slingo Deluxe:
marking a number on the board
clearing a line of numbers either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, as in normal bingo fashion
getting a coin on a spin
spinning three, four, or five jokers in one spin This bonus didn't exist until the millennium version.
clearing the entire card, which earns a bonus proportional to the number of spins used:
*Spins 5-12 - 11,000 Points
*Spin 13 - 10,000 Points
*Spin 14 - 9,000 Points
*Spin 15 - 8,500 Points
*Spin 16 - 8,000 Points
*Spin 17 - 7,500 Points
*Spin 18 - 7,000 Points
*Spin 19 - 6,500 Points
*Spin 20 - 6,000 Points
Points are deducted for:
hitting a devil
paying for the last four spins
*spin 17 - 500 points
*spin 18 - 1,000 points
*spin 19 - 1,500 points
*spin 20 - 2,000 points
Slingo Quest-Latest
Points are earned from Slingo Quest to Slingo Supreme 2:
making a number on the board without speed bonus
making a number on the board with speed bonus
clearing lines of numbers either horizontally, vertically, diagonally, or with bounce
spinning three, four or five jokers in one spin
opens a treasure without devil
clearing the entire card, which earns a bonus proportional to the number of spins used since Slingo Quest:
Spin 5: 47,500 points
Spin 6: 45,000 points
Spin 7: 42,500 points
Spin 8: 40,000 points
Spin 9: 37,500 points
Spin 10: 35,000 points
Spin 11: 32,500 points
Spin 12: 30,000 points
Spin 13: 27,500 points
Spin 14: 25,000 points
Spin 15: 22,500 points
Spin 16: 20,000 points
Spin 17: 17,500 points
Spin 18: 15,000 points
Spin 19: 12,500 points
Spin 20: 10,000 points
Points are deducted from Slingo Quest-Slingo Quest: Hawaii:
hitting a devil
opens a treasure to appear devil
paying for the last four spins since Slingo Quest
* spin 17 - 10%
* spin 18 - 20%
* spin 19 - 30%
* spin 20 - 40%
Points are earned since Slingo Supreme:
winning a minigame
Points are deducted since Slingo Supreme:
losing a minigame
Points are earned since Slingo Supreme 2:
making a number on the board after starting a spin
making a number on the board with speed bonus
clearing lines of numbers either horizontally, vertically, diagonally, bouncing or wrapping
Millennium / Classic versions
For a while, the multiplayer version of Slingo was only available through AOL. A single-player version aimed at children on slingo.com was the closest members could get to the real thing. However, for the new millennium, Slingo launched a new version with newer graphics than the old game, and it had a resemblance to the graphics of the kid's version of the game. Also, the bonuses for three or more jokers were added into the game, and the Devil and Cherub cartoons were revamped. Another revision was done along with a name change in September 2009 to Slingo Classic. This included another graphics update.
Game Modes
Some of the CD-ROM versions of the game had different versions of Slingo with slightly different rules:
Classic Slingo - The original version of the Slingo game.
Mixed Matrix Slingo - This version has all the numbers in random locations, not just limited to the traditional column. Spin Numbers can be used no matter which column it is on the board, however Jokers still can only choose numbers of the column it is under. This is a more time-based game, since it will take longer to try and search which numbers where hit and where they are.
Duel Slingo - Play against the computer in a 2-player game board. Both the player & computer take turns alternating to clear the same board and compete to see which will get the highest score.
Giant Slingo - Same as the original, but a new 'Giant' item is added to the game. If a giant is earned during a 'Spin' and once you choose the numbers or Jokers you can, the Giant will Spin again for 4 new numbers on the same turn. This makes it easier to clear the board with basically 2 spins on the same turn.
Super Squares Slingo - Same as the original, however during each Spin, up to 5 of the numbers on the board will randomly turn Red each turn, indicating a 'Super Square'. Each super square is worth 1800 point bonus if that number is marked & another point bonus is added to your score if you earn a slingo from that square. Also, as well a normal Jokers for normal squares, Red highlighted 'Super Jokers' can be used to mark super squares for the full bonus.
Computer versions
There have been some stand alone computer versions of the Slingo game.
Slingo CD-ROM 1998
Slingo Deluxe 2002
Slingo Quest 2006 - Winner of the 2006 People's Choice Zeeby Award for Best Card, Board, or Mah Jong Game
Slingo Quest - Hawaii 2008
Slingo Supreme 2008
Slingo Mystery 2009
Slingo Quest - Egypt 2010
Slingo Quest - Amazon 2011
Slingo Supreme 2 2012
Console versions
In December 2008, Slingo appeared on the Nintendo DS with a version of Slingo Quest. This version used the DS's touch screen to duplicate the clicking of a mouse to match numbers. The game was published by Mumbo Jumbo.
Mobile versions
There have been two iterations of Slingo for play on mobile phones.
Slingo-To-Go from SuperHappyFunFun/Kayak Interactive 2005 - The game featured direct play between the users of the mobile game and players on Slingo.com.
Slingo Quest Mobile from SuperHappyFunFun/Iplay 2007 - This is the mobile version of the Zeeby Award Winning Slingo Quest
The Slingo LCD handheld game was created in partnership with Tiger Electronics in 1998. It plays similarly to the Classic & Millenium versions of Slingo, but it lacks Cherubs, Super Jokers, and multiple Joker bonuses due to technical limitations.
