Bingo is a classic game of chance and a fun way to pass the time. Some people play for fun, while others turn it up a notch by competing for money.
These days, there are also plenty of paid Bingo apps like Bingo Clash, Bingo Cash, and Blackout Bingo that claim you can earn real money by competing in Bingo matches.
However, this claim can sound too good to be true. And it begs the question: is Blackout Bingo legit and worth using?
I downloaded the app to learn how it works. And in my Blackout Bingo review, I’m sharing everything you need to know about the app, its earning potential, and reviews from other users so you can decide if it’s right for you.
Let’s get to it.
Looking for other easy ways to make money from your phone? Checkout:
- Branded Surveys: Answer short surveys and get paid with free gift cards and PayPal money!
- Survey Junkie: Earn free PayPal money and gift cards for sharing your opinion!
What Is Blackout Bingo?
Blackout Bingo is a gaming app developed by Big Run Studios Inc. and runs on the Skillz platform. Skillz is basically a massive mobile gaming marketplace, and it has a variety of skill and luck-based games.
When you play Blackout Bingo, you compete for a variety of real-world prizes, which mostly includes merchandise and even real money in some locations.
Although cash tournaments are not accessible in AZ, AR, CT, DE, IN, LA, ME, MT, SC, SD, and TN, people in these regions can still take part in the free games for merchandise.
The app is completely free and is available for Android and iOS. Overall, it’s one of the most popular Bingo for cash games out there.
As for the gameplay itself, the app is a spin-off of classic Bingo. When I downloaded the app, it was pretty straightforward, and you’ll learn how to play in a matter of minutes.
It follows the same rules as traditional Bingo, with the goal of daubing every square on your game board. If you daub the squares quickly enough, you can even earn power-ups to help you fill other squares of numbers that have not been called.
How Does Blackout Bingo Work?
At its core, Blackout Bingo is a way to play Bingo on your phone for real cash and other prizes.
This sounds pretty simple, and I’ll admit, the app is very easy to use and is quite beginner-friendly.
But to understand how this side hustle works, we’re going to cover each step and how you actually redeem Blackout Bingo prizes.
1. Download and Sign Up
The first step to making money with Blackout Bingo is to download it on your mobile device or iPad. The app is completely free. Once you download and launch it, you pick a name and avatar for your account.
From there, you complete a Blackout Bingo practice game so you know how the app works and learn the ropes.
This practice game is with an opponent of a similar skill level. And you can’t win real money during practice games, only ‘z tokens’ or ‘tickets’.
I actually lost my practice game, but it doesn’t matter since it’s just a “for fun” game to learn how the app works.
2. Play Blackout Bingo Games
After you complete your practice game, you can start earning rewards with Blackout Bingo by playing real games.
Like regular Bingo, the goal of the game is to get as many ‘Bingos’ as possible.
A “Bingo” can be any horizontal, diagonal, or vertical line, as well as numbers in all four corners.
If you get two matched numbers in a row, you receive a booster. The boosters let you select any tile on the board to help you get closer to Bingo. Every game is two minutes long, and you can try to get as many Bingos as possible during that time frame.
You can play games for pure fun, but if you want to make extra cash, you need to try the next type of game which are real cash games.
3. Play Real Cash Games
The Blackout Bingo app claims you can win real cash. However, you have to deposit real money into your account if you want to play bingo for cash.
In other words, you’re essentially gambling because to redeem real cash, you need to add money to your Blackout Bingo account and use it to enter real-money competitions.
For an example of what gameplay looks like, here’s a look at how the game works from YouTuber Mikey Slice.
In this video, Mikey Slice is playing a $50 Blackout Bingo game, so the stakes are pretty high.
He ends up winning the game, so he gets his money back, as well as $50 and 15,000 tickets. The entry fee for the game was $30, so if he lost, that $30 would disappear from his account.
This looks like a nice way to make $50 fast. And if you win the competitions, the app says you can cash out your earnings or keep the money in your account and put it towards other cash competitions.
This is how most games in the Skillz ecosystem work, and you’re paying to play for the chance to earn more money.
4. Earn Bonus Cash
Another way to make money with Blackout Bingo is to redeem bonus cash prizes. You can earn bonus cash by earning a large number of tickets. Whether you play with cash or participate in the free practice games, you can earn tickets.
You can save your tickets up to redeem bonus cash, which can help you enter competitions for real cash.
Just note that you can’t withdraw bonus cash, and it only lets you enter the cash competitions on the Blackout Bingo app.
You also need a lot of tickets to redeem bonus cash, with the lowest redemptions starting at 20,000, which is redeemable for $1 worth of bonus cash. If you get up to 1,250,000 tickets it is redeemable for $100 worth of bonus cash.
In short, this means you can eventually earn free money with the Blackout Bingo app by playing free games, earning bonus cash, and then entering real money games.
But for the most part, you need to deposit money so you can pay to play real money games with this app.
5. Redeem Prizes
The main reason to play Blackout Bingo is to earn real cash and then withdraw that cash. However, you can also use your tickets to redeem different prizes, ranging from a Skillz branded T-shirt to a Porsche Boxster.
This sounds great in theory, but the amount of tickets it takes to win even a T-shirt is quite absurd.
Here are a few examples of the reward options on Blackout Bingo:
- 1st Skillz Sticker – 1000 Tickets
- Additional Skillz Sticker – 15,000 Tickets
- T-shirt – 300,000 Tickets
- Google Chromecast – 1.2 million Tickets
- Electric Toothbrush – 2.3 million Tickets
- Fitbit Charge 4 – 4.3 million Tickets
- Rolex Watch – 500 million Tickets
- Porsche Boxster – 1.74 billion Tickets
I’ll save you the time and tell you, you’re not winning a Porsche.
The free practice games only let you win about two tickets per game.
The paid games have higher ticket winnings. For example, if you enter a $3 game you could win $8 and 225 tickets.
Regardless, getting up to 100,000 tickets would take a ridiculous amount of time playing this game so it’s not a realistic reward structure for this app.
In fairness, you can cash out your actual cash for PayPal money or other payment methods, but again, you’re not going to make $1,000 a day playing Blackout Bingo.
Is Blackout Bingo Legit?
In my opinion, Blackout Bingo isn’t legit because you need an unrealistic amount of tickets to redeem worthwhile prizes. And while you can earn cash by playing this game, it’s basically gambling, and you risk losing the money you deposit. The app also makes it seem very easy to make money, but there’s a real risk you lose.
One other problem I have with apps like Blackout Bingo is that it’s impossible to tell if you’re actually playing against real players. For all we know, you could be playing rigged games against a computer.
You can use Blackout Bingo to play free games to risk your own money to try and make a quick buck. But I don’t think the app is legit and worth using.
Extra Reading – The Best Ways To Make $150 Fast.
How Much Does Blackout Bingo Pay?
It’s possible to earn $10 to $50 or even more from winning a competitive game of Blackout Bingo. However, you can also lose matches and lose all your money, so earnings aren’t guaranteed.
And one main issue with the app is that it takes a big time commitment to come out with any winnings.
As I mentioned, when you participate in the paid games you are essentially gambling, and it is unpredictable as to whether or not you will win money.
Some reviews say you can win money, however they warn to not expect a big payout.
If you’re lucky, you may earn enough money to cover your Starbucks order, or maybe something off the dollar menu at McDonalds.
But this isn’t a high-paying side hustle. In reality, it’s a beermoney app, and there’s also a risk that you lose money playing the game if you get unlucky with your bingo matches.
Does Blackout Bingo Actually Pay?
The Blackout Bingo app claims that you can securely redeem your money through:
- PayPal
- Apple Pay
- Visa
- American Express
- Mastercard
That being said, I took a look at the ratings and reviews on the Apple App Store, and some were alarming to say the least.
There are countless Blackout Bingo reviews stating that the users’ attempts to redeem their cash winnings were denied, and many even claim that the Blackout Bingo app is a scam, which took money from the user’s account without permission.
Based on the countless reviews warning users of glitches and stealing, I opted to not take any chances by giving the app my credit card information, or putting any real money into the app. But that’s just me!
However, I’d be cautious before connecting your bank account information to this app and making a deposit.
Other Blackout Bingo Reviews
I tested out Blackout Bingo and decided against adding my credit card to the app since I don’t think it’s legit. But it’s always good to see what other users are saying when considering a money-making app.
Unfortunately, other Blackout Bingo reviews on the app store are a bit mixed. But the bad reviews seem to be detailed, warning user’s that Blackout Bingo is a scam, while the positive reviews are very brief and vague, which makes me suspect that many of the favorable reviews are bots.
Here’s an example of a few positive reviews:
- Best Game: I enjoy it
- Blackout Bingo: this is an excellent game with great payouts
- Fun game fun fun fun: enjoying the game
- Enjoying: great game
- Bingo: good game it definitely keeps you busy
In contrast, here is one of many negative Blackout Bingo reviews from the app store: “they took 21 dollars from me. This game really looked convincing so I decided to try it and it took 21 dollars from me. DO NOT DOWNLOAD IT!!!! It is the worst game ever!!
I hate it. As soon as I realized my mistakes I deleted the game IMMEDIATELY and you should do the same. It kept asking for my credit card. I knew this game couldn’t be trusted immediately. Do not be fooled by the adds, they are very convincing”
This isn’t the only Blackout Bingo review claiming that the app stole money from the user.
There are several other reviews on Trustpilot stating that the app didn’t follow through with payouts, or stole money from the users PayPal or bank account.
Furthermore, the Skillz platform which runs the Blackout Bingo app has an A+ rating on its business profile on Better Business Bureau, but the customer review rating is currently 1.86/5.
Some common customer complaints include users being unable to redeem winnings, gaming glitches, and user accounts being closed without reason.
Pros & Cons
If you’re still thinking about trying this app as a way to bring in extra money, consider the pros and cons of the Blackout Bingo app.
Pros:
- The potential to win real-world prizes and cash
- It’s fun to play Bingo
- It’s easy to download and use
Cons:
- Many users complain that they can’t redeem prizes and cash
- You have to risk your money to win money
- Many users report issues and glitches on app store reviews
- To gain rewards or bonus cash with the free games, you must play very consistently
Overall, the Blackout Bingo app doesn’t pay very much, and you can even lose money playing it. Furthermore, because of the negative reviews, it’s not a great idea to deposit your real money with this gaming app.
Blackout Bingo Alternatives
In my opinion, Blackout Bingo isn’t worth using because you have to pay to potentially win money, and there are many negative reviews and complaints from users.
But the great news is that there are so many ways to earn free PayPal money and gift cards by gaming on your smartphone.
Some of the best alternatives to Blackout Bingo you can use include:
- Pinecone Research (U.S. Only): Earn $3 for every survey you complete with this premium survey panel.
- Branded Surveys: A leading paid survey site that lets you cash out with only $5.
- Mistplay: This app pays you to play games, so you can turn your gaming hobby into a side hustle!
- Swagbucks: Make money by answering paid surveys, shopping online, watching ads, and playing new games.
- Survey Junkie: A leading survey site that lets you earn PayPal money and free gift cards in your spare time.
These get-paid-to websites and apps are more reliable ways to make extra cash in your spare time.
And even if it’s just a fast $10 or $20 or some small amount, you don’t have to pay to use these apps, which is much better than Blackout Bingo.
Besides, there are so many other ways you can spend your time and make great money versus playing the Blackout Bingo app.
For example, gig apps like DoorDash and Instacart pay way more per hour, and there are lots of ways to make money online that you can explore as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Can Play Blackout Bingo?
The Blackout Bingo app is available in the United States and if you’re 18 or older.
However, some states don’t let you participate in cash tournaments. Skillz uses GPS technology to locate your mobile device to confirm that you are located in a state that allows cash tournaments.
Is Blackout Bingo A Scam?
I think that Blackout Bingo is a scam. The first-hand reviews of users are far too frequent and consistent for them to be completely untrue. There are countless reports of money being stolen, or glitches when it comes to redeeming cash or prizes which makes me very hesitant to trust an app like this.
Though there are positive reviews out there claiming it is not a scam, for the most part they are brief and generic, and seem like they could be bots.
And even if Blackout Bingo isn’t a scam, there are much better ways to make money from your phone, like using apps like Mistplay or various reward apps.
Is Blackout Bingo Real Or Fake?
Blackout Bingo is a real app from a very large, popular company. I downloaded it myself and had no trouble playing the bingo games and earning some tickets.
That being said, the claims that you can win real money, and prizes as luxurious as a Porsche, are very unrealistic and are fairly disingenuous overall.
How Does Blackout Bingo Make Money?
Skillz Inc, the platform that runs the Blackout Bingo app, makes money from the users that pay to play its games.
According to Skillz Inc’s quarterly revenue reports, the company makes money through “paying monthly active users” which means users who enter paid or free contests hosted on Skillz’s platform at least once a month.
So in short, Blackout Bingo makes money when people spend money to play cash games and then lose. What a business model!
Extra Reading – How To Make $5,000 Fast.
How Do I Contact Blackout Bingo Customer Service?
I can’t find any Blackout Bingo customer service email or phone number online. If you have problems, you have to try contacting Skillz or submitting a help question through the Blackout Bingo app.
Final Thoughts
I hope our Blackout Bingo app review helps clarify how this app works and what you should expect in terms of earnings.
Personally, I don’t think Blackout Bingo is worth using unless you want to play free Bingo games in your spare time. I found the app was easy to use when testing it, although I didn’t want to risk my own money.
But even if you want to earn some extra cash with this app, the amount of time you would need to invest isn’t worth it. The time and effort you put into apps like this only benefits the app developers, with very little, or nothing to gain in return.
Plus, you can make money with so many other apps, ranging from passive income apps to fun reward apps like Mistplay and Branded Surveys.
If you’ve had a different experience with the Blackout Bingo app, let us know in the comments!
But until then, our advice is to skip this app!
Looking for other ways to make extra cash? Checkout:
Blackout Bingo Review
Name: Blackout Bingo
Description: Blackout Bingo is a bingo game on the Skillz platform where you can compete for real cash and other prizes.
Operating System: Android, iOS
Application Category: Gaming Apps
Author: Tom Blake
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Earning Potential
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Cashing Out
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Ease Of Use
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Customer Service
Tom is a full-time blogger and freelance writer with a passion for side hustling, passive income, and the gig economy. His work has appeared on dozens of personal finance websites like Money Crashers, The College Investor, Investor Junkie, and more. This Online World is all about providing people with honest ways to make and save more money by using technology. To learn more about Tom, read his About Page!
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