Mystery Jackpot Bingo at Costa Bingo

What is mystery jackpot bingo?

Mystery jackpot bingo is a game where the jackpot is not fixed in advance. At Costa Bingo the prize is selected at random from a range shown in the room and revealed 10 seconds before the game begins.

That is the whole official rule, and it is short enough to quote nearly in full. Once revealed, the jackpot becomes "Fixed" and is displayed in the jackpot window. The game then starts and follows the rules of the selected jackpot game. The official bingo page puts it more casually: nobody knows the mystery jackpot right up until the game begins, and you have to buy your tickets before it starts. Everything else on this page builds on those few lines and on the lobby snapshot we checked.

Which room plays the Costa Bingo Mystery Jackpot?

The Costa Bingo Mystery Jackpot room sits in the Jackpots tab of the lobby. It is a 75-ball game with 10p tickets, and its room card shows a prize of up to 500.

The same room also appeared among the three featured upcoming games on the official home page, again at 10p and again marked "Up to 500". It was the only room in the Jackpots tab of the snapshot. Because it is a 75-ball game, the card is the 5×5 grid with a free centre and 24 numbers, and the winning pattern is set for each game; our 75-ball guide explains the patterns. The rest of the lobby is mapped on the rooms page.

What happens in the last seconds before a Mystery Jackpot game?

Two things happen at the same moment: card sales close 10 seconds before the start, and the jackpot is revealed 10 seconds before the start. You always buy without knowing the exact prize.

This is the detail most guides miss. The Getting Started guide gives the general rule that cards can be bought until 10 seconds before a game, and the Mystery Jackpot page says the prize is revealed at that same 10-second mark. There is no window in which you can see the prize and then decide to buy.

How is a mystery jackpot different from a progressive jackpot?

A mystery jackpot is drawn at random from a range for each game. A progressive jackpot grows with every ticket bought in qualifying rooms and carries over until someone wins it within the stated conditions.

The official progressive page lists a contribution of 0.5% of ticket spend, says tickets bought with bonus funds contribute less, and limits wins to a Full House within a set number of calls. Ordinary rooms such as Top of the Shop simply show a prize on the room card. The table sets the three side by side.

Jackpot slots are a separate matter, covered on our jackpot games page.

How do you win the Costa Bingo Mystery Jackpot?

Be the first to complete the pattern of the game on one of your cards. The room follows the rules of the selected jackpot game, so check the pattern shown at the top left of the game screen.

Play is the same as in any 75-ball room. After the Costa Bingo login, open the room from the Jackpots tab, select cards, buy before the cut-off and let Auto Daub mark the numbers. Daubing by hand changes nothing about the result. Winnings are added automatically unless the room's promo information says otherwise, and the card reference number, such as #1234567, is what support will ask for if you query a game.

Is a 10p Mystery Jackpot ticket better value than a 5p room?

It depends on the range shown in the room, which the lobby card does not give. What can be said is that you pay double the Classic 5p price for a prize of up to 500 that you cannot see when you buy.

Compare that with Easy Peasy at 5p, which showed £2.72, or Top of the Shop at 5p, which showed between £18.97 and £32.20. The jackpot room is a different kind of entertainment rather than a better or worse deal: a fixed price for an unknown prize. Treat it as a few tickets for the surprise, within a budget you set beforehand, and use the deposit limits in your account if you want a firm ceiling.

Where should you go after the Mystery Jackpot guide?

The neighbouring guides cover the rest of the lobby.

The card and patterns are explained in the 75-ball guide, and the three-prize game in the 90-ball guide. The free bingo page covers On the House, and the bingo calls page lists the calls you will hear. All rooms are on the Costa Bingo rooms page. Bingo is for adults 18+; if chasing jackpots stops being fun, GamCare runs the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.