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On my 53rd Zingo entry I finally hit the jackpot to win 1,000 Rewardicals! Before this, my earlier 10 wins were for 150 Rewardicals.
SFI re-introduced a rebuilt PriceBenders auction in April 2020 and Zingo was its side attraction. It was modeled after a popular game called Bingo. You register for an active auction using a TCredit or two. The way Zingo works is that you get presented with a 5-by-5 square box of random numbers. The system then starts generating (think, calling, as per Bingo) more random numbers that scroll above the box. If any number in your box comes up again, the number will start flashing in the box and you are supposed to mark it—click on it to give it a red background. (If you enter the auction with 2 TCredits, as an apex bidder, the system will be marking the called numbers automatically for you.) If you can mark a complete row or column (or diagonal) of 5 numbers, you have won and the screen will refresh with a stylized ZINGO on it. You then click on this to claim your prize. Each Zingo game has one jackpot winner and ten others winning 150 Rewardicals each. As the winnings begin, the winners will be displayed below the box, one after the other.
This second image from another auction shows a Zingo card with 4 numbers already marked, the jackpot already won by nicety252. The currently called number is 155. The next random number will come up in 10 seconds.
My first participation in Zingo was on May 19, after seeing what others were winning from it. After my first win on June 27 on my 8th attempt, I became a more regular player. It has been interesting playing Zingo so far. Some days I would have several rows or columns needing just one number to win. Other days the numbers would be slow in coming.
If you’re entering the auction just for the side attraction of the Zingo, just be sure to specify a ridiculously low price for the auction item, so you don’t end up winning it and getting billed for it. I usually specify $1, shorter to type than the minimum $0.99. If you enter a Zingo without winning, all is not lost: For your 1 or 2 TCredits you automatically get either 10 or 25 Rewardicals to begin with. When the auction item is won while the Zingo is still in progress, the screen will refresh with the card disappearing, and to get back to it you will have to click the game number button.
I used to wonder how quickly some people won the jackpot after just a few seconds. Well, today I won it myself within a few seconds. This was because once I entered, all numbers on the top row of my box were flashing. I just had to quickly mark them to claim the prize. And I suppose today is my lucky day indeed. In the next Zingo I played while still writing this earlier today, I also won 150 Rewardicals.