The main piece of equipment you're most likely to recognise is the Bingo machine. Usually, in a traditional Bingo hall or a game at home, this machine is a large, spinning drum/cage through which the numbered balls are jumbled and then randomly selected by a mechanism that releases the ball. The Bingo machine is continuously spun until the next ball is called. The selected ball is then either blown through a tube or has fallen into a separate section of the machine. The ball is then collected and displays the number to be read out. This ball is then discarded onto the Bingo board or tray next to the machine, and the process starts again until someone wins a line or full house.
In modern Bingo halls, and for an online game, an electronic random number generator (RNG) replaces the traditional Bingo machine, which doesn't contain any physical numbered balls. The RNG tends to be quicker than the drum-based machine and uses special technology to select numbers at random, displaying them on a large screen to the entire hall, or on your device's screen if playing at an online casino. And it's usually matched with an electronic Bingo card that players can tap to mark their numbers, or even where the computer automatically marks it for the player. Far from the days of pen and paper, or the dauber as the weapon of choice.
Bingo machines in all shapes and sizes are completely fair, especially when being used in a casino or bingo hall. These are regularly checked and verified by gambling regulators, such as the Gambling Commission in the UK. At an online casino, the RNG software has to also be tested and certified by an external regulator.
The creation of Bingo apps means that you can now play Bingo wherever you like, without having any of the usual equipment. If you're playing Bingo on your mobile device, then everything you need is digital. Although you have access to all forms of online Bingo games, you are unlikely to see a form of digital Bingo machine or the balls being drawn, and your numbers can be marked automatically. This is popular amongst players who prefer a quicker pace to the game.