Quick answer: bingo (US origin) uses 75 balls and 5×5 cards. Loto (French) uses 90 balls and 3×9 cards. Quine, rifle and poule are regional synonyms for loto — exactly the same game, different name.
| Feature | Loto (France) | Bingo (USA) | Quine | Rifle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of balls | 90 (1-90) | 75 (1-75) | 90 (same as loto) | 90 (same as loto) |
| Card format | 3 × 9 = 27 squares | 5 × 5 = 25 squares | 3 × 9 | 3 × 9 |
| Numbers filled | 15 (12 empty) | 24 + FREE | 15 | 15 |
| Column headers | No letters | B-I-N-G-O | None | None |
| Diagonals valid? | No | Yes | No | No |
| Stages | 3 (line, double, full house) | 1 (first to complete) | 3 (same as loto) | 3 (same as loto) |
| Region of use | All of France | USA, UK, FR events | Southwest, Catalonia | Languedoc, Provence |
| Typical use | Nonprofit, parish, school | Kickoff, seminar | Southwestern nonprofits | Provence nonprofits |
The traditional French loto is played with 90 numbered balls (1 to 90), drawn at random (manual cage or automatic draw). Each card has 27 squares organized in 3 rows of 9 columns — of which 15 squares hold numbers and 12 are empty.
The game is played in 3 successive stages on the same card: line (5 numbers in a row), double line (10 numbers), full house (all 15 numbers). Each stage wins a prize. It's the go-to format for nonprofits, parishes, schools and village committees in France. See our complete loto rules guide.
American bingo was invented in the 1920s by Edwin Lowe in New York, by modifying the original Italian game. It uses 75 numbered balls (1 to 75) and 5×5 grid cards with the letters B-I-N-G-O at the head of each column.
The center square is FREE (wild, considered automatically marked). Bingo is usually played in a single round: the first player to complete a pattern (horizontal line, vertical, diagonal or full house) wins. Diagonals are accepted (unlike loto).
Bingo is faster to play (a format that fits corporate seminar timing) and allows more pattern variations (X, T, U, letters, etc.). See our corporate bingo page.
In France, the nonprofit loto has several regional names, with no difference in rules:
BingoShow handles all 4 formats natively: bingo 75, loto 90, quine, rifle. You choose when creating the session, and the tool automatically adapts the cards, win conditions and room display.
Bingo (American origin) uses 75 balls and 25-square cards (5×5), with B-I-N-G-O column headers. Loto (French) uses 90 balls and 27-square cards (3×9). Win conditions differ: bingo accepts diagonals, loto only horizontal lines. The French nonprofit loto runs in 3 stages (line, double line, full house); bingo is often played in a single stage (first complete card).
They are regional synonyms for the French nonprofit loto — exactly the same game (90 balls, 27 squares) but with different names by region. Quine is used in the Southwest and Catalonia; rifle in Languedoc and Provence; poule au gibier in Brittany and Normandy. No difference in rules.
For a traditional French nonprofit loto: loto 90 balls. For a corporate event with an audience familiar with the US format: bingo 75. For a wedding or birthday: either — pick based on visual preference. BingoShow handles both formats natively.
Yes — significantly. French loto card: 3-row × 9-column grid (27 squares), with 15 numbers and 12 empty squares. American bingo card: 5-row × 5-column grid (25 squares), with a FREE center square (wild) and B-I-N-G-O column headers. Cards are not interchangeable between the two games.
Yes, but with suitable cards. If you want to play “the French way” (3 stages: line / double line / full house), use loto 90 cards. If you want to play “the American way” (1 round, first complete card, diagonals accepted), use bingo 75 cards. BingoShow generates both types depending on the chosen format.
Yes, American bingo accepts the 4 winning patterns: horizontal line, vertical line, diagonal (both), and full house. Traditional French loto only accepts horizontal lines (the “quine”) and the full house. This difference comes from the grid size — a 5×5 diagonal is meaningful, a 3×9 diagonal isn't (too many empty squares).
Loto descends from the Italian game “Lo Giuoco del Lotto” of the 16th century, popularized in France in the 18th. American bingo derives from the same game, modified in the 1920s-1930s by Edwin Lowe in New York, who simplified the cards into a 5×5 grid. So the two games share a common origin but evolved in parallel.
Loto remains dominant in France for nonprofit and charity events (parishes, village committees, schools, Téléthon). Bingo is gaining ground in corporate event programming (kickoff, seminar, team building) where the short 5×5 format is more convenient. BingoShow covers both use cases.
BingoShow handles all 4 formats natively. Free account, 1 session offered each month.
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