Free, no account
Gift exchange bingo: unwrapping is the draw
All the gifts sit numbered under the tree. Take turns picking one, call out its number, and everyone with that number on their card marks it off. The first to get a row gets the first steal.
Start the TV
It's printed small under every card. That's how the TV knows which cards you have.
That card code doesn't match. Check it again under one of the printed cards.
Take an open gift from someone else and give them one of yours in return. They can't say no. You can't take back a gift that was just stolen from you. Or keep what you have.
Nobody steals from a kid.
Numbers and Enter: the gift. Backspace: undo. Space: next.
Steal list
First bingo, steals last:
How to play gift exchange bingo
Agree on how many gifts everyone brings, for example two, wrapped and without a name. When guests arrive, write a number on each gift and put it under the tree. Enter how many people are playing above and print a card for everyone.
Going around the circle, each person picks a gift and calls out its number. That number is the bingo ball: anyone who has it on their card marks it off. Then the gift is unwrapped and everyone gets a look.
Three in a row is a row, and the first to get a row steals first later on. The first to fill their whole card calls bingo and steals last of all. Once every gift is open, the steal round starts: in steal list order, you trade one of your gifts for an open gift of someone else's. After the last steal, whatever you're holding is yours.
Like a white elephant, with a bingo card
If you've played white elephant or a Yankee swap, the steal round will feel familiar. The difference is the card: it decides who steals first and who gets the last word, so everyone keeps watching every gift that gets opened, not just their own.
With ten people and two gifts each, it takes a little under half an hour. With twenty or more, two or three people unwrap at once so it stays around 40 minutes. The maker above works it out as soon as you enter your numbers, and tells you if it runs longer than 45 minutes.
Questions
Is it really free?
Yes. No account, no email address and no watermark. Each card has bingobingley.com in small print at the bottom.
Do I need a TV?
No. With the printed cards, the host sheet and the steal list, you can play the whole game on paper. The TV makes it easier: it says whose turn it is, who marks a number and who has a row.
Can I pick a gift with a number from my own card?
Yes. Every number is on several cards, so you always help other people too. How you pick hardly changes who wins.
What if someone picks the gift they brought?
That's bad luck, or good luck. The gifts have no names, so nobody knows. They'll probably lose it again in the steal round.
What if people bring different numbers of gifts?
Enter the real number of gifts. Turns go around until every gift is open, so everyone unwraps the same amount, give or take one.
Does it work for an office party?
Yes. For a big group, go with one gift per person: with 40 people that's about 35 minutes, two people unwrapping at a time. Or split into two tables and print a set for each.