Why tambola works for team building
- Everyone can play. No skill, trivia knowledge or competitiveness needed. New joiners and senior leaders play on equal terms.
- It fits any slot. A full game takes roughly 10–15 minutes, so it works at the end of an all-hands, a Friday wind-down or a festival celebration.
- It scales. Up to 100 players can join a single game, so a whole department can play together.
- It works across countries. Colleagues in the UK or Australia know it as 90-ball bingo, so global teams can play together.
- Remote and in-person together. People in the room and on the call play the same game on their own devices.
How to run a virtual tambola game
- Create the game. Open Team Housie, enter your name and tap Create game. There is no account to set up and nothing to install, so there is nothing for IT to approve.
- Invite the team. Paste the invite link or 4-digit code into your Teams, Slack, Zoom or Google Meet chat, or share your screen so people can scan the QR code with their phones.
- Wait in the lobby. You can see everyone who has joined. Each player automatically gets a unique ticket.
- Start and let the computer call. Numbers are drawn at random and read aloud, so the host gets to play too. Choose a fast, normal or relaxed calling speed, and pause any time.
- Celebrate the winners. Wins for First Line, Second Line, Third Line, Four Corners, Full House and Second Full House are detected and announced instantly - no disputed claims.
Tips for a great office housie session
- Announce prizes in advance: gift vouchers, an early finish, or simply bragging rights.
- Use the relaxed speed for large or new groups, and the fast speed once everyone knows the game.
- Keep cameras on and unmute between calls - the near-misses are half the fun.
- Play two or three short rounds rather than one long one, so more people win something. The traditional number calls make good material for a host who likes to banter.
When to play office tambola
- Fun Friday sessions and end-of-month wind-downs.
- Diwali, Christmas and New Year office parties - try a theme from our tambola game ideas.
- Welcoming new joiners, or an icebreaker at the start of an offsite.
- Celebrating a launch, a milestone or the end of a busy quarter.
Is it really free?
Yes. Hosting and joining are free, with no sign-up, no ads in the game and no limit on how many games you run. If anyone on the team is new to the game, send them our guide on how to play tambola before you start.