Tambola night, without the paper

One person calls the numbers. Everyone else marks their own ticket on their phone, even from a different city. No sign-up, no password, no app store needed.

▶ Play now Android app

Works in the browser on iPhone and Android. Free to play.

A ticket on your phone looks like this. Tap a number when it is called and it gets a tick, exactly like a pen on paper.

5		23		42		67		89
	16		35	45	54		74
8		28		49		63		81

What is Tambola?

Tambola, also called Housie, is the number game most Indian families already know from Diwali parties, kitty groups, colony functions, school fetes and long train journeys. Every player holds a ticket with 15 numbers between 1 and 90. A caller draws numbers one at a time and announces them. Players strike off the numbers they have. The first person to complete a pattern, such as a full row or the whole ticket, calls out and wins that prize.

The game is simple enough that grandparents and grandchildren play it together, and that is exactly the audience Tambola Pro was built for. Families are spread across cities now. A weekly game used to need everyone in one living room with a stack of printed tickets. With this app the caller sits in Pune, one daughter joins from Bengaluru, an uncle from Dubai, and the tickets and numbers stay in sync on every phone.

How a game works

Create the game. The host taps Create Game, chooses how many players can join and how many tickets each player gets (one to three), and whether there is a Lucky Number bonus. That is the whole setup. There is no rules screen because families already agree the prizes among themselves.
Share the code on WhatsApp. The app gives a short code such as TMB482 and a link. One tap sends it to the family group. Players who tap the link land straight on the name screen; they type their name and they are in. No email, no OTP, no account.
Call and mark. The host taps Call Number. The number appears at the top of every phone and the voice announcement reads it out. Each player finds it on their ticket and taps it. If someone taps a number that has not been called, the app politely says so.
Win on paper terms. When a player completes a pattern, they say so, just like at a table. The host opens History, which shows every number called, and checks the ticket. Prizes are whatever the group decided, from a box of sweets to bragging rights.

Made for players aged 50 and above

Large everything

The called number, the ticket numbers and every button are big and high-contrast. There is an A+ text size and a High Contrast mode in Settings for anyone who reads better that way.

Voice announcement

Every number is read aloud, "Number 47, forty seven", so nobody has to hold the phone close to their face while the game moves on.

Nothing to sign up for

No login, no password, no profile picture. Join a game in under thirty seconds with a code or a link, the way you would walk up to a table and pick up a ticket.

Hard to get wrong

Tapping a number that has not been called shows a friendly warning instead of marking it. Leaving a game or ending it always asks first, so an accidental tap never spoils the round.

The host plays too

The person calling numbers gets tickets like everyone else, plus one extra button. Nobody has to sit out to run the game.

Works on every phone

Play in the browser on iPhone or Android, or install the Android app. Everyone in the game can use whichever they prefer and the numbers stay in sync.

Playing with printed tickets? Use Call Numbers Only

Plenty of groups still like the feel of paper tickets and a pen. For them the app has a second mode. Tap Call Numbers Only and the phone becomes a number caller: a very large number on screen, a Call Number button, the voice announcement, and a History board with all 90 numbers so anyone can check a claim. Nobody needs to join anything. If the phone locks or the app closes, the game is saved and you can continue from the same number.

The prizes, explained

These are the prizes most groups play. The app does not decide who wins; the group does, as always. The host's History button shows every number called so a claim can be checked in seconds.

Early Five: the first player to mark any five numbers on a ticket.
Four Corners: the first and last numbers of the top row and of the bottom row.
First Line, Second Line, Third Line: all five numbers in that row.
Full House: every number on the ticket. Some groups also play a Second Full House for the next ticket to fill up.
Lucky Number: an optional bonus the host can switch on. A number is fixed before the game starts, and whoever has it on their ticket wins the bonus when it is called.

Read the full how to play guide for ticket layout, tips for a smooth game, and what to do if a phone loses its connection.

Questions people ask

Is it really free?

Yes. Playing is free for hosts and players. The site and app show a small advertisement below the game area, and that is what pays for the server.

Do my parents need to install anything?

No. Send them the link from the app and it opens in the browser on their phone, iPhone or Android. Android users who prefer an app icon can download the app from this page.

How many people can play?

A game can have from two to twenty players, and each player can hold one, two or three tickets. Tickets are generated fresh for every game and follow the standard layout: three rows, nine columns, fifteen numbers.

Does the app check who won?

The group does, the same way it always has. When someone claims a prize, the host opens History and checks the ticket. We deliberately kept it this way because that conversation is part of the fun, and because every family has its own house rules.

What happens if a phone loses signal during the game?

Reopen the app or the page and tap Rejoin Game. Your ticket and the marks you made are kept, and the numbers called while you were away are in the host's History.

Can I play with people in another country?

Yes. The game runs over the internet, so any player with a phone and a connection can join with the code or link, wherever they are.

Which languages does the voice announcement support?

English for now. Hindi and other Indian languages are planned; the number is always shown on screen as digits, which needs no translation.

▶ Play Tambola now