Abstract: The issue of bingo paper as controlled by producing packages of multiple sheets each including multiple bingo cards, with each card provided with a uniformly located machine readable index number, the index number of cards on a sheet, and on sheets within a package being related to each other and to a matrix of numbers appearing on each card such that the index number of each card uniquely identifies a number matrix appearing on that card, and that of other cards within the sheet, as well as the sheet and package to which it belongs, checking each package into inventory, machine reading the index numbers of sufficient of said cards as they are sold to identify which cards have been sold, and placing the said cards in play. Verification of cards is provided by machine reading the index number of a card claimed to be a winning card, verifying that it is a card in play, and identifying the number matrix carried by the card to verify that it is a winning card.