Is it a Bingo Hall or a Games Arcade?

• Author: Ed
• Filed under: News
• Date: Jun 30,2008

It looks like there is a new bill to be passed by the British Government that will see a rise to the number of slot machines allowed in Bingo halls.

After the Smoking ban hit, the majority consensus is that UK bingo halls have suffered drastically, and now Bingo is apparently in big trouble. 

According to one bingo hall in the UK they have seen profits cut by a remarkable 80% due in no small cause to the Gambling Act of 2005 which meant they had to reduce the number of gaming machines in operation at their bingo hall.

As a result; the UK Government looks set to relax its Gambling Act to raise the number of slot machines that can be placed in a bingo hall. 

The major victim of this seems to be the $500 jackpot slot machines as they are now capped at a limit of four machines per bingo hall. This limit was set in place to safeguard players, but now it is being lifted to favour bingo-hall owners.

In our opinion – we have to ask the question; is it a bingo hall or a games arcade? These slot machines are remarkably profitable for their owners, not the people that tend to use them. 

So with this bill set to increase the limit to eight machines; will it save bingo halls? It’s a sad shame and a great disappointment to see the famous bingo hall finally being almost ‘retired’ but we feel that with modern technology and the expense of playing bingo offline, Online bingo is the way of the future.

It’s cheap
It’s always available
It’s easy to use.

Why go to a bingo-hall to pay for expensive food, drinks and bingo when you can relax in the comfortable surroundings of your own home? If you have not yet given online bingo a try; join one of our sponsors today and have a go.

The Online Bingo Boom

• Author: Ed
• Filed under: News
• Date: Jun 28,2008

The United Kingdom is apparently the most developed online bingo market in the World, with approximately 250 web sites, which is more than ten times the number back in 2004.

Surprisingly enough however, one may think that the US gambling community is sorely missed. Gambling laws in the United States make things very difficult for the majority of online gamers who like a bingo flutter. This is not the case however; as it seems online bingo is becoming very popular to a more global, international demographic all over the world, including many Asian regions.

This just goes to show how enveloping the game is, and obviously how effective the conversion to the digital format has been, as well as the governments smoking bans and other various enforcements, have forced bingo into a kind of virtual ‘underground’ where those that want to play can finally play and drink their beer or smoke their cigarette!

Also, thanks in no small part to the online Internet boom; online bingo growth rates are set to increase at an exponential rate in the years to come.

Perhaps, this just goes to show how strong this very simple game is. Who would of thought 200 years ago that such a simple game could have such a staggering impact on the worldwide gambling community?

We continue to look at and monitor the worldwide bingo scene on a daily-basis and whilst there are huge benefits for online gambling companies; some players find the ‘global’ player-base slightly overpowering.

One older gentleman from Harrow in specific that he appreciates the game, but feels it gets rather spoiled due to too much “cyber chatting” and not enough playing. He also continued to mention the fact he does appreciate bingo-halls but online bingo lets him play at any time of the day; – even if he has to endure the “cyber-chat”.

The World Wide Bingo Phenomenon

• Author: Ed
• Filed under: General
• Date: Jun 22,2008

Did you know, no one actually knows how bingo came about?  The game has been played for at least a hundred years, and as to where it came from, no one knows.  Some think that the origins of bingo come from the Italian lottery dating back to as early as 1530, but others dispute it and think the roots of the game lie elsewhere.

Either way, bingo has been a big part of many peoples’ lives for a long time; and people play the game fanatically.  However, this game of luck and chance has a huge educational following also and many people use Bingo as a family game to teach their children to count and recognise numbers.

The Bingo Hall

Believe it or not, the bingo hall most probably originated in the early 1800s in America.  Back then, a variation known as Beano was doing the rounds as an educational toy until one day when a church parishioner saw the game of Beano and realised that it could be used to raise money for the church so he rapidly bought a few sets and tried to use them.  But, sadly there was not enough variance in the bingo cards so as a result there were too many winners and instead of making money this was now costing the church money.  So to end this, he commissioned the inventor of Beano to adapt the game for use in large numbers of people;  To do this he employed a mathematician to produce a set of 6,000 unique number cards – which apparently drove the mathematician insane! But as a result, the game was now suitable for a large number of players, and it worked! Bingo saved the small church, and many others – which as a result led to bingo becoming a very popular way to raise funds!

Next time your playing bingo and someone reminds you that gambling is a sin – you can tell them about it’s origins in the USA.

UK Bingo

• Author: Ed
• Filed under: General
• Date: Jun 20,2008

In the United Kingdom, there are approximately 700 licensed bingo halls. This number has rapidly declined in the 21^st century due to the advent of Internet, and also smoking bans. Bingo has always been a popular pass-time for the older generation, notably due to the social aspects of playing this fantastic game and its affordability.


Sadly, as stated above offline bingo is now in a steady decline. Bingo halls are closing every year, and it can be seen that less and less younger people are coming along to play. For a game with such deep roots in UK history, this is a sad shame. If you have not experienced the traditional bingo hall experience, you really should take a visit to your local, and jump in.

Differences – The main differences are notably the fact it is a social experience, not an Internet game. You can enjoy a drink with friends whilst marking your (paper) cards and waiting for the numbers to be called out by a human being, and you can win quite a jackpot at offline bingo too. This coupled with the fact a game book is considerably cheap, makes things very attractive for the older generations. The other thing you need to be aware of is that the bingo caller is usually considerably faster than on the Internet. Due to the fact your in a public bingo hall, this means that you have to keep up with everyone, and if you are a novice it is not always easy!

However, bingo is a fun pass-time for all. Don’t feel put off by the fact many see it as a ladies game or a game for older people – many people can and do win very big prizes playing bingo offline and online!

Tips to play online bingo

• Author: admin
• Filed under: General
• Date: Jun 19,2008

Tip 1 – Bingo Budget

Bingo is a leisure game – so as with any form of leisure you choose, set yourself a budget. Bingo games start from just 5 pence per game, so if you’re planning on playing the maximum 10 games per hour, you’d need to set aside a minimum of 50p. The best strategy is to decide what card value you’re going to use, and stick to it. In addition, decide how much cash you want to spend playing bingo each week – be it 50 pence, £1, £5, £10 or more. The great aspect of bingo is you can essentially decide how many hours of play you want per week and know the maximum expenditure you will require. Use this strategy to enjoy long-term bingo fun.

Tip 2 – Don’t Expect to Win!

Here is a great piece of advice – bingo is a game of luck so never expect to win or think the game ‘owes you something’. If you haven’t won for weeks, chill out and smile – bingo is really about fun and being happy whatever the result – take a break if you’re not enjoying it. In fact, most lucky players are the people who never thought they’d win!

Tip 3 – Never Chase Bingo Losses

Because most bingo games have small wager prices and strict limits (in addition to the fact you should always have a gaming budget), it’s not easy to rapidly drain a gaming bank. However, some bingo gamers like to progress to higher value cards after a losing game. Because bingo is random luck, you have no power over the result, meaning this strategy will probably not work ‘99.9%‘of the time.

Tip 4 – Make Bingo Buddies

Now this is the big reason to head online and play bingo – forum fun! As soon as you’ve picked a fun (keep it clean) bingo name, sign-up and head straight for the bingo forum and chat features (often available in-game and as a standalone chat facility). Many new bingo gamers hide in the background and never ‘buddy-up’, and they tend to leave disappointed with their experience. Think of playing bingo as your ‘first day at school’ – how much more fun was it once you’d plucked up the courage to join in? With a group of professional bingo hosts to keep things in order, you’ll be amazed at how much fun bingo becomes.

Tip 5 – Grab the Bingo Bonus

While frequent bingo wins come and go (you’ll find people who seem to win every game!), the bingo bonus is a guaranteed payout if you choose the right one. You should be able to search around and bag yourself up to £5 in 100% free bingo credits, which gives you hours of free play.