Ladbrokes Bingo set to change

• Author: Ed
• Filed under: General, Reviews
• Date: Jul 9,2008

Sources have revealed that the Ladbrokes Bingo company have made some significant improvements to the bingo experience of it’s players in the past week.  Their games have been tweaked, enhanced and improved to be more enjoyable and accessible for punters.

Sadly, we’ve not yet had the chance to do an in depth review on Ladbrokes, but this never meant they are a bad casino.  They are certainly a very well known brand within the United Kingdom, and now there bingo has been ‘upgraded’ it looks set to become even more popular.

Main Attractions at Ladbrokes include a variety of theme rooms from "who wants to be a millionaire" to the bingo room "Attic" where you can win some real bargains.

Ladbrokes being an experienced gaming provider, offer a variety of other games, from slots to casino games. 

They also have a number of super promotions from buy one get one free hours, to millionaire rooms and other ‘features’.  All this helps to shun away the feeling that Ladbrokes is a bookies not a bingo site, when truly they are very good at providing both these services online.

We have to admit, that Ladbrokes still does not compare with some of its larger rivals such as Gala bingo.  Although they provide some very good games, the sheer quality and number of players just does not compare. 

Overall we give Ladbrokes a 7/10 but comparing it to Gala – they get a 9/10.

Don’t feel intimidated by their low score because Ladbrokes are certainly one of the premier providers within the UK.  Give them a try because Ladbrokes also offer various signup bonuses for new players – currently there is one running in which you deposit £10 and you get £20 free.

Good Luck!

National Lottery thinks Bingo is dead

• Author: Ed
• Filed under: News
• Date: Jul 8,2008

It seems that the national lottery has just "unfairly advertised its opinion of Bingo halls" by implying that the industry is dead according to a national watchdog.

The reason for this is due to their newest Television advert advertising their scratch cards.  This advert shows an elderly disabled woman on a ‘mobility scooter’ beeping her horn as she drives past a now derelict and closed bingo hall.    This add then goes to "erase" the scene and replace it with the film of the old lady driving past a beach scene, advertising their new "Flaming Hot Bingo" scratchcard.

Following complaints from the Bingo association, the Advertising Standards Authority have quite rightfully said that the advert does have a negative impact on bingo halls, and the advert denigrates the Bingo Hall in general.

As a result, the ASA have ruled against the National Lottery and banned the advert from appearing again on TV.  The Camelot group who are behind the national lottery, refuse to apologise about the incident, however they do accept the fact that their Ad has been removed.

Our thoughts on the matter are that the advert may be a hard look at a very real situation, but the truth of the matter is that this does nothing to help the Bingo industry.  Offline bingo does not attract the numbers it used to, but it is still a viable and enjoyable occasion for many people.  Adverts such as this merely serve to stop people that are new to bingo from taking up the activity.

What is your thought on the situation?   Do you agree with Camelot, or the Bingo Association.  Drop us a comment and let us know!

How many variations of Bingo exist?

• Author: Ed
• Filed under: General
• Date: Jul 6,2008

Today we’re having a bingo round-up.  We’ve been doing a few web searches recently and there are a large number of "exotic" types of bingo.  We know it’s a popular game, but how many variations can you have?

Take a look below; and tell us if we’ve got them all!

Traditional Bingo
I hope we know about this one already!  This is where people get house with a straight line, horizontal, vertical or diagonal.
Black-out Bingo or Cover it all

This one is painful but popular; often used for "Jackpot" events this is where you have to fill your ENTIRE card.
Blood Sweat and Tears
Not one Bingo, Not Two Bingos, BUT THREE BINGO’s on one card.  No wonder this one is called Blood Sweat and Tears!  Normally four corners do not count either!
Six Pack
you need to get six numbers, two rows of three, horizontal or vertical.  Check the rules with this one as there are some variations.
Nine Pack
The aim is to fill a bingo square with five numbers ( a 3×3 grid )
Eight States
The objective in this common bingo variation is to fill all the numbers that surround the "free space"
Postage Stamps
This one involves filling two squares of four numbers – each in a corner of the bingo card.
Kite and Tail
Imagine a kite, now imagine it on your bingo card!  For this one we have to fill a diagonal of 5 numbers, plus a corner thus making the "kite" shape.
Top and Bottom
Just as the name describes – the aim of the game is to fill the top and bottom rows.
"Dotty Picture frame"
This one creates a "dotted picture frame pattern" out of your bingo card, basically what you have to do is fill every alternate square on the outside of your card so it looks like a picture frame. 

So we think we’ve got them all.  Do you? Post back and comment if we’ve missed some!

Paddy Power Bingo

• Author: Ed
• Filed under: Reviews
• Date: Jul 4,2008

Today we take a quick look at paddy-power bingo and what they have to offer for new players and seasoned veterans alike. We’re going to do a quick review, and afterwards invite you to play with our sponsor with our special incentive offer of up to £350 free.

Bonus Information
1st time Deposit Bonus : 200%
Maximum amount : £350
Bonus funds are only available for bingo.
Deposit methods : Debit / Credit Card, Moneybookers, Neteller, Bank transfer, Cheque
Currencies: Euro, GBP
Licensed from: Isle of Man

The paddies have produced yet another great incentive for people to start trying online bingo. The site is aimed towards fun, and it is very easy to use. The Chat Managers are very helpful and give away lots of prizes in chat games, and they like a laugh too. If bingo gets you bored also, paddy power have a load more games that you can play with varying degrees of bonuses and prizes, however the main focus of this review is bingo.

Prizes

We’ve covered the bonuses; now let’s take a look at the giveaways – Every other week paddy-power give away between £5-50,000 guaranteed. They do pay out, and they will give you your winnings. This is a great bonus as it is happening every week.

Games
90 Ball
75 Ball
Instant Win
Deal / No Deal
Chat-room games
Slot machines

I’ll be honest and say I stuck with the bingo games, as I tend to be a believer that the only winners on slots are the gaming rooms. Prove me wrong, but I like my bingo.

Support
When I first deposited, I had a slight problem in getting my funds. As a result I had to contact the customer services team, as a result they were polite, efficient and they were available when I called them at 11PM in the evening. Since then I’ve not had a problem, so I can’t really comment.

In general these guys are pretty good – I give them 8/10 The only drawback for me is their bingo could be a bit more easy to use. At the minute, it is great – but I feel it is just a bit cluttered.

However don’t let this put you off. You can give them a try and see how it goes. I hope you enjoy yourself!

R.I.P Bingo Hall

• Author: Ed
• Filed under: Reviews
• Date: Jul 2,2008

Well, it seems like we’ve done enough bantering about the old-fashioned bingo hall era. Rest in peace and all that.  Now we are going to focus on the digital era and the future of the game. 

Today, for all you that have never tried online bingo games, we will hopefully convince you to start!

So what exactly are the main advantages?

You can do it from your home
It’s cheaper
You only have to put up with yourself
Jackpots are sometimes higher

We’re going to start with telling you a little more about one of our advertisers – Gala bingo.

Gala bingo is certainly one of the most well known bingo chains in the UK.  In fact this is one of the brand names of bingo, and for the past few years they have once again returned to centre stage; focusing almost entirely in online endeavours. 

Gala bingo offer one of the most advanced bingo clients available.  It’s small, easy to use and friendly for us Internet novices out there!  What I like about it is the fact that it has lots of online help available if I need it. 
Anyway – for me at least; the most attractive thing about Gala right now are the signup bonuses.  Yes – you heard me correctly if you sign up with an online bingo hall you will get many bonuses when you sign up.  This is normally bingo credits so you can play a number of games for free.

I liked this touch as it was a good enticement for me to deposit a little money and enjoy the game for a lot longer.

However, be careful when you choose an online bingo hall, there are many out there who make it almost impossible to withdraw money or winnings.  Make sure that you choose a good one like Gala bingo to ensure that when you do win, its yours.