The continuing popularity of the game of bingo must in part be due to the internet. Where once there was a game played by older women as a more of a social get together than a game of any potential to win any money. Now there is this thriving online community of many ages, races and religions. Internet Bingo is no doubt seen as a soft option in the online gambling world. It is because of this perception that many find it an acceptable pastime.

If Mum said she was off upstairs to play 2 hours of roulette or 5 card hold em poker, family eyebrows would be raised. But when she says that she is off to play bingo, or your Sister or your Dad says the same thing, I think most of us would be okay with it and a few may even ask what site you going on and can I come too. Everyone that plays has of course got their favourite sites and once you have taken advantage of the free bingo games when you join it is the social facilities that many enjoy. This is where the insidious side of the world of online gambling rears its head.

The world of poker and casino’s online are by their very nature associated with their hard gambling sisters and brothers in the real world. So when online most of us are going to be aware at some level the financial consequences that come into play when we involve ourselves in these games. But when the game is bingo and the side bets are scratch cards and a quick chat with Debbie from Bognor that you met at the online bingo hall last year, where are the warning bells? This is still a place that one can, and people do, lose a lot of money – money that they cannot afford to lose.

So when you first play with that no deposit bingo bonus they gave you when you joined be aware that you are starting to create a relationship with a company that is about profit. They provide some opportunities for you to interact with other people and the sums of money seem relatively low but bear in mind the long term aim of the bingo company is to make cash.

The news this week that 3 of the bingo sites have teamed up with Breast Cancer Care to raise money is great news for the charity and if these companies continue to improve their social conscience then the industry as a whole will gain a lot more acceptance in the general community.

As with all forms of gambling, only play with what you can afford to lose and when it stops being fun, stop and go and do something else.

There has been a shift recently, in the world of online gambling, away from match for match bonuses to straight, out and out, free money upon sign up. Those players yet to have joined these sites can take advantage of this bonanza as the gambling sites fight for the new clients that they need to become more financially successful.

Free Poker Money is a Big Temptation

The temptation for many newbies is to see the ‘free’ money as just that – free. But the reality of the situation is that the money bonus is a sum that has been calculated by the companies that offer them to be an amount that each new client is ‘worth’ in terms of long term revenue. So for anyone out there that perceives this rash of free money offers as a cash grabbing free for all, please stop to think and assess what it is they are offering and just exactly what you are giving in return.

There seem to be three main arenas of competition for new client attraction, no deposit casinos and no deposit bingo bonuses followed closely by the ever popular free poker money offers. a quick scan around the search engines this morning shows me that the range of tempting offers is quite large, from £20 free bingo games to £1250 casino money to play with once you have signed up as a real player and been validated. There seems to be a very large amount of potential money around and a savvy player could do their research and try to make the most of this situation. But as with all things to do with gambling, whether online or offline, only play with what you can afford to lose and remember it is all supposed to be fun, make sure that you enjoy yourself.

MeccaBingo.com is giving away a £10,000 jackpot every day in 90 Ball Bingo. This will continue until Saturday, 13^th March. That will be a total of £160,000 in cash prizes.

One of the first winners was LuckyTwentyFour7, from Devon. She has been playing MeccaBingo.com for over two years and won £10,204.95 on Monday.

She commented: “I love the excitement of bingo and was on the edge of my seat when I was playing the Mega Ball Booster. I had one-to-go and had to walk away because the suspense was too much. I went and made myself a cup of coffee then came back and saw that I’d won. It was an absolutely wonderful feeling!”

On day five of the daily jackpot, Xxwowitsmexx from Staffordshire, won £10,203.80.

Commenting on her win she said: “I was in complete shock when I won. I was sitting there waiting for an 8, willing it to come and then it did! I couldn’t believe it! I was on my own in the house, so called my eldest daughter straight away, who was really pleased for me.

“I would like to use the money to change my car and of course treat my three daughters and two grandchildren and almost certainly, a holiday somewhere hot,” she added.

You still have ten days to get in on the £10,000 jackpots at Meccabingo.com. They pay out every night before midnight.

Mr. Sayers, 75, who regularly calls the numbers at charity bingo games has been asked not to say “two fat ladies 88” and “legs 11” because council officials fear players might take offence and sue.

Mr. Sayers is a member of Sudbury Town Council and a former town mayor. He said a council clerk suggested it would be wise to remove traditional comic calls in case the authority was held liable for offensive sayings. He said, “The concern was that if there might be two large ladies in the audience when I said ‘two fat ladies 88’ or someone might think I was looking at their legs when I said ‘legs 11’. I was advised that someone might take offence and we could end up being taken to court.”

He added, “No one had ever complained about being offended. But they moan now, they say it’s boring. And I think just saying the numbers is boring, too. I’m obviously not being offensive – just having a bit of fun. It’s the tradition of the game and part of our language.”

Two fat ladies and legs 11 are just a few of the popular bingo sayings that are commonly used in clubs all over the country.

A spokeswoman for Sudbury Council told the East Anglian Daily Times, “In particular with John being a councilman, we have to be politically correct.”

Levy on takings at bingo clubs drops 2%, a help for an industry hit by recession and the smoking ban. Britain’s gaming industry welcomes this cut which is included in the pre-budget report.

Rank Group said the change should boost their operating profits by £2.5m a year. However, they also said the reduction should have been larger.

Chief executive of Rank, Ian Burke stated, “Today’s announcement is a step in the right direction. However, it is still not clear why Britain’s bingo clubs should be subject to a higher tax rate than that applied to other forms of gaming and betting.”

The duty levied on takings at a licensed bingo club, according to Alistair Darling, will drop from 22% to 20% from next year’s budget.  This should help an industry which has been hit in recent years by the smoking ban as well as the recession.

Prior to the 2009 budget, the bingo levy was 15%, which is still the levy for football pools, wagers in a betting shop and bingo played online.

The Bingo Association protested the earlier increase to 22% and stated, “the fight continues to get bingo back to the 15% rate.”

The cut in duty was cheered by the PBR, however, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman, Vince Cable stated it was “A good budget for bingo and boilers, but not much else.”

Shares in Ranks was up nearly 3% this afternoon.