Don’t Miss Out on Online Bingo Fun!
Jan 11 2010 By Damien Porter
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Online bingo has breathed new life into the game and made it young, fresh and fun. And it’s big business, especially in Britain, where it is estimated we spend around £600m a year on Internet bingo tickets. That’s because there are some seriously attractive jackpots and other prizes up for grabs.
For British women and men of any age, Internet bingo is now a top leisure activity. There are some 250 UK bingo sites, with new ones regularly opening their doors. Some of these companies have never even had a physical bingo hall.
The pace of online bingo can be fast and furious, with balls rolling on new games more than 10 times an hour. Many sites have a range of special offers and promotions and prizes, and a variety of games on offer.
As well as the online bingo itself, there may be games such as instant slots, which you can enjoy while you are waiting for a new bingo game to start.
Many bingo websites allow you to try out some of their games free of charge, making online bingo a risk-free way of having fun. For some of the higher prizes, you need to set up an account with the site. However, with some online bingo tickets selling for as little as a penny a time, the outlay can be minimal
The main two types of bingo played online are 90-ball or 75-ball, with the 90-ball version the most common in the UK. Cards for these games have three horizontal rows and nine columns, with each row containing five numbers. Every card has 15 in all, and each column contains randomly generated numbers between 1 and 90.
You can win at 90-ball online bingo in several ways: by completing one or two horizontal rows or by completing a full house. For a full house, always the largest prize in any bingo game, you need to mark off all 15 numbers on your card.
Bingo has always been sociable, and the online game has honoured and even strengthened this tradition. Internet bingo games allow and actively encourage players to chat as they play, whereas talking during games in a land-based hall is very much frowned upon.
Chat rooms on Internet bingo sites are a big draw, and often the reason why players stay with a particular site. The chat helps create a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, as players celebrate each other’s success and commiserate with each other on losses.
A chat moderator or monitor is usually on hand to make sure things stay friendly and inoffensive.
With so many sites and different games to choose from, online bingo can initially seem confusing for the newcomer. As with anything else, you may want to try a few different ones out and see how the various games work before making any kind of commitment.
There are plenty of online reviews around of different bingo sites and games, so you can read a few of those as well. Different sites are also discussed on various online bingo forums.
You’ll want to go for a user-friendly site and may wish to choose one which automatically marks your cards for you, making life much easier. This also allows you to buy and play several cards at once.
Equally, look for an Internet bingo site which has strong customer support, and positive feedback from its players. A site which is well-established and been up and running for some years is likely to have a good reputation.
Security is another crucial factor when selecting an Internet bingo site. If a site makes use of SSL technology, it encrypts personal information like credit card details so that hackers can’t access them.
Essentially, though, your choice of bingo site will come down to individual choice. You may just prefer the graphics, games or the bingo buddies you make on a particular site.
Whichever site you choose, online bingo is such sociable fun you’ll soon be having a ball, whether you hit the jackpot or not.
