Bingo Site Reviewer

Bingo Sites Offering High Level Prizes in Addition to Cash

The success of online bingo has regularly amazed the critics around the globe since it first took off on a large scale at the end of the 1990’s and its power to woo and captivate a huge audience has only grown with each passing year until online bingo now brings in well over $1 billion per year. This feat has been largely driven by two major forces and these are the fact that bingo over the web is a very social activity in which chats are a big part of the experience and also the cash prizes that are given out nearly every minute of every day some where on the web. These two factors have added up to create a situation in which online bingo can shine as a past time for the players and also a big money earner for the companies that offer the games. In recent times, a shift has been taking place, though, and this shift may prove to be a big one for the bingo industry as more and more sites continue to unveil prizes which are not only cash, but other valuable goods which players will want.

One example of this shift is happening at an online site which has decided to offer laptop PC’s as a prize for the players. This site is giving away the computers from Dell as a means of replacing the typical cash prize that might not be as high in value as the machine they are able to obtain through a partnership with Dell. Both companies stand to increase their brand image and joint ventures like this are what experts expect to play a major role in coming bingo site offers.

Alabama Bingo Starts Again After Troubles with Local Officials

In the United States there has been a history of controversy over the entire concept of wagering and although the nation regularly engages in this past time in a variety of settings including the world famous casinos in Las Vegas, Reno and Atlantic City, the subject can sometimes lead to issues outside these established zones for such activities. During these tough economic times that have been plaguing the globe over the last 2 or 3 years, many states have looked to their lotteries and other wagering activities as a means of raising capital for the local governance. Native American Indian tribes have used their land a political rights as a way to offer casinos and other gaming choices to the general public with mostly very little resistance, the the situation in the US state of Alabama has taken on a different tone. Here, many at the senate level have opposed electronic bingo machines and there has been an outright conflict brewing over the machines as the Governor has headed up forces to remove the machines and deprive the local people of a choice through a vote.

This seed of contention has lead to a wide spread media focus on the state of Alabama as citizens of the US have weighed in on the situation. For a brief time, the venues offering such machines were shut down, but it now appears that a victory for bingo lovers may well be at hand. Due to intervention from several outside groups, the Jefferson County establishments are re-opening their doors.

90 and 75 Ball Bingo

75 Ball Bingo
One of the main things about bingo that new comers will want to get a solid grasp of is that there are two main forms and each of them are popular in a different part of the world. In North America, there is the version that is played in both the United States and Canada, 75 ball bingo. For whatever reason, this has become the key version that is most often enjoyed in these countries and experts are still divided over exactly why this is. This particular strain of bingo is obviously a shorter game because there are fewer balls in play over all, but it is also played on a 5 x 5 card that takes less time to fill out. Due to the lower level of complexity it is a bit easier to learn and this may be why it set in, but the main thing to understand is that this form is not the one that is most often enjoyed in a web based bingo setting. On the web 75 ball bingo is offered, but it is more as a side game than the primary choice. This means that understanding it can be valid, but is not really as useful as understanding 90 ball bingo. Most players will be able to understand both games if they know about at least one to start with since they are very similar with certain exceptions. Since it is a shorter version, it is also sometimes run as a speed bingo game which is just a version of the game that is offered as a faster alternative where the point is to have fun by trying to get a bingo as fast as the players possibly can.

90 Ball Bingo
The most popular form of bingo on the web today is hands down got to be 90 ball bingo. The reason for this has to do with one of the regions that it is popular in at a land based venue level. Those regions are: Europe, South America, the United Kingdom and Australia. It is the UK that hosts most of the biggest online bingo companies in the world and due to this the programmers there have a tendency to create software and web sites that will service the native populations and the associated countries. This is why the more complex form of bingo, 90 ball bingo, happens to be most popular in these regions. It is a form that is played by using a 9 x 3 card and there is also the added fact that with this style of bingo, players usually do several rounds per game. When doing so, they will be going towards a Full House, which is essentially going to mean that they win a much larger jackpot. Players who intend to play often on the web will certainly want to know about how to play 90 ball bingo since this is the choice that is usually presented. It is not difficult to learn even for those who are mostly familiar with the 75 ball form since all bingo is essentially the identifying of numbers and then creating a specific pattern.

Bingo Networks

Those who have been playing bingo on the web for a while now can attest to the fact that there are few things worse than starting up with a new bingo site only to find out that there are not very many people online playing at any given time. This is not the ideal situation and there is a strong reason for that: a site with too few players will also have very small jackpots. This is not a good way to play bingo and it is a problem that ran rampant at the start of the bingo industry which meant that many sites would rise and fall before there would be a solution that could take care of this problem once and for all in a way the could benefit both the operator of the bingo site and also the players who came to enjoy a game and win some prize money. The solution came in the form of bingo networks, a very simple concept that has done a lot to change the whole industry because it offers such a very sensible solution to the problem of too few players on a site. These networks are generally run as an extension of an already large site and their purpose is to bring in more traffic to that big site while still giving the small companies that offer bingo on their site a place where their players can not only come to have a fun time, but also to get involved in a game with a bigger prize. If not for the networks, most small sites would not have a big enough budget to be able to afford impressive prizes that might be able to bring in a fair amount of players. This means the small sites can focus on their advertising to get their brand name known to the public, but it also means they will be able to offer nice start up bonuses for new players.

The software that is used for the smaller sites that are involved in a bingo network is often a standard type of software that is then re-branded to help the site create a specific look and feel that will appeal to their primary audience. This is a great solution because it means the players get more options as to where they would like to play without having to make do with fewer prizes or less valuable prizes. It creates a certain feel depending upon the design of the site in a visual sense and still provides a high level of trust that consumers can feel safe investing in. The software that runs these types of sites is referred to as white label gaming software which is in reference to the fact that the smaller sites in the network can ‘color’ their software however they would like to in order to create a recognizable brand that they can become known for. These networks have done a huge amount to build the bingo fan base around the world.

Bingo Software Providers

888 Holdings – As one of the most dominant forces in the online bingo world, 888 Holdings has been raising the stakes and conquering more of the market with a steady focus. Starting in 1997 out of Gibraltar, this company has come a long way towards being a global brand and are now recognized around the world for a number of sub brands such as 888 Ladies, the company they started up in 2008 which caters to female gamers under their Cassava division. They recently bought out Globalcom Limited for more than $40 million and are on track to massively expand their holdings in the coming years. They do an incredibly high level of business every year as one of the premiere online gaming companies on the planet.

Boss Media – Starting out from their home town of Vaxjo, Sweden, Boss Media has spread from their starting casino site, Gold Club Casino, into a real power house of online gaming work. They got their start in 1996 and were immediately flooded with requests from both outside investors and other companies that wanted to use their ability to design amazing software for their own casinos. This positioned them as one of the best design companies for casinos and today they offer a wide variety of gaming solutions under the white label system of license deals.

Chartwell Technology – Hailing from Calgary, Canada, Chartwell Technology is a company that also has branches in the nations of Malta and the United Kingdom. They are able to create design packages that help a company establish their brand in the market and really do a lot to expand their image both online and off. The popular sites of Bwin and Betfair both take advantage of their services as do many other online gaming giants.

Gamesys – It would be hard to find another company with quite as much passion for online bingo software as Gamesys has. They only started in 2001, but already they have clearly proven their ability to craft top notch platforms for a variety of gaming ventures. They offer not only solutions for other sites, they have the ability to deliver a web based solution that does not require a download and thus makes consumers a bit more comfortable with the playing of bingo over the web. In addition, they also run JackpotJoy, a site that has been in the process of running for several years and has awarded more than 75 million pounds in prizes since its inception.

Microgaming – While experts do not always agree about when and where the very first web based online casino got started, many will explain that Microgaming is the likely source of this first casino back in 1994. This Isle of Man company has done much for the industry and continues to develop solutions for other companies through their software which is well known for its ability to provide literally hundreds of different casino games in a single package.

Parlay Entertainment – This company has a reputation that is not always known to bingo players because running their own sites is not their main concern. With Parlay Entertainment, the goal is servicing the web’s largest power house bingo operations such as those games offered via AOL, Yahoo, MSN and Virgin, among others. As a result they hold an extremely enviable position on the web.

Playtech – The force behind the Bingoland Network has done quite well for themselves since starting up in 1999 and today, Playtech makes a lot of power moves in the bingo industry over the web to create incredibly high value casino sites.

How to Play Online Bingo

As what has to be one of the simplest games ever invented, bingo is definitely not a difficult game to learn, but when one wants to play in the online setting then there are a few things that should be learned before beginning in order to make sure that the experience is as easy as possible. As most people already know, the games of bingo we have today that we can wager in are going to be found on web sites that cater to this game or they can be played in an online casino. For those who have played a live bingo game in a land based venue such as a bingo hall or casino, the process will be very familiar. The numbers will be called as they are drawn and this is usually done with a random number generator although there are also a few sites that use a live caller who is operating a bingo machine at a remote location and calling out the numbers. No matter which way the site operates the game, players will choose cards and perform all of the same actions that they would in a land based setting. For those just getting started there are also practice games to help them get the hang of things and really progress their skill level to where they feel more comfortable. There are two main varieties of these websites, as well, which can offer the bingo experience on the web. They are the web browser based bingo sites that serve all of the games directly through the player’s web browser just like a normal web site or a downloadable package that can offer the games with more bells and whistles as far as graphics go. It is up to the player to choose which works best for them, but the options are there.

Once a player has decided to get started playing, they may want to take a look around the web and see if that particular bingo site is offering a bonus. What a bonus can do is give the player a starting amount, like 20 pounds or more, in order to open their account and get started playing – and this is given just for starting out on the site. Once one of these is located then the player will want to get an e wallet account. This is the account they will need to add funds to their bingo site account and also this is where the prize money they win will be deposited. This e wallet system was designed to give players a level of security and also to keep the bingo sites safe so it is a win win situation for both sides. There are very few obstacles once this is taken care of and players merely need to set up their account with the bingo site by providing the basic personal information to open an online account and get started playing. Once these details are taken care of then it is time to get started having fun.

Glossary

Admission Packet – Players who want to be able to get a chance to have a shot at the jackpot in bingo or play at all, in a land based bingo venue, will need to purchase one of these to get started. The packets include a pre set number of cards that are used to play the game, usually between 3 and 6, but there can also be special cards offered as part of a deal sweetener. Packet sizes, contents and costs will vary from one venue to the next.

Bingo Marker – A device used to mark off the spaces on a bingo game card is referred to as a ‘marker’ and this could be a crayon or ink dauber as long as it leaves a visible mark on the card. Different venues will have different preferred markers they employ.

Blackout – Known also as Cover All in some places, this is simply a certain style of bingo game that is generally played in rounds. Each round, the players will try to cover more of the card that they are gaming on. Over the rounds, the goal is to cover the entire card using the numbers called.

Hard Card – This is a certain type of card printed for bingo that is usually made from a stiff type of paper product such as card board and there are also generally ’shutters’ that can be opened or close to mark the numbers.

Hardway Bingo – This type of bingo game has players form a pattern ‘the hard way’ without a free space. Normally only straight lines are allowed.

Jackpot – By using a portion of the proceeds during a gaming session, generally around 75%, a jackpot is formed for players to try and win. Whoever achieves bingo will get this prize.

Multiple Winners – Whenever a bingo games gets to the point that multiple people call bingo at the same time, there are bound to be multiple winners. When this takes place, the prize is generally split up amongst those who have won.

RNG – These 3 letters stand for Random Number Generator and this is what a land based venue may sometimes make use of when their ball machine is not working properly and it is also what electronic bingo machines use. In software form, this what a bingo site on the web will make use of to serve up the games and fill in for a ball machine.

Six Pack – On bingo cards, this is when there are lines of 6 numbers printed on a card. There are also Nine Packs which have 9 numbers to a line.

Special – These are specific bingo games which use a different pack of cards than those included in the admission packet.

Speed Bingo – This version of bingo is played at a very rapid pace with the caller calling out the numbers as fast as they can and players trying to check off their numbers just as quickly to achieve a bingo.

Split Pot – For instances in a bingo game where there are multiple winners, the jackpot is split up between each of those who have won. When this happens, the resulting jackpot is referred to by this term. May also refer to times when a player splits the pot with the house.

T.E.D. – Also known as a G.T.I., this is the system of daubers that are used to play more than one pack of cards at once and are available to players who wish to go this route.

V.F.W. – This is the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall and these are across the United States used as places to play bingo.

UK Bingo

If there is one thing that can be said with total certainty about he British people, it is that they are one of the biggest cultures for games of wagering anywhere in the world and these types of games tend to have a very long tradition of being popular in this country. While bingo was definitely not invented in the United Kingdom, it is clear that once it was brought across the Atlantic from the United States, bingo became just as popular here as it was in the land of its origin. The British people have done much to create their own types of traditions that go with playing bingo and set up a huge number of bingo halls, similar to those seen in the US and a wide assortment of casinos that offer the games, as well. Due to the immense popularity of the land based venues and clubs offering bingo, it is a natural thing that the web world would also see a lot of British action once the bingo game sites started to come online. This was a very rapid progression and it would not be long before a huge number of UK sites were offering bingo, especially the 90 ball variety that is so popular in this country. Since the strong fan base already existed here, it would take very little time for the sites to see success and since the US was not in position to allow wagering sites within its borders, the UK solution would be one of the best in the world over the coming years as casinos and bingo sites came on to the web.

There are few places where bingo is more popular than it is in the US and it is not only the specific wagering type sites that offer the games because there are now networks of bingo sites that can provide play for a huge number of different web sites which may have other focuses that they cater to. Here the big web sites such as those run by Virgin, Yahoo, MSN and AOL are all able to offer their own forms of online bingo thanks to the local software firms that offer white label software to gaming sites and there are also a huge variety of different land based venues which have their own online bingo parlors. This has made the market crowded, but there are so many millions of UK citizens and people from around the web that play on UK sites that there has been more than enough of a customer base to create what is now an industry that does over 1 billion pounds in business each and every year. The best part is, experts in the industry are still saying that within the next 2 years this number will, in the very least, double as bingo grows towards all new highs despite the current economic woes. This means that there will be a huge number of choices for the die hard bingo fans of the UK to win prizes at an amazing rate all across the country.

History of Bingo

One of the more impressive aspects of bingo is that it has something of a dual history that is long and rather complex. In terms of what we know about most games of wagering, it can definitely be said that historians have been able to tell us a whole lot more about bingo than most other games of a similar nature and a lot of this is due to the fact that it actually started out as a national lottery in Italy over 6 centuries ago, where it was known as Lo Giuoco del Lotto d’Italia which means the clearing of Italy’s lots, in Italian. It would not be an Italian secret for long, though, because in a few years it would be headed up into France which lies to the north of Italy and then east on into Germany. It would be the German teachers who decided that this early form of bingo would be an excellent way to teach children about the letters of their alphabet, as well as numbers and the names of different animals important to the German people at that time. This would prove to be a solid start, but it wouldn’t be until 1929 that a salesman who traveled to earn his living would come across a game known as beano at a carnival outside of Atlanta, Georgia in the United States. This game had drawn in a very large crowd of excited people who were loving the chance to play the game so much that the people running it actually had to shoo them away because it got too late. Lowe watched in fascination and determined right then and there that this simple game would make an excellent business if he could find a way to market it.

Once he got back to his home in New York City, Lowe began the process of developing beano into a game that would be easy for him to sell. He worked with a math expert to design sets of cards that would be used in the games and he taught friends and family members to play so that he could get a feel for what they thought. It was during one of these practice games that one of the players accidentally shouted out ‘bingo!’ instead of beano when they achieved the desired pattern – and the name stuck. Lowe would go on to market the cards for the game and allow people to charge what they wanted to run their own games. He made and manufactured millions of cards over the course of his life as bingo spread across the nation and rose in popularity at a very rapid pace. Once it caught on as a charity money earner, bingo’s success was assured and teachers began to use it in US classes, too, to teach very young kids. This meant that the population would know the game and when it was available in certain halls around the country, such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars and also church groups, it would be easy for people to fall in love with it and then travel to the casinos to play for big money. This was the history of modern bingo, but it would not be long before it spread world wide.

Bingo Strategies

Practice is the Best Start for Beginners
Those who are trying to get their feet wet in the world of online bingo would be very well advised to start off with practice games because these can give them the most bang for their buck, so to speak, without spending a cent. It is a very smart idea to do this and get a feel for the games before there is any money on the line. It is a good idea because it will make sure that the new player is very familiar with the system first and then they can more easily enjoy all of the experiences of the site once they have the hang of how things work.

Pay Attention to Room Sizes
When a player is ready to actually get started playing and they already have their account set up, then it will be time to choose a room to play in. This is where the first big decisions need to be made and there are two different approaches that players will use when it comes to getting the experience that they want. One is to try and find a site that offers fairly small gaming rooms because this increases the odds that the player will be the first to call bingo and thus win the jackpot. However, many players argue that this is limiting because it means that the jackpot itself will be smaller in size since there are fewer people paying in to it. Because of this, there will be those who prefer the bigger games where the investment in cards, over time, is more than paid back by a big win. In the end, players must decide for themselves which strategy they prefer the results of.

Pricey Cards or Cheap Cards?
All styles of bingo are played using game cards and these are what we purchase when we get started with a game on the web. There are different strategies that people will use depending upon the results that they want to get when they play and these are always going to be up to the player to decide which will work best for them. One strategy players like is buying a small fleet of cards so that they raise their chance of hitting bingo. This can get expensive, so it is crucial to think about the overall goals one has a player before doing this. Other people prefer to go with just one card because this way they can play many games without risking much money. Then there is the decision to buy either the cheap cards or the expensive ones. If one picks the more expensive cards, they tend to return a larger prize, but they also have a higher price. Finding the right balance for one’s individual needs is the key here.

Stay Focused on the Game
In a game we are playing from home there will always be plenty to distract us from the game going on at the time, so it is very important to work to stay focused and really get the best experience that we can by not missing a chance to call bingo. In order to make sure that one does not get distracted with chatting and miss a chance to win, it is a good idea to use the auto marking feature most sites offer or also, take advantage of card highlighting which lets us know when a card is nearing bingo.

The Big Picture
The strategies above are just a start that can help players get their gaming skills up, but using them together is where the real value comes in. The right combination of approaches is what separates amateurs from those who really understand the game and win with regularity.