And now it seems like the online bingo portals are starting to make a break for becoming stars in their own right. Marketing for these portals is becoming increasingly competitive, with recent news indicated one newly launched portal has splashed the cash with a fancy marketing campaign of it’s own – including television spots. It’s a far cry from the days when fans wrote about their experiences with bingo sites – now, establishing a bingo portal can mean big business.

Perhaps its the recent emergence of online bingo portals becoming a stepping stone to launch as a full blown bingo operator. With Both Costa Bingo and Tea and Bingo have been founded in such a manner, and seem to have made good use of their previous databases of info that bingo portals often collect. As a result, a bingo portal can find itself better placed in terms of reaching out to players than a brand new start up bingo operator.

But the issue is also one of credibility. As much as bingo portals have to make some noise to get themselves a fanbase, many offer a much more comprehensive service, with genuine news and articles, hints and tips that may be of interest to fans, alongside the all important reviews and promotion details. These sites have the potential to become communities in their own right, and build up a sense of trust amongst regular readers who will keep coming back long after they have found a perfect online bingo site.

So where does this lead to? Online bingo portals about online bingo portals that write about online bingo operators?! We doubt it. But what does seem certain is that just as 2010 looks set to be the year online bingo companies really pull out the big guns in the fight for players retention, so online bingo portals will have to up their game to ensure their readers are getting the very best when it comes to the wonderful world of online bingo. And believe us – we’ll be keeping you informed and up to date all day every day.

The tickets for Michael Bublé’s Crazy Love Tour are not easy to come by, and Gala has 3 sets of VIP tickets for three players. Michael Bublé has been nominated for FIVE Juno awards – Single of the Year – Album of the Year – Artist of the Year – Pop Album of the Year and the special Juno Fan Choice Award. His producers Bob Rock and David Foster have also been nominated for the Jack Richardson Producer Of The Year Award for the Crazy Love album: So this looks set to be one extremely memorable night for three lucky gala members!

The first prize includes two VIP tickets to see Michael Bublé at the O2 in London – The O2 is a state-of-the-art concert arena that is situated on the Greenwich peninsula in South-East London – currently one of the HOTTEST venues in the UK: It also includes an overnight stay in one of the capitals top 5 star Luxury Hotels and dinner at one of the best restaurants in London. This prize also has a cash alternative of £3500! The second place winner will get two VIP Michael Bublé tickets and dinner in London (or the option to take £2500 in cash!). There are also two VIP tickets available for third place. The VIP tickets give access backstage and will provide among the BEST SEATS in the house!

To enter Gala Bingo members need to deposit £15 which secures them ONE entry into the prize draw. More entries can be earned by wagering £15 on Galaxy Bingo or The Queen’s Hand: For every £15 players earn ONE entry into the prize draw. The top ten players with the most prize draw tickets will be displayed in descending order in our Latest News Section. So the more players wager the more prize draw tickets they earn and the better their chances of getting their hands on any one of these great prizes. But remember, one ticket is all it takes to be in with a chance to win. Feeling lucky? Then go for it!

This is yet another incredible promotion from Costa Bingo who has to be one of the most generous free-play operators online. The weekly games start at 8pm every Sunday evening and are easy to join in with – you do not even have to be there for a chance a winning! The cards can be pre-purchased in the lobby so make sure you collect your FREE cards for the big game every week.

You do need to be a funded player to join in with the March Madness promotion AND to have made a £10 deposit into your account at some point during the week leading up to the game: Note – Each game calls for a new £10 deposit to qualify for entry. The deposit can be made between 00:01 Monday to 19:55 Sunday and it can take a couple of minutes before the system will allow you to gain entry into the room or pre-purchase tickets: So DO NOT wait until the last minute! Each player is allowed one entry that is six tickets so no point topping up more than once just to gain access and you MUST collect your cards immediately after making a deposit.

These games are 90ball which means the £1K prize pool is shared and paid between 1 line, 2 lines and full house as follows:

1 Line – £180
2 Lines – £270
Full house – £450

You might not that this adds up to £900. That is because there is a £100 reserve put aside for all players who get 1TG – which is very obliging there is nothing worse than being left waiting for just one number! Very frustrating to say the least… Costa Bingo is offering a 200% first deposit bonus of £10 and also gives 50% on all reloads. So that’s a free £20 on your first deposit and £5 on a reload of £10 – which is all you need to take part in the March Madness £1K promotional games. Costa Bingo also has a whole host of bonus FREE games for first depositors and funded players. It really doesn’t get better than this!

Myra, from Northampton, had donated the funds to the John Radcliffe Hospital after they had performed life saving surgery for her daughter Niave. With the valves in her heart not pumping the blood in the right direction, an emergency bypass was crucial for Niave’s survival. And because of the priceless gift the hospital had given to Myra, she wanted to give back, with part of her £25k prize fund going towards essential equipment for the paediatric department at the John Radcliffe Hospital.

But it seems like Wink Bingo are determined to go that extra mile! On hearing about Myra’s generosity, it seems like Wink Bingo are a sucker for a happy ending, and to make the conclusion this tale that little bit sweeter, they presented Myra and her daughter with a cheque matching their donation to present to staff at the John Radcliffe Hospital.

Commenting on Wink Bingo’s rather generous gesture, Maurice Karpes who is the marketing director at Wink said; “we were so touched when we heard Myra’s story that we were keen to do what we could to help. It is another reminder that bingo is not only a lot of fun, it is also a chance to put something back into the community.”

We have to say, Wink Bingo most certainly get our vote for being generous folk – and it’s great to see them pay attention to their players, and help out causes close to their roomies’ hearts. So, now you are feeling sufficiently warm and fuzzy inside, why not head over to Wink Bingo now? With the announcement that Wink Bingo has extended its free £10 no deposit sign up bonus until April, you’ve got another to take advantage of this rather giving superstar of online bingo!

It seems like the young guns are being given a run for their money when it comes to eyes down action, with a growing number of traditional bingo fans now hitting the ripe old age of 100 – and beyond. With research highlighting that participating in regular social activities that occupy the brain can significantly decrease your chances of suffering from old age problems like dementia, bingo can, surprisingly, increase your life expectancy!

As proof, there have been three reports in 2010 alone regarding some old school bingo fans notching up a century! The most recent report involves one bingo player from Salford, Ethel Jopson. As a long term fan of bingo, Ethel recently celebrated her 100^th birthday, and whilst it is not the only reason for her fantastic achievement, it seems that her regular sessions at local bingo clubs have most certainly helped her live a full, active life that has allowed her to reach the ripe old age of 100!

But perhaps the interesting point is that it marks a big gulf between the generations. With online bingo players becoming increasingly younger, and offline bingo players looking increasingly older, we wonder if the two shall ever meet – or is this a generation gap that is perhaps too wide to reach across?!

There have been many stories of offline bingo clubs being forced to “evolve or die”, with Mecca Bingo perhaps most notably trying to revamp its local bingo clubs in a bid to attract new customers, with club nights and swanky décor that is a far cry from the bingo of yore. But does this alienate it’s more elderly fans?

And in terms of online bingo, have operators really seized the opportunity to convert long term fans of bingo played in clubs into fully fledged online roomies?? Yes and no. Sites like 888Ladies bingo and Foxy Bingo have been great when it comes to offering dedicated support and fun tutorials that can turn any bingo novice – no matter how old – into a bingo pro. With automated daubing, the actual playing of online bingo is something that anyone could master. And sites like Think Bingo have fantastic forums which can be a lot easier to master than launching head first into the fast paced chat rooms of some online bingo sites.

But we still think there could be a great chance for online bingo to bridge the gap in terms of simplifying procedures and designing a site. Call us sentimental, but although it seems that technology – and online bingo offerings – may be rapidly evolving, it’d be nice to think that the real bingo pros are not being left behind.

As we reported last year, the level of duty paid by offline bingo companies was set at 22%, a 7 point rise from the amount detailed in the 2008 budget and above the rate paid by many other forms of gambling including online bingo which has been set at 15%. After a summer of discontent and many high profile campaigns, the industry got a bit of a compromise, with the Treasury pledging to cut bingo tax to 20% in the Autumn of 2009.

But it seems that it is not enough for Mecca Bingo owner The Rank Group, who have called for a radical overhaul of the taxation system, recommending a flat 15% rate for all forms of gambling. Currently, there are seven different tax rules covering sports betting, bingo, casino games, card room games, amusement machines and football pools – who would have thought tax would be so confusing?!

The betting group’s chief executive, Ian Burke, said: “The gaming and betting activities of UK consumers are subject to a patchwork quilt of taxation without any apparent logic or relationship to social policy.”

And sure enough, we are pretty sure that offline bingo operators, who are still facing a continued squeeze in profits as the effects of the recession refuse to go away, would welcome a further drop in tax as they contemplate the prospect of an increasingly bitter 2010.

For online bingo, it could mean big news – as the move would signal a need to tax offshore operators (which include the majority of online bingo operators such as Foxy Bingo, Wink Bingo and Costa Bingo) to recoup some money lost from offline bingo and casinos, who are subject to the highest tax. Whether the Treasury move ahead on this is another matter – but no doubt online bingo bosses will be paying close attention to see if Rank gets what it wants.

Amanda simply played bingo in order to gain her tickets for the special Euro Disney promotion – “It is well worth earning points and cards into a game! I earned my nine cards into the game by playing bingo. I am so happy for my girls”. Amanda and her husband will be taking their daughter and her niece to Euro Disney for the trip: “The kids are nagging me to know how long before they go, bless them!”

Tickets for the Posh Bingo Euro Disney game were a £1 each but members were able to earn points for the game and exchange them for tickets. The game was held at 8pm on Sunday February 28^th but Amanda was not actually present so she did not know about her fabulous win until Posh Bingo called to tell her the news, “What a wonderful surprise it was getting the call telling me I had won the Euro Disney game – At the time I couldn’t believe it. I am still trying to take it all in”.

Amanda was lucky enough to be the first player to call bingo on the special “Mouse” pattern which meant she won a fantastic family holiday of a lifetime for four people to the famous Disneyland Resort just outside Paris. Her prize includes 5 nights’ accommodation at one of the luxury Disney Hotels and FIVE HUNDRED pounds spending money.

Amanda made a point of entering this incredible Posh promotion because her eleven year old daughter has always wanted to visit the magical kingdom of Disney (like many little girls – And boys too!): So as you can imagine, she is VERY excited about her mums’ win!  Both Amanda’s daughter and niece have already been online “checking out the Euro Disney resort and “planning what they are going to do!” and this is perfect timing for Amanda as her husband recently lost his job to the recession.

“I am Posh’s official recruitment consultant” says Amanda who is obviously passionate about her Posh Bingo, “I have been at Posh about a year now and love the site. I got my sister converted from another site and she can’t believe what she was missing! – I will continue to be an avid and loyal member and I will again be voting for Posh as the No.1 site of the year!” And why not! It’s a great site and this just goes to prove that as they say, ‘you got to be in it to win it’.

ALL the bingo games any player takes part in will count towards their total – both 90 ball and 75ball; as well as the free games (provided you are a funded member). A decidedly good deal! All the money wagered on any of the Instants, including the progressive slots count in this promotion – the top five players to wager the most also walking away with a share of the £300 prize pot: Effectively, if you are a funded player at Posh Bingo then it does not matter what game you play until March 14^th – it WILL count in the Money Bank promotion.

If you are not a funded player yet at Posh Bingo then there is a 200% cash match bonus up for grabs right now on any first deposit of £10 – the maximum bonus payout on the 200% being £200. So deposit just £10 and Posh Bingo will give you £20 for free. There are two free rooms at Posh Bingo open to all members from 10am until 1am every day – regardless of whether they have made a deposit or not. Although the winnings in the Freebies and Cash Crazy rooms are bonus funds this does give free-play members the chance to win cash in the pay to play rooms.

During the Money Bank promotion funded players also get the added bonus that the free games they play will count towards their total. Funded players also get the chance to win a £50 guaranteed jackpot for free every day: So there are a lot of bonuses around for funded players right now at Posh Bingo. With a 200% bonus, free games and the Money Bank up for grabs it does seem a good time to join. So why not check them out?

Unlike some free-play websites the money you win at Foxy Zero is CASH – not bingo ‘funds’ or bonus points. Some free-play sites may even have systems whereby players need to collect points or stars (or some such!) in order to save up for a prize – which could amount to something fairly mundane such as a gold star above your alias or something a little more tangible, like a shopping voucher: This is a more ‘old school’ way of doing things but hey, some people don’t like change – even when it is cash they could be changing to!

While bingo funds and points certainly aren’t a bad deal – because these can be used to buy tickets in the pay to play rooms; and so collecting real cash is actually a possibility – when you win real cash you do have more options. Effectively you are not required to wager your winnings and so can choose to continue collecting your cash and stay put in the free-play rooms: Therefore being able to opt to cash them out OR wager them for the chance of the bigger prize pots pay to play bingo usually offers. And choice is always good… As they say at Foxy Zero, “You Play, We Pay!” And that’s precisely the way it works.

A number of pay to play bingo sites will offer regular free bingo games, scheduled at certain times of the day. Even so, it is often necessary to become a funded player to take part – although NOT always. Some free play sites will allocate a limited number of tickets or points per day – so if you do not get a win then your playing time can be cut shorter than you might like. Foxy Zero offers free 90 ball bingo 24/7 with no deposit required: It is hard to beat that offer folks!

The prize pots vary depending on how many players are taking part which means things stay relative – plus, they can reach over £10 which is better than some pay to play sites might have up for grabs in their 1p bargain rooms! It only takes a few minutes to sign up at Foxy Zero but you don not even need to do that is you are a depositing player at Foxy Bingo. It is easy to find your way around too, so a great option for newcomers to online bingo: Definitely a top free-play online bingo destination.

In their habit for number crunching, the boffs at Gala Bingo have been totting up their prize money totals to reveal the top 10 luckiest days to bingo at Gala Bingo! And without further ado, get out your diaries and get set to pencil in the following dates with destiny at Gala Bingo!

Top ten Luckiest Days

• February 27
• May 2
• June 30
• May 1
• February 28
• January 29
• February 6
• January 31
• February 7
• January 24

Seems like February is a big month for winning big – and with tons of reports of big winners at other sites like Wink Bingo and 888Ladies Bingo, we’d have to say we agree! But as the month comes to a close, it seems as though online bingo fans can look forward to a weekend of good fortune ´with February 27^th and 28^th both making the top ten! However, with Gala Bingo paying out a whopping £65 million per month, it seems like you may find lady luck is on your side regardless of the date at Gala Bingo!

And if that wasn’t enough to try and coax luck onto your side, in celebration of the imminent lucky weekend, Gala Bingo will be giving away a whopping £9k between 11.55am-11pm in its ‘Lucky 7′ games at Gala Bingo.

Lesley Hall, online PR manager at Gala Bingo, said: “We hope that we can make February 27 as lucky as it was in 2009 and even more people playing bingo get the chance to become one of our 500,000 monthly winners.”

We always advise our players to increase their odds – and what better way than playing on the luckiest day of the year?! For those who haven’t joined Gala Bingo yet, you’d best snap to it – with a massive £20 bonus when you deposit your first £5, you’ll have plenty to get you kickstarted – and maybe scoop a win or two on Gala Bingo’s lucky day!