The world of online bingo has grown exceptionally over the past few years, so it’s not surprising that dozens of new websites are popping up every single week.  If you’re new to bingo on the internet, you may be feeling overwhelmed with all your choices.  One method of selecting a site is by understanding the bingo bonus offer.

Sites like Bingo House offer very generous bonuses as a way to attract new visitors.  This is a promotional type offer that all bingo sites give out in order to stay ahead of the competition.  There are many different bingo bonus offers, including free deposits, deposit matches, referral rewards, and loyalty points.

No deposit bingo bonuses are the most popular because they’re basically like free trial offers.  Many sites don’t offer these bonuses, but the few that do are some of the most popular for obvious reasons.  You can begin playing for free without having to make a deposit.  Sometimes there are limitations to the number of games you can play, but just playing a few for free will give you some idea as to whether the site is any good or not.  The average amount of this type of bingo bonus is around $20 or so.

Deposit bonuses are probably the most offered incentive at bingo sites.  With this, you will have to sign up for an account and make a small deposit, but you’ll be rewarded for doing so.  Whatever the amount of your deposit, the website will match, double, or even triple!  If you deposit $20 and the site offers a 200% match, you’ll end up with $60 to play with.  There may also be a reload bonus, which means your 2nd and 3rd deposits will be matched also.

In addition to these bingo bonus types, some websites give out freebies for every friend you refer to them.  You may also be eligible for an additional bonus if you make a deposit using a site’s preferred payment method.  Make sure that you’re comfortable with the payment method yourself, though—never do anything that you’re not comfortable with.  Keep in mind that a huge bonus isn’t the only reason for which you should sign up.  There are other important features that make a good bingo site, including game selection, software, customer support, and prizes.

You need to check into free bingo bonus offers if you want to play.  There’s no doubt that bingo has taken over the world wide web, and you can join in the fun for free by playing at a site that offers special bonuses.  The games are fun and entertaining, and you can chat with others while you play.  others while you play.  You can play whenever you want for as long as you want.

In order to get started, simply visit a site that offers a good, free bingo bonus such as Bingo House, and start playing!  Sign up for a free account to receive your bonus.  Some sites offer free bingo tickets.  Sometimes, there is a limit to how many you can receive, so don’t use them all at once!

Why do these sites offer bonuses for?  What are they, exactly?  They are given out as promotional offers.  Each and every bingo site knows that there is a lot of competition going on, and that the only way to attract interested players is by offering some sort of welcome bonus.  There are different types of bonuses, so make sure you play at a site that offers you a chance to play plenty of free games.

Obviously, such promotions work, as thousands of new people join in the fun every single day.  After all, what do they have to lose?  They can play a fun game over and over again with their free bingo bonus.  Some players will eventually get bored, but many others will love the games so much that they’ll start buying tickets after their free bonuses run out.  And this is exactly what the bingo sites are hoping for when they give out the free bonuses.

It’s very easy to see why bingo is so popular online.  The only thing you need to watch for are stipulations concerning a free bingo bonus.  If, after your free trial is over, you start to make wagers in hopes of winning money, you’ll have to wager a certain amount that is more than the free bonus you received in order to receive any cash prize you may receive.  However, if you plan on playing a lot anyway, this shouldn’t be much of a problem for you.

Free Bingo Bonus Games

The Many Thrills of Online Bingo

Free bingo bonus of 250% at BingoBoat.

Playing bingo online can be a lot of fun. In fact, until you’ve actually played online bingo, you’ll never fully understand the excitement and stimulation it can provide for you, whether you’re playing for free or for money. What adds even more excitement to the mix is when you’re given free bonuses and free bingo bonus games. When you join an online bingo site like Bingo Boat, you can expect many delightful bonuses and free bingo bonus games to come your way.

Bingo Boat – The Place to Have Fun & Earn Free Stuff

Bingo Boat is an exciting online bingo site that will make you want to jump aboard and become part of their team after playing just one bingo game. Whether you think you’re the captain or one of the mates, you’ll definitely want to stay on the Bingo Boat as long as possible and learn as much as you can about the wide array of bingo games and free bingo bonus games you’ll get with the Bingo Boat. You’ll also love the four lounges you’ll have to play in: Happy Days Lounge, Comedy Lounge, Emerald Lounge and the Rainbow Lounge.

Your free bingo bonus games begin on the very first day you sign up as a member of the Bingo Boat. Your first bonus will be $10 so you can play bingo with the gang on the Bingo Boat and decide if you enjoy it enough to make a deposit. You don’t have to make a deposit if you’d prefer not to. You can continue to play for free indefinitely. If you do make a deposit; however, you’ll receive a 250% sign up bonus.

In addition to cash bonuses, you’ll find many special bingo games such as Skippy’s Gold, Skippy’s Feast and Color of Money. Bingo Boat believes in giving their members free bingo bonus games and; therefore, offers you their Happy hour, where they offer half price bingo games. You have the option of buying one game and getting one free! Imagine twice as much fun for half the money! Other special free bingo bonus games take place throughout the year in a variety of exciting ways. Some of these offers give members the chance to winning fantastic prizes. Check out Bingo Boat today and you’ll never need another bingo site.

Most people when they think of the Canadian far north envision dog sleds, boreal forests, long winters and endless tundra. Entertainment of the kind found in Canada’s major cities is scarce in the far north but Canada’s aboriginal peoples have found a great source of entertainment—radio bingo! Radio bingo enjoys immense popularity in the villages and hamlets of the Canadian far north.

Radio bingo has become so popular that an Edmonton Alberta radio station that provides radio bingo to aboriginal communities in expanding. CFWE-FM started small in 1987 and originally served only 10 aboriginal communities in the far north. The station’s signal now reaches northern Alberta. The station plays mostly country music with a focus on aboriginal artists and plays rap and hip hop on weekends. The station is operated by the Aboriginal Multi-Media Society (AMMSA) and is aboriginal owned and operated.

The station hosts radio bingo every Monday and Thursday from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. Radio bingo players purchase their bingo cards through a network of corner stores, pizza shops, and native friendship centers. The bingo cards cost five dollars for a pack of three cards. When a player wins they call the station, give their card number and a verifier enters the card’s code into a computer. Checks are issued the following morning.

The station has given away $1.8 million in prize money since 1996. Radio bingo has enjoyed immense popularity throughout the far north. Many people make a social event out of the bingo games and invite friends over to play radio bingo and make “Indian Tacos.” Radio bingo provides aboriginal people with much needed entertainment during long sub zero nights in far north communities.

Although there are currently no figures available online bingo has gained in popularity in northern Canadian communities. Increased broadband access has opened the internet for people in the Canadian far north. Today it seems no matter where you go bingo remains one of the most popular games in the world.

British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen is no stranger to controversy and lawsuits. Cohen has endured two lawsuits connected with his hit film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. The lawsuits were filed by two frat boys and two etiquette instructors. Cohen prevailed in both lawsuits. Cohen is well known for his outrageous characters like Borat, a Kazakh journalist, Ali G hip hop interviewer, and Bruno, an outrageously gay Austrian fashionista.

Another lawsuit has been filed against Cohen by a woman who claims Cohen’s antics at a charity bingo game put her in a wheelchair. Richelle Olson, executive director of Desert Valley Charities, claims Cohen claims she was “offensively touched, pushed and battered.” The lawsuit stems from actions by Cohen while filming his new Movie Bruno. Evidently Cohen’s representatives convinced those running the charity bingo game that ‘Bruno’ was a celebrity and would be glad to call out the numbers during the game.

Olsen, who runs the Palmdale California bingo game, was none too pleased when Bruno showed up. Olsen describes Bruno as “extreme, outrageous, offensive caricature of a gay man dressed in sexually revealing clothing with an Austrian accent…” While calling the numbers during the bingo game Olsen says Cohen used, “vulgar and offensive language” in front of an audience largely composed of senior citizens. Olsen says that when she tried to take the microphone from Cohen a “physical struggle ensued” and that Cohen “offensively touched, pushed and battered” Olsen.

During the alleged struggle Olsen claims that three cameramen and other members of Cohen’s entourage rushed the stage “where defendants attacked [her] for a period of one to five minutes to intentionally create a dramatic emotional response while (they) recorded her humiliation and embarrassment.” After the alleged assault Olsen says she left the stage, went into another room and hit her head on a concrete slab causing brain bleeding. Olsen says she has been confined to a wheelchair since the bingo incident.

For most of us it is hard to imagine a champion boxer at the local bingo hall. In a recent article British World Champion boxer Carl Froch revealed that he would rather be playing bingo with his mother than attending the many gala events he is often invited to attend. Carl Froch is the current WBC super middleweight world champion and has an impressive record of 20-0. (20KO) Froch admits he finds it difficult to come to terms with his newfound celebrity status.

Froch’s bingo hall of choice is the Top Spot in Nottingham where he can be found playing his favorite game with his mother. When he is not playing bingo he is busy building up his impressive record as a champion. He recently defended his title against Jermain Taylor but for some reason television coverage of the event was sadly lacking in the UK. Froch is hoping his next fight will take place closer to home.

Froch sees himself as a ‘regular guy’ and is somewhat uncomfortable with his celebrity status. Says Frock, “Since the Taylor fight, I’ve been invited to a few red-carpet dos, I get some serious attention. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve got a beautiful girl on my arm or because I’m world champion. I’m not big on the celebrity thing. I’m a grounded individual - I still go to bingo at The Top Spot in Nottingham on a Sunday night with my mum. I love it!”

Celebrities are not uncommon in bingo halls these days. Sharon Osbourne, wife of rocker, Ozzy Osbourne, is a true bingo fanatic with her own online bingo website. Actress and television presenter Denise Van Outen is fond of bingo and frequents several bingo halls. Bingo is no longer a game for little old ladies—just ask Carl Froch!

Clinical research and medical literature have pointed out that keeping an active mind can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. The more active the mind the slower the onset of this heartbreaking disease. Many activities have been shown to be beneficial such as music, reading, playing games and activities related to the cultivation of memory skills. Almost any activity that requires concentration will benefit the mind and online bingo is a perfect fit.

Bingo, including online bingo, has been proven to improve brain function and memory especially for senior citizens. It has been estimated that keeping an active mind can reduce mental deterioration by 1 month for every year the mind is kept active and occupied. A combination of concentration and social interaction has been shown to significantly reduce the symptoms of Alzheimer’s.

Online bingo can provide both social interaction via chat rooms and players playing multiple bingo cards have the choice to play on ‘auto pilot’ or to manually daub the bingo cards. For seniors in rural without close access to a bingo hall online bingo can provide hours of entertainment not to mention the possibility of winning significant amounts of cash.

In the UK where bingo is wildly popular special bingo games have been developed specifically for people afflicted with Alzheimer’s. Researchers found that playing bingo slows the progression of Alzheimer’s to some extent. US president Obama’s stepmother recently launched a special online bingo game to benefit Alzheimer’s patients. It won’t be long before the baby boomers start aging and the number of Alzheimer’s cases is sure to increase. Could bingo provide a new therapy for those in the early stages of Alzheimer’s?

In the UK things have gone from bad to worse for land based bingo halls. The offline bingo industry in the UK has been struggling for the past few years from a double whammy of a national smoking ban and double taxation. For some reason the government has singled out bingo for a 22% tax while all other forms of gaming including sports betting, casino and online poker and football pools are taxed at 15%.

Many UK bingo players have voiced their displeasure and have made their anger known to their MP’s. Despite the opposition the government seems bent on taxing bingo at the new 22% rate. Recently Chancellor Alistair Darling did away with the Vat tax on bingo and much to the dismay of the bingo industry he increased the duty imposed to the current rate. Edward Timpson, MP for Crewe and Nantwich stated, “They claim they are doing bingo players a favour by abolishing VAT, which was judged illegal in two thirds of cases by the VAT tribunal last May anyway, and then they have the nerve to hike bingo duty.”

Despite the troubles faced by the brick and mortar bingo industry in the UK the online bingo industry is thriving. When the national smoking ban went into effect attendance at bingo halls declined as much as 60%. The resulting decline in players combined with double taxation caused many bingo halls in the UK to close their doors forever. A large number of these players switched to online bingo for obvious reasons. Smokers could puff away while playing online bingo in their own homes.

Online bingo is one of the few growth industries left in the UK. The downturn in the economy has caused many bingo players to seek inexpensive home based entertainment and online bingo is a perfect fit. Meanwhile, thanks to government policy, bingo halls across the UK are struggling.

It is widely known that the US newspaper industry is in real trouble. Many major newspapers are laying off employees at an alarming rate and many newspapers have filed for bankruptcy. One of the many reasons cited is the easy accessibility of news on the internet. Online editions of newspapers have become immensely popular and many who read their news online are canceling subscriptions to print editions. Many web based editions depend on advertising for revenue but often the revenue generated by online advertising is not enough to offset the actual cost of publishing the online edition.

Newspapers are looking for ways to survive in an online world and billionaire publisher Mort Zuckerman has an interesting suggestion. The tech savvy 72 year old suggests that newspapers should be allowed to sponsor online bingo games on their websites like many newspapers in the UK. In the UK online bingo is wildly popular and is actually one of the few growth industries in the ongoing global recession. Some UK newspapers report that online bingo is the only division of the paper that is turning a profit.

Zuckerman cited the UK based Sun as an example of a newspaper making big money from online bingo. It is estimated that the Sun’s online bingo site generates revenues of about £12 million (US$15USD) per year. The UK based Daily Mirror makes about £3 million ($4.5 million USD) per year. It is easy to see that there is big money to be made from online bingo and Mr. Zuckerman would like to see US newspapers able to provide online bingo games to readers.

At present there are questions of legality thanks to the ill advised Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. The law does not make online bingo illegal but prohibits financial institutions from processing ‘gambling’ related transactions. Congressman Barney Frank has introduced a bill that would effectively tax and regulate internet gambling and address the issues of underage gambling and gambling addiction.

The potential US online bingo market is huge. It is estimated that there are millions of potential online bingo players in the US. The demographics of bingo are changing and bingo is no longer seen as a game played by little old ladies in smoky church basements. Like the UK smoking bans are putting bingo halls out of business across the US. Most of these former players have expressed a willingness to switch to online bingo if it becomes widely available and legal. Online bingo could very well save the US newspaper industry.

In 2007-2008 online bingo experienced amazing growth. There are over 200 online bingo websites serving the UK and many consider the UK online bingo market to be thoroughly saturated. Despite draconian online gaming laws in the US many US citizens continue to play online bingo. For US players processing online bingo related transactions can be tricky.  The politically motivated Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 threw the online bingo industry into chaos but since then the industry has continued to grow.

A recent report by Screen Digest titled “Bingo in the Digital Age: Global market assessment and forecasts” states that online bingo has developed an international base and is in a position to expand into new markets. Online bingo has already established relatively strong markets in;

Western Europe
North America (including the US)
Central and Eastern Europe
Asia Pacific including Australia, India, China and Japan
South and Central America
Middle East and parts of Africa

Due to the fact that the UK bingo market is heavily saturated many online bingo providers are looking overseas for new opportunities. Some new markets remain untried and the risks are great but so are the potential rewards. Factors that online bingo providers must consider when looking at new markets include, computer presence, broadband access, infrastructure, language barriers, and mobile access.

Despite the ongoing global recession online bingo continues to thrive, especially in the UK. In the UK online bingo is rapidly expanding and is creating new jobs and pays millions in taxes. In the near future UK based online bingo providers will be faced with making the choice between staying in a saturated market or taking advantage of opportunities offered by new global markets.