Most online bingo sites provide players with a great selection of original side games. Side games usually include table games such as poker, other casino games such as roulette and lottery style instant win games. In addition to these many bingo sites offer bingo’s first cousin keno. Like bingo, keno is very easy to play and is a random game of chance. The main difference is that keno players select their numbers on a keno card before the game begins. A keno game consists of number selection, drawing and game results.

In recent years keno has enjoyed resurgence as a ‘vintage’ casino game. At land based casinos keno has attracted the attention of younger players and there is usually a crowd around the keno tables. Keno is also a popular party game and many bars and veteran’s organizations host keno nights. Keno is available at online bingo sites twenty four hours a day and many sites feature live keno callers. The typical keno card contains numbers from 1 to 80 in a grid consisting of 10 columns and 8 rows. In live keno games the numbers correspond to the numbers on numbered balls in the keno machine. Online keno numbers are selected by a random number generator.

Players select twenty numbers and mark them on their card before the game begins. Players then determine how much they want to bet and how many keno games they want to play. At casinos the keno tickets are given to a runner who then issues an electronic keno ticket. Payments to the player are dependent on the numbers entered into the computer. The house then draws twenty numbers and if they match the number on the player’s ticket they win the jackpot. The amount of money won depends on how many numbers have been matched.

There are several ways to bet on a keno game and most online bingo sites offer the same kind of bets as live casinos.

Straight bets allow players to bet on single numbers. Players can make straight bets in fifteen numbers. In casinos the lowest allowed bet if $1.

Way bets enable keno players to bet on groups of numbers within a keno game. Way bets can yield small consistent wins for players. Way bets are the most complicated because players must select assorted combinations of numbers from preferred groups of numbers.

Split bets allow players to bet multiple groups of numbers in the same keno game. There are many gambling blogs that thoroughly explain the different types of keno bets. Players at online bingo sites have it much easier than casino players. Most of the work is already done and keno at online bingo sites is very similar to electronic keno machines found in bars, pubs and casinos. Keno can provide hours of fun and a break from online bingo games not to mention the chance of winning a sizable jackpot.

Great Britain has had a long love affair with bingo. During the Great War (1914-18) bingo was the only gambling game allowed by the armed services. During the post WW 2 years bingo was played at holiday camps that sprang up all over the country during the postwar years. In the 60’s bingo the passage of the Gaming Act in 1960 set the stage for a bingo boom in the UK. Two major land based bingo operators quickly emerged; Mecca and Gala. According to the Gaming Act bingo was legal in licensed clubs with a member’s only policy. Eric Morley of Mecca realized the huge potential of bingo after a visit to the United States. Morley was already skilled at bringing in entertainment to Britain and was already famous for starting the Miss World beauty competition,

Morley saw bingo as a way to repurpose unused ballrooms and started several large bingo halls in cities throughout the UK. The ballrooms were losing favor with the public after the introduction of television and could be purchased cheaply. The former glories of the dancehalls allowed Morley and Mecca to provide bingo players with an upscale bingo experience. The new bingo halls were considerably better than the ones Morley had visited in the United States. At that time most American bingo games took place in churches and veteran’s organizations. Morley brought more excitement to the game by using the now familiar glass cabinets fitted with fans blowing numbered ping pong balls as the game’s random number generator. In the US bingo numbers were still plucked from a plain bag.

The low costs and the glamour of the new bingo games made them a huge hit with working class Briton and the industry experienced incredible growth in the 60’s and 70’s. Soon there were High Street bingo halls in just about every city, town and rural hamlet taking over old cinemas and dance halls and bringing new life to many communities. In the 80’s bingo experienced a set back after the introduction of multiplex theatres and discos.

Bingo halls bounced back in the 90’s after several operators invested in modernization of their halls. The bingo industry in the UK suffered its most serious setback after the imposition of a national smoking ban. To survive several operators launched online bingo sites which immediately achieved popularity with young players. The online bingo sector has created a new generation of bingo players ensuring the game’s survival well into the future and who knows what new technologies will bring to the game?

Bingo is a game that’s all about numbers, primarily the right ones (for you) being called out. However, whilst conventional bingo strategies tend to focus on which cards to pick – and maybe a bit of superstition – a lot of people ignore the other relevant odds, who you’re playing against, and how many games you’re playing.

The most important thing when honing any strategy is to be able to try it out without risking any money. Make sure you make the most of bingo bonuses at Costa Bingo and other companies that lets you try out your strategy to win real money, without risking any of your own.

Avoiding Duplicates

Assuming that you’re going to play multiple cards (and most good players do) some people prefer to avoid having the same numbers on different cards. The theory of this is relatively sound, in as much as you double your chance of having a number called out. However, you’re just as likely to get an even split of numbers across two cards as you are everything on one.

Avoiding Crowds

If there are 100 people playing a game, you’ve got a 1 in a 100 chance of winning (assuming everyone is playing with one card), if there are a million people playing, you’ve got a 1 in 1,000,000 chance of winning. So it’s obvious that you need to go for smaller games to improve your chances.

But smaller games often have lower jackpots…except not always. Most sites will offer a range of jackpots, some will vary with the number of players, others will stay fixed, if you play at times when there are fewer people around, but the jackpots stay the same, you’re risk reward ratio goes through the roof.

Multiple Cards

In theory, if you’ve got a 1 in a 100 chance of winning, buying another card will give you a 2 in 101 chance, almost twice as good. Except, in doing so, you have to pay that little bit extra, so is playing multiple cards worth it?

The answer is yes, up to a point. Think of it this way. You’re playing in a game with 1,000 people, so you have a 1:1,000 chance of winning. You buy two cards, and you’ve got a 2:1001 chance of winning. Alternatively you could play a 1:100 game, and buy two cards and have a 2:101 chance. Which is better? The second option, because if you played both games 501 times, the odds are that you’d win the second game at least 9 times, whilst the odds are you’d win the first one at least once. Of course, the prize in the second game is smaller by a factor of ten, however, in all likelihood you’ll win more than 9 times (because number theory is imperfect), so the second is better.

In short, buy more cards in smaller games and you stand to win more often.

With 800 users around the globe Facebook is the undisputed leader in social networking. For young people Facebook is an aspect of daily life and anyone can easily set up their own Facebook page. Facebook users can also play a variety of games on the site. In January when Facebook announced plans to launch real money bingo games on the site many online bingo operators saw the move as a serious threat. In fact, Facebook’s decision was a matter of grave concern for UK based online bingo operators. Many online gaming operators opposed the move saying it would encourage underage gambling but these claims were dismissed as hypocritical and blatant self-interest. Opponents of the underage gambling concerns say that since online bingo operators and other gaming sites advertise their services on Facebook the concerns are hypocritical.

Industry competition in the internet bingo industry is fierce and Facebook online bingo games could easily be seen as a major threat to the industry. In February social gaming giant Zynga announced the launch of their own version of bingo on Facebook. Zynga has had great success with Farmville and Zynga poker on Facebook. Until last year Facebook prohibited any advertisements for internet gambling services but has now reversed course. Currently online bingo operators outside of the United States may advertise their services on Facebook. Facebook guaranteed that gambling ads would only be shown to users over 18. Many online bingo operators were quick to take advantage of Facebook’s potential as a new advertising medium. When Facebook announced plans to offer their own bingo games many advertisers withdrew their ads on Facebook.

The online bingo industry has good cause to fear Facebook’s latest move. One senior executive at a major player in the online bingo industry pointed out the advantages Facebook has over its competitors. The unnamed executive pointed out that advertising online bingo services and products is very expensive and even after spending millions bingo operators cannot be sure they are reaching their targeted audiences. Statistics show that over 50% of the UK population has Facebook accounts and the site will be able to advertise their services to a wide audience at no cost to the company.

Gambling addiction experts are also unhappy with Facebook’s decision to offer real money gambling. Dr Robert Lefever, director of Promise Rehab Clinic says that the introduction of gambling on Facebook could lead impressionable and vulnerable children to believe that the games have the approval of Facebook.

After weeks of beta testing on Facebook San Francisco game developer Zynga is finally releasing Zynga Bingo on Facebook. The game was released on February 23rd and is not the same bingo played by little old blue haired ladies in smoky bingo halls. The game has a new look and social features and was launched in Zynga.s casino franchise. The new game is similar to games at online bingo sites but is geared towards a younger audience. The game features three bingo rooms, Vegas lights with a Vegas theme, Pirates Paradise complete with a treasure chest and gold coins. Farmville bounty comp-letes the set and is based on Zynga’s wildly popular Facebook game Farmville. The game joins Zynga poker which has 35 million monthly users.

Other game features include;

Luck and Loaded which enables players to compete with up to six bingo cards.

Get Free Daubs which allows Facebook friends to daub a square on each of their friend’s cards.

Friends First will be added soon and will enable players to see what bingo rooms their friends are in and challenge them to see who can call bingo first.

BingoLingo which allows players to compete against each other at the same time.

PowerUps enable players to ‘power up’ to progress faster and win collectibles and earn coins to unlock other game features.

The game’s release sparked some controversy and Buffalo Studios, the creator of the popular Facebook game Bingo Blits accused Zynga of cloning their game. Salim Mith of Buffalo Studios said in a statement “We wanted to let the technology and gaming community know that Zynga continues in their practice of blatantly copying other successful games. From the self-proclaimed industry leader we should expect more than a series of blatant rip-offs.” Zynga has denied the accusations.

So far most gaming magazines and blogs have given Zynga bingo positive reviews. The game was designed specifically with Facebook users in mind. Gamezbo said in a review that “the game  is enjoyable and well-polished, with the power-up system and item collection adding a bit of flair to a relatively standardized game style.” The game is another addition to the hundreds of online bingo games available. Zynga bingo does not offer the huge jackpots and deposit bonuses available at commercial online bingo sites. The game does have a lot of potential since Facebook has 800 million users around the globe.

The United States has a curious hodgepodge of sometimes conflicting gambling laws. Although playing online bingo and poker are not illegal in and of themselves US law forbids banks, credit card companies and payment processors from handling any gambling related transactions.  Despite the maws online bingo players in the US continue spending billions annually playing their favorite game. Last year the Justice Department seized the domains of three major poker sites. Many thought online bingo sites would escape the attention of US Attorneys but in June the same agency seized an online bingo site. This prompted one major bingo operator, the World Bingo Network, to cease operations. In a surprising about face the department of justice ruled in December that online bingo and poker are legal if done on a state by state basis. Only sports betting is prohibited.

In Alabama a battle over electronic bingo machines has been going on for years. Earlier in the moth a federal judge ruled that the machines are illegal. The argument over the legality of the machines has been ongoing and last year several bingo halls sere raided by state officials. A full blown scandal ensure when it was revealed that some politicians had taken contributions from competing gambling interests in Mississippi. Several bingo halls were closed and hundreds lost their jobs leaving some counties impoverished. Not only did the judge rule that electronic bingo machines illegal but that money seized in last year’s raids must go to the state as profits from illegal gambling.

In December Judge Scott Vowell heard arguments from both sides of the issue. The plaintiffs, Jefferson County District Attorney’s office, and the defendants, the bingo hall operators expressed opinions about the legality of electronic bingo. In his order judge Vowell said that claims by the defendants that the machines were only bingo games was without merit and said the machines were actually slot machines and gambling devices that are illegal in Alabama. Alabama Attorney General, Luther Strange said that Vowell’s ruling validates his claim that the electronic bingo machines are actually slot machines.

In contrast to the ruling in Alabama several states have announced plans to launch their own online bingo and gambling sites. States are going after the billions Americans spend every year gambling on the internet. Experts say that federal legislation is inevitable but will not take place until after the November elections. Once full legalization takes place several online bingo operators have positioned themselves to enter the lucrative US online bingo market.

In the UK, most people expect a visit to their local bingo hall to be fun and entertaining. Unfortunately, a disturbing trend is making many live bingo games much more exciting and terrifying – a trend that thankfully can’t harm the online bingo industry. In several cases, bingo players have gotten more excitement than they bargained for. Recently there has been a spate of bingo hall robberies and many times armed robbers have struck during bingo games. Recently three masked men entered the Top Ten Bingo club in Durham last Sunday. Two of the three were armed, one with a machete. The robbers forced two female bingo players, a female cleaner and the assistant manager at the club to lie on the ground. They then forced the assistant manager to open the club’s safe before leaving the club with a bag full of money.

The club’s manager Malcolm Evans said that those involved were frightened and upset and he was trying to calm them after the robbery. The thieves entered the club after the last bingo session around 9:40 PM. (GMT) Most believe the robbery had been planned and that the robbers were familiar with the hall’s schedule. The robbery took place in less than 10 minutes. Nev Carmen of the Durham police told reporters “Fortunately, no one was injured during the incident but it was a frightening experience for those involved. At this stage we don’t know exactly how much money was stolen but believe it was a substantial quantity.” The robbers wore dark clothing and masks. Police are looking at CCTV footage for any possible leads in the case.

Several bingo halls have been robbed across the UK and the activity is not confined to one region. A worker at the Mecca bingo hall in Knotty Ash was confronted by three men who entered the hall armed with a shotgun. They grabbed the unnamed woman and demanded she open the safe. The woman recounted the incident and stated “The main session had been started about 10 minutes when I saw three lads come in through the door. I saw one of them had a gun and they started demanding money – roaring and swearing at me to open the drawers. They pinned me against the wall and when they realised there was no money in the drawers they stole my purse and then the lad with the gun dragged me by my jacket into the amusement area, still shouting. It was only when they saw the number of customers in the hall that they let me go.” In this case the robbers left the bingo hall empty handed.

Fortunately there is an alternative to live bingo: online bingo, especially at UK sites like Fabulous Bingo. Since internet bingo players are playing at home a robbery or any other crime is very unlikely. Internet bingo can provide the excitement of a live bingo hall without the risk of being a witness to an armed robbery or worse. Bingo hall robberies are a very disturbing trend and many players are afraid to attend games at their local bingo halls.

It had to happen sooner or later. For decades bingo had been the domain of senior citizens and pensioners. Then one night two British reality show producers Freddie “Fortune” Sorensen and James “Flames” Gordon got drunk and Rebel bingo was born. In their own words the creators tell the story; “One night we found a bingo kit down there and started messing around with it. Things got out of control, and it ended up as a mental bingo party. We had invented a new form of bingo – Rebel Bingo. We were drunk. We knew it was wrong, but it felt good.” Since then Rebel Bingo has crossed the Atlantic and is now a big hit in the United States.

The first Rebel bingo events were held in London and featured dance music, costumed hosts, sexy girls — and bingo. The games were secretive because running a bingo game could be considered gambling. Why did the creators choose bingo? Some observers say that it’s because a childhood game is conducive to drinking, dancing and even nudity. Underground Rebel Bingo games are a cult hit around the world. Games have taken place in 25 cities including London, Madrid, Toronto and New York. In Los Angeles Rebel Bingo nights quickly achieved popularity. The LA games are hosted by Sorensen, who prefers to go by Fortune.

Sorensen calls the games immersive theater and stated “It starts from the moment you buy your ticket,” he says. The secret location is revealed only days before the event, and it is billed as something not bingo, such as a school of etiquette or a health and safety seminar. We greet you at the door and warn you not to mention bingo in case we get found out, but once inside and the coast is clear, so to speak, the night explodes,” says Fortune. “The idea that this is naughty and rebellious is all a bit of fun, but if you are not in on the joke, then this is probably not the night for you.”  Rebel bingo games make some concessions to traditional bingo. Rebel bingo games use numbered cards and a traditional bingo cage rolling the numbers.

Prizes are not awarded in the traditional manner. Fortune explains “This is a totally unfair version of bingo. You can win stuff, but it’s totally arbitrary who wins. It not based on the numbers but on how enthusiastic you can be.” Although at present the game does not lend itself to online bingo it is only a matter of time before some techie figures out a way to bring these outrageous games online.

A newspaper in Nebraska asked; is bingo dying? The article described the decline of charitable bingo which has been used as a fundraising tool by churches and charities since the 1930’s when a Catholic priest asked modern bingo game Edwin S. Lowe inventor to create bingo cards with non repeating numbers. Since then bingo has been a staple at Catholic and Orthodox churches in the United States and Canada. In Nebraska churches and community organizations have described a decade long slide in attendance at bingo games. While other forms of wagering have increased charity free bingo games have declined.

At VFW Post 1347 in Grand Island Nebraska player Karla Smith is a regular and is a serious bingo player. Smith told reporters “I like it here. The pay is good. I go other places that don’t pay as good, but that don’t bother me. Just have some entertainment.” Smith usually plays multiple cards and when asked how often she wins said “It’s probably about 50-50. They owe me a lot. But I have fun anyway.” Although bingo may be gambling for most players it is a chance to visit with friends and have a good time. Bingo is also an important source of revenue for several charities in the state. Unfortunately the VFW post is seeing a decline in game attendance. The number of players and the amount they wager have seriously declined.

In 2011 one of Nebraska’s largest bingo games closed. Holy Name parish in Omaha started hosting bingo games in the 1950’s. After years of shrinking revenues the parish no longer earned enough money to keep the games running. During the parish’s best bingo years the games earned about $250,000 annually. Over at the VFW post Kenny Brandt who organized the games and also served as a caller remembers when the games at the post filled two community rooms and attracted over 300 players on big jackpot nights. Brandt stated “It’s been declining in the last 10 years.” He also said the number of players has decreased and told reporters “Thursday nights, if you get 100, you’re doing good, and Sunday’s 130, 140.”

In several states charity bingo games have suffered the same fate and for the same reasons. Expanded casino gaming has put pressure on charity bingo games. In some places players are opting for online bingo thanks to smoking bans. In Nebraska total revenues from every bingo game in the state totaled less than $500,000, quite a decline from the game’s heyday. The future of charity bingo is uncertain across the United States.

Bingo is a popular game on both sides of the Atlantic and attracts millions of players each year. For many new players a first visit to a bingo hall of an online bingo site can be intimidating. Many new players ask themselves; what are the rules? How should I act? What are the standards of bingo etiquette? That first visit does not have to be unnerving if you follow a few simple rules. Leaning bingo rules and etiquette is probably the most steps any player can take on their way to being a well liked and respected bingo player. Although no two bingo halls operate the same way there are some standard rules applicable to all bingo halls. Some players get annoyed by new players and their actions; how they react to winning, sitting in the ‘wrong’ chairs and any disruptive behavior. ‘False bingos’ are probably the most annoying mistakes made by new players but fortunately this usually happens only once.

New players at land based bingo halls should be aware that some players consider certain seats ‘lucky.’ If you are sitting in another player’s regular spot it is best to move to another chair. Fortunately most bingo players are very friendly and welcoming but there are certain riles that should not be broken. Some of these rules also apply to online bingo.

1.    Before playing familiarize yourself with the rules of the bingo hall or online bingo site. Knowing the rules and etiquette can make your bingo experience more enjoyable for you and everyone else.

2.    Do not say or do anything that could get you banned from the hall or bingo site. Obnoxious comments and intentionally distracting other players is unacceptable. Never disrupt the conversation at online bingo chat rooms. Never try to alter a bingo card at a live bingo hall. Your reputation as a player is up to you to establish.

3.    As has been mentioned watch out for ‘lucky’ seats in live bingo halls. Many players are very particular about where they sit during games. If you are asked to move do so gracefully.

4.    Bingo is a social game and most players will be happy to help new players learn the ropes and bingo lingo. In live bingo halls it is considered bad form to talk during games.

5.    Never parrot the numbers called in live bingo halls. It is annoying to everyone around you and you will be asked to quiet down.

6.    Don’t play when you are in a bad mood. If you are tired and angry you will make mistakes and be bad company for the other players.

7.    Be a good loser. Chances are you will win at another time. 96% of all bingo players say they have won at least one game. Do not take out your frustrations on the game’s caller.

8.    Try not to call any false bingos. It disrupts the game and the other players will be annoyed.