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.

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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.

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In is no secret that online bingo achieved spectacular growth in the UK in 2008.  The double taxation of bingo halls combined with a national indoor smoking ban has crippled the land based UK bingo industry. Despite the global recession, or perhaps because of it, bingo continues to thrive and is one of the few industries creating new jobs. This trend is expected to continue unabated in throughout 2009.

Online bingo has experienced an influx of players as players who used to play at local bingo halls switch to online bingo mainly because of the smoking ban. The global recession has many seeking inexpensive online amusement and online bingo is a prefect fit for this need. Online bingo’s appeal to a wider demographic has contributed to online bingo growth on both sides of the Atlantic. The current recession has caused most consumers to tighten their belts and many consumers who formerly spent a part of their income on social activities are now seeking home based entertainment.

The UK government has promised universal broadband access by 2012 and experts predict Europe will achieve 71% broadband penetration by 2013. The expansion of broadband access presents online bingo providers with new and growing markets. In the US there are efforts to overturn the draconian Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. Should this happen online bingo providers will have access to the world’s largest market. The US already has the broadband infrastructure necessary in place.

In the UK online bingo already enjoys annual ticket sales of over £600 million. ($911,883,316 USD) Annual sales are expected to increase during the next two years and industry experts predict a bright future for online bingo. Competition is already keen and is expected to increase. Times have never been better for online bingo players!