There are several factors that that can influence a player’s decision to join a specific bingo site. There are also several reasons that players will leave one site and join another. Online bingo operators and marketers are well aware of these factors and tailor their marketing campaigns to accent the positive and downplay any negatives. There are five top factors that attract players to a site.

The first factor and the most important is the sign up bonus. Bingo operators know this and have made sign up bonuses more generous than ever. Most online bingo sites offer sign up bonuses based on a percentage of the player’s initial deposit. Some sited offer percentage bonuses of 600! Most bonuses come with wagering requirements and it is always a good idea to read and understand all of the terms and conditions associated with any bingo bonus offer.

Website recommendations were the second most important factor. Most online bingo players do some research before signing up at a specific bingo site. There are hundreds of bingo portals and review sites offering accurate and impartial information to new players.

A referral from a friend or family member came in as the third reason influencing a player’s decision to join a specific bingo site. Generally the friend or family member has extensive experience playing at the recommended site and has had positive dealings with the site. Referrals are one of the best ways to find a reputable online bingo site.

The site’s software is also an important factor. Ease of use is important. Today most online bingo games are flash based and players have instant access to high quality bingo games. Attractive graphics and amusing animations can also influence a player’s decision making process.

Believe it or not television was the least important factor influencing player’s decisions. In the United Kingdom and Europe online bingo operators have spent millions on television advertising. On commercial television in the UK there is hardly a commercial break without at least one advertisement for an online bingo site. Since women account for a majority of online bingo players some operators have sponsored shows popular with women such as ‘The Only Way is Essex’ commonly known as TOWIE.

These were found to be the five most important factors that influence players to join a specific bingo site. The research also showed that a large majority of players will remain loyal to one specific bingo site. In fact online bingo has the highest player retention rate in the online gaming industry so the importance of attracting new players can clearly be seen.

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?

It is no secret that women are largely responsible for the success of the online bingo industry in the United Kingdom. Gambling statistics show that a large majority of online bingo players are female. Online bingo has attracted a much younger demographic than land based bingo halls. In land based bingo halls older players and pensioners dominate the games although many of the younger generation have developed a taste for live bingo games. A new survey commissioned by an online casino company in the UK highlights just how important female gamblers are to the industry.

The survey was commissioned by the Belle Rock casino group and was conducted by Hitwise, a firm specializing in online consumer search and behavior intelligence. The survey was conducted across all online casinos in the UK and compared industry figures from 2007 to those of today. The survey showed that the number of female online gamblers quadrupled from 2007 to 2010. The number of women playing at online casinos is almost as high as men. A press release by Belle Rock Entertainment showed that in 2007 48.38% of players in 2011 were female and 51.62% were male. The report also speculated on the reasons for the large increase. Online casinos can be easily accessed by women who want to gamble online. In addition they provide a less intimidating atmosphere for female players and make them feel safe from the prying eyes and derisive looks they may receive at land based casinos.

Online bingo sites and casinos are taking advantage of recent trends and are targeting more of their marketing efforts towards female players. The survey showed that females and males visit different types of gambling sites. Men showed a marked preference for poker and sports betting while women had a strong preference for online bingo sites and slots. Women dominate online bingo and their numbers are three times that of men. Most online bingo sites offer a selection of slots and the survey clearly showed the importance of slots to female players.

Another report by Women at NBCU showed that women are becoming more tech savvy than men especially when it comes to mobile technology. 53% of all women in the United States own smart phones and men account for about 46% of cell phones in the US. The survey showed that women are more likely to own some sort of smart phone app. It is clear that women are very important to the online casino industry and their influence is expected to grow in the coming years.

Playing bingo is all about fun, but occasionally you’ll stumble across sites that are out there to make money from you, and aren’t altogether legitimate. Alternatively, you may come across a site that has the best intentions but is so badly organised, you won’t ever see any winnings that you do make. Here are some top tips to staying safe online.

Free Play

You should be wary of any company that asks you to deposit money to open an account, especially if you just want to play for free. Look for deals like free bingo no deposit at Costa Bingo, one of the better sites around. This has two benefits, firstly, you don’t have to risk any money to play, and two, you can get a feel for the games for free, before moving up to the cash options.

Big Money

Online bingo is a burgeoning industry and extremely popular…however, there are realistically enormous prizes and there are unrealistically enormous prizes. Never open an account on the promise of some huge money games, firstly, they may be too good to be true, and secondly, even if they do exist your chances of winning are absolutely negligible.

Password Protection

Never give out your password to anyone, and don’t write it down. Also, avoid automatic log-ins. The best thing that you can do, with any password in general, is to pick one that is based on the activity that you’re doing, or the company you’re doing it with. So, do something like (although obviously not this one) pick the first and last two letters of the company’s web address, and then count up the vowels and consonants and add them on the end. So, for example, a password for this site would be: bite55.

This way, you can always work out your password, and you never write it down – and, you’ll always have different passwords.

Governing Bodies

Make sure that the company you’re going to play with is licensed in Europe, and prominently displays its membership of some of the industry’s overseeing organisations.

And last of all…

Keep an eye out on websites like this one which give players the opportunity to air their grievances and alert other players about problems with certain sites. The odds are that someone else will have had a problem with a given site before you do, so keep an eye out for what other gamers say.

Bingo sign by pixieclipx on flickr

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.

The UK government has been moving at a snail’s pace when it comes to changing tax policies related to online and land based bingo. Throughout 2011 online bingo companies lobbied for changes in the UK tax code that taxed bingo at a higher rate than any other form of gambling in the country. No one likes paying taxes but they are a part of everyday life and are also a cost of doing business in the UK. As the old American saying goes “nothing in this life is certain except death and taxes.” In December 2011 gaming and bingo giant Rank called for a flat tax on bingo, a move many found quite surprising. Currently land based bingo halls pay a 20% tax. Since online bingo sites licensed in the UK pay a 15% tax rate many in the land based bingo sector say the higher taxes for land based operations are unfair.

Although online bingo operators paying the 15% tax rate believe their taxes are too high it is easy to see why land based operators are complaining. Compounding the problem are offshore online bingo sites that pay no taxes in the UK giving them a serious competitive advantage over UK licensed bingo sites. Rank would like to see the same tax rates apply to online and land based bingo equally. Land based bingo hall operators say that if their taxes are reduced to the same rate as online bingo sites their profits will increase and they can employ more people and build new clubs and revamp older ones. The bingo industry employs thousands throughout the UK and generally bingo halls pay a living wage.

A change in the tax rates could go two ways; lowering taxes for land based bingo halls or raising taxes for online bingo operators. If taxes remain high the costs will be passed along to players and could result in reduced spending at bingo sites and live clubs. History has shown that major corporations always find a way to pass along increased costs or taxes to consumers. The disparity in bingo taxation has been a problem for years and higher taxes could put a damper on the recent revival of live bingo halls. Rank has spent millions modernizing their Mecca bingo clubs to appeal to a younger group of players. Higher taxes could easily stop all of the progress that has been made. Why the government is taking so long to address this issue is anybody’s guess.

Although things are improving we are still in the midst of the worst and most prolonged recession since the great depression of the 30’s. The European Union is in serious trouble because of Greece’s massive debt problems and credit downgrades of several European nations. In Spain the unemployment rate is 20% and in the United States is just short of 10%. The recession has prompted a change in consumer spending habits and many people have limited disposable income. Many households have bare bones budgets and people are looking for inexpensive entertainment. Because of this demand one industry is thriving; online bingo. Online bingo fits the needs of cash strapped players and is affordable to just about everyone.

The UK remains the world’s largest bingo market for both land based and online bingo. In recent years the land based bingo industry has been hard hit by a combination of factors. The national smoking ban caused a 60% decline in attendance at a number of bingo halls and several independent operators were forced out of business. Approximately 40% of the live bingo market in the UK is controlled by two companies; Gala which is owned by Gala Coral and Mecca which is owned by the Rank Group. Both companies have large online bingo operations.

Smoking bans in other countries have also had a devastating effect on live bingo. In Spain Rank Group reported serious losses after the imposition of a national smoking ban last year. In the United States several charities and veteran’s organizations were forced to close their bingo games because of declining attendance caused by smoking bans. In the UK high taxes have also pressured live bingo halls and the tax on slot machines has increased. These same factors have caused rapid growth in the online bingo industry. Online bingo sites are not subject to smoking bans and do not pay the same tax rates as live bingo halls. In addition online bingo operators are not faced with the expense of maintaining a bingo hall and a large staff of employees.

2011 was a very good year for the online bingo industry and the gaming industry in general.  For players affected by the recession online bingo game is probably one of the most affordable games on the internet. Even better there are none of the ancillary expenses associated with a night out at the local bingo hall. There are now more than 300 online bingo sites targeting players in several countries. Games are available in a variety of languages and currencies. Most online bingo and gaming companies say that 2012 will be another banner year.

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.