A recent St. Louis news story detailed the plight of charitable bingo games in Missouri. Ruby Murray a 78 year old retiree is a regular at the charity bingo games hosted by the Moolah Shriners. Like most people who play bingo online Murray has her favorite seat in the hall’s smoking section even though she quit smoking years ago. “You can’t sit just anywhere,” says Murray. Murray is surrounded by game regulars Maria, Kim, Alicia and Ginny who have also been playing at the game for years. Attendance at the games is not what it used to be as players are lured away from charity bingo games by games at huge flashy casinos. The bingo jackpots at the casinos are much larger than the charity jackpots and all across the region charity bingo games are in trouble.

During the last ten years the funds generated by charity bingo games has dropped 35% to a little over $100 million dollars a year. The number of bingo licenses issued by the state of Missouri has fallen to 353 from 608. During the same period bingo revenue in Illinois has fallen by 50%. Similar declines have taken place across the United States and many charity groups that use bingo as their main fundraising tool are in financial trouble. As charity bingo games fold many players have had a tough time to replace the friendly social atmosphere in their local bingo hall.

Bingo news sites have long pointed out that for players bingo is much more than just a game. Alicia Smith, 26, is one of the younger players at the Moolah Shriners bingo games and stated, “The best part of coming out to bingo is the people you sit around. This is more than just bingo. It’s the equivalent of a book club.” For many older players bingo provides a chance to socialize and is inexpensive. Murray, who retired from the accounting department at AT&T plays bingo four times a week and says that for $30 dollars she can play bingo three hours. She sometimes visits the local casinos to play slot games but says that her money lasts longer playing bingo.

Bingo sites have been documenting the decline of charity bingo in the US. Casinos have put a lot of charity games out of business. Most charity bingo games cannot compete with what the large casinos have to offer. Despite the competition from the large flashy casinos many bingo players are sticking with their favorite charity games.

Most online bingo sites have realized that good chat room monitors are worth their weight in gold. Chat room moderators are individuals employed by internet bingo sites to monitor the conversations in the chat room and make sure that everything goes smoothly. Occasionally a chat moderator’s job is unpleasant and they have to deal with aggressive and obnoxious players. The job of a chat room moderator may seem simple and easy to some but nothing could be further from the truth.

Chat moderators must welcome new players to bingo sites and must also engage in conversations with all players, answer any questions and keep conversations civil. A good chat leader knows how to do all those things while all the while keeping the games fun for everyone. The chat room moderator must stay in front of the computer at all times which is not an easy task after several hours on the job. Chat moderators at online bingo sites must enforce a largely unwritten code of etiquette. Although chat room rules are posted at most online bingo sites there are other rules that are not stated but have become customary.

Most of the rules in a chat room are based on civil behavior and common sense. Players cannot use profanity, insult each other, and attempt to borrow money from other players. People who play bingo online and violate the rules will quickly be asked to leave the chat room and will usually forfeit any money spent on bingo cards for that particular game. Gossip can be popular at bingo site chat rooms. Chat room moderators have to be very careful about gossip. If the conversation turns nasty it is the job of the CM to end the conversation.

Typically chat room rules will include a ban on the use of Caps which is considered rude, a rule against a player promoting another bingo site, limited use of font colors, and a ban on the posting of any player’s personal information. Chat moderators have become so valuable to the online bingo industry that every year several CM’s win awards provided by various bingo news and bingo review websites. In the UK these award contests are very popular and the competition is keen. Players across the country will vote for their favorite chat room moderator. Online bingo sites with several chat moderators will hold a site wide contest for the most popular chat leader. Chat moderators earn every penny they make and are worth their weight in gold!

Playing bingo online is a popular form of leisure and entertainment.  There’s simply no question that the number bingo sites and game rooms has drastically increased over the past couple of years.  There are a number of reasons for this.  For one thing, people are trying to save on gas money and therefore seek entertainment at home.  Some love the game of bingo but don’t have the time to go out and play it. Many players are shy and prefer to play in the comfort of their own homes.

If you want to give bingo online sites a try, you need to consider a few things.  The most obvious thing you should do is research, to ensure that the sites you’re interested in are properly regulated and licensed.  Check out bingo directories to read bingo reviews on various sites to find out which ones are the best.

Another thing you should check into is the game selection of a site.  Are there at least a dozen or so games to choose from?  The best sites, such as Bingo Boat, offer not just a variety of bingo games, but slots, video poker, etc. as well.  This is important because, if you want to invest a lot of time in a good site, you need to do so without worrying about boredom!

If you’re worried about going broke over playing bingo online, you’ll be glad to know that many sites give out free bonuses points that can be used for playing.  It’s only considered to be a form of soft gambling, in which most people don’t become addicted.  Plus, most bingo cards/tickets are cheap, usually only costing a few cents each.

Many people base their decision on the size of the bonus a bingo site offers.  While this is certainly an important aspect, it’s not the most important.  Don’t sign up for a site solely because it offers a huge welcome bonus, or else you may find yourself trapped into a wagering requirement if you win a prize.  Make sure you carefully read over a site before signing up to play an online bingo game.

These are just a few things to keep in mind when deciding which bingo site is right for you.