Last night at Mecca Bingo was the scene of another beginners luck situation. For around three years now I’ve been playing at my local. Mecca Bingo hall, and last night i went down for my usual mid week dabble.

As per usual Jane and Sue were there ready and waiting for it to start at 7.30 on the dot. So i get my book and take my place in the far corner mid way between the bar and the toilets.

What i wasn’t expecting though was the mid interval interruption from nine new faces, that had clearly never played bingo before strolling in and talking.

Now i don’t begrudge anyone from playing the game have come to love, but what was annoying was these bingo virgins talking while i was trying to listen to the caller. I’m even sure i missed two numbers thanks to them.

I have to say that it was quite funny watching them play once they had gotten themselves settled, whispering to each other about how quick the caller was, and shouting false claims.

One of them did managed to win towards then end though, and the jackpot house as well. £500 pounds she walked away with.

I’m sure the outing was a one off thing for friends, although the excitement of winning is sure to have given them the bingo bug.

This Sunday is the big Jackpot games though where one line, two lines and House are all worth £1,000.

I’ll be there and i think you should too, you never know you might be lucky like that newbie was.

Playing Bingo is all about having fun and in the current economic climate, that’s important! Several recent studies have shown the numbers of people opting to stay in has dramatically increased. With consumer spending falling sharply in recent months, people are now deciding to play a few cheap games of bingo instead!

Online Bingo sites are a easy, cheap and safe way of enjoying a night in. They are one of the most socially centered type of sites on the internet packed with players nattering on forums and chat rooms. The social aspect of online bingo is what makes it so attractive for the 3 million who take part in games every year.

Sites such as Gala Bingo now hold hundreds of games everyday which attract thousands of players.

With several other industries such as, Construction, Banking and Manufacturing, struggling in the recession, Online gambling is still growing steadily and boast’s one of the worlds best examples of a regulated gaming industry.

Many believe interactive social online games will become an increasing part of our leisure activities, and Bingo sites are certainly proving this theory already.

There’s no better time to play online bingo  as the biggest day of the year approaches! High streets are full of brightly flashing lights, shops are packed with people buying presents for others and festive food is being prepared.

It’s also a great time for players to take part in online bingo! Sites all over the UK are holding special promotions for players to enjoy! Whether its huge guaranteed jackpots, advent calendar prizes, sign up promotions or special prizes, you will find plenty during the festive season!

Here’s a look at some of the best reason to play online bingo over Christmas:

* The Jackpots! Each site will be holding there own special Christmas Jackpots. Some of the biggest include Game Villages 10K game at 11pm on Xmas day. Foxy will also be holding there huge monthly 25K game on Boxing Day! Don’t miss these enormous games!

* The Advent Calendars! Most Bingo sites have some of the best Christmas prizes on offer in the lead up to the 25th. Foxy, Gala and Crown Bingo are all offering great prizes everyday so check out the sites to find out what can be won today.

* Its great fun with the family over Christmas! OK so your kid’s cant play but there’s no harm in buying them a couple of tickets! Its great fun to each have a couple of tickets, to huddle round the PC and see if anyone is lucky enough to win!

* Winning a Jackpot would be the ideal way of starting off 2009 with a a bang! Good luck and see you in the chat rooms!

Online Bingo is packing its balls and tickets and is heading to Spain! In the UK online bingo is huge with an estimated 3 million taking part in games online every year. For some its about the money, others play for the enjoyment factor.

Operators such as Foxy, Love, Crown an Gala Bingo have some fantastic offers, including free sign up bonuses and special monthly prizes. However can operators crack the Spanish market? Well some have already setup online sites in various European countries.

Feria Bingo is one, which has recently began providing bingo gaming to Spanish customers. The site is specifically for Spanish speaking users and includes two busy chat rooms and some great promotional deals.

New players will receive a free €1 when they sign up as well as a 100% match up on first deposits up to €125. This means that any player who deposits between €10 and €125 will see their money automatically doubled!

It will be interesting to see whether the site is a success as it is one of the first in the market. Could bingo soon be going worldwide? Who knows!

The Sun Bingo successfully launched there new online bingo site last month and have recently announced the winner of there ‘win a house promotion’. The lucky winner was called “Joanne S” from Nottingham.

It’s these kind of prizes which attract thousands of bingo players from around the country to play at Sun Bingo. The site has recently undergone some major improvements, with new games, jackpots and of course promo’s for players to enjoy! The site is part of the famous tabloid newspaper which is read by millions around the UK every day of the week.

The site is well known and has £10,000 of guaranteed cash prizes up for grabs every day.
“This means so much to us, our quality of life as a family will improve immensely, and for me that’s priceless” said Joanne S. With current housing crisis the prize of a free house is ideal!

Check out Sun Bingo for more great promotions! Good Luck!

It’s been a tough month for many with the credit crunch hitting home and the awful weather we’ve had to endure. However bingo sites have been keeping their fans happy with several awesome promotions. Here’s a look at some of our favourites from the past month!

Crown Bingo:

It’s been a busy month for Crown has they have put on several great promotions as well as announcing the new face of their site! Alison Hammond will now be working for Crown Bingo and appearing on all their banners as well as in sites chat rooms! Alison will make an apperance as a CM on Crown for the first time on the 8th October.

Players will be able to ask questions about what its like to be a major TV celebrity! Alison has done them all, Big Brother, Loose Women and Celebrity fit club! Crown also held a Pirate themed day for their players to enjoy!

Thousands descended on the site to take part in special prizes games and engage in some serious pirate banter! It’s these kind of promotions, as well as their decent sign up bonuses, which keep attracting new players. Crown isn’t just about bingo, its about meeting others, relaxing and most of all having fun! Some bingo sites take the game to seriously and loose the fun aspect! Crown certainly aren’t one of these!

Land based bingo halls have felt the effects of the smoking ban, rising prices of fuel and increased taxation. Online bingo halls are now often used by fans as they don’t need to leave the home or spend money and time on travel to play bingo.

Sites such as Gala, Foxy, Mecca and hundreds have setup online sites offering fantastic promotions offers and deals on bingo. Most offer free sign up bonus money for new players a reward loyal players in the same way.

However many traditional bingo players have been skeptical about the move to online bingo. The technology factor and lack of atmosphere are reasons for many not willing to join. However online sites are tackling these problems head on by creating community and chat room areas. These chat rooms are the scene of bustling activity with thousands of players talking about anything and everything.

Applications allowing players to add bingo buddies have also created small social networking sites with players having friends online. Chat rooms are found on most of the big bingo sites with some hosting quiz games. These quiz’s allow players to play bingo and try and win extra prizes or cash adding another feature or dimension to online bingo gaming.

Check out some of the bigger online bingo sites for the busiest chat rooms!

Most people who play bingo do so once every few days for a social and leisure activity, however a minority can become addicted and resort to desperate measures to feed their addiction. Most UK Bingo sites warn players about the dangers of gambling. The best sites allow players to put a cap on the monthly or weekly amount they deposit.

A middle aged woman, addicted to playing online bingo stole £62,000 from her workplace to feed her habit. Sandra Preston, 42 stole the money whilst working at her local Total Garage where she was manageress. The shocking discovery was made when the owner decided to sell the garage.

Preston, from Hull was allegedly addicted to playing online bingo games in her spare time. She used the payment system pay point at the garage to deposit funds to her own private account. She was judged guilty yesterday and jailed for six months at hear court hearing at Hull Crown court.

Barrister, Anil Murray, told the court: “Initially, she paid for her bingo activities herself. She then lost so much she began to get into debt playing on her own credit cards. It is an activity in which one can lose money and lose it fast. It became an addiction.”

Sentencing Preston, Recorder Anton Lodge QC said: “You were a woman of good character and a woman of honour. You had led a commendable, ordinary, honest good life and the sad thing is that, when you got this job at this garage, you discovered a way to steal money from your employer.”

Bingo UK sites are enjoyed sensibly by most players, however if you think you may have a gambling problem their are plenty of websites offering helpful advice.

Organizers in the US are planning to break the world record for the biggest bingo house ever staged. Two groups, the Auto Club Speedway and San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino are joining up to stage the event. The biggest ever bingo game will take place at the Pepsi 500 NASCAR race. The speedway stadium will be transformed into gigantic bingo house with a record number of players.

The NASCAR series is one of the most popular sporting events in the US attracting thousands of visitors with every race.

Bingo tickets will be handed out and those with the winning tickets will be entered into a draw to win up to $20,000. The numbers of players should break the world record for the largest number of bingo players playing in one house in one house.

The record will smash the previous one set and promises to be a great occasion for racing and bingo fans alike! Bingo rarely gets such big publicity, but this event will be the talk of the town for several weeks before and after. Organizer Steve Lengel said in a press conference for the event, “We’re all really fired up about the up and coming record breaking and we’re ready to put the pedal to the metal “

Mecca Bingo staff are going Sky Diving! The companies brave staff are taking part in a charity sky dive to raise funded for the children’s charity Whizz Kidz Charity. The participants hope to raise up to £250,000 for the charity which helps disabled children live a fun and fulfilling life.

The organisers have already raised over £100,000. Simon Gibb, Anna Mason, Kayleigh Greener and Carol Scott all work at the Mecca Bingo hall in Blyth and are braving it to raise money for the charity. “This latest challenge was the most exciting and nerve wracking fundraising event the team had ever done. Everyone has been so generous with their donations, But I would urge anyone who hasn’t already donated to dig deep. After all, it’s not every day we offer to throw ourselves out of a plane!” Anna Mason said.

This event demonstrates the benefits of playing bingo as it is a social game which brings people together. Mecca bingo hold several charity events helping raise money for numerous charity organizations. Mike Travis from the Mecca hall in Blackpool said, “We’ve been holding a number of fund raising events over the past months and this is probably one of the most exciting and certainly the most nerve-racking. Colleagues, club members, friends and family have all been extremely generous so far with their donations.”

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