Bingo is no longer just a game for old women. It is a fast-growing cult that promises to become a full-fledged ethos of living.  The latest addition to the burgeoning Bingo bandwagon of causes, celebrities and events is the BingObama craze.

If the run-up to the US elections saw the gambling habits of John McCain and Barack Obama being analyzed in minutiae, post elections, it is the Bingo Obama game that has everyone spellbound. I was in Washington last week, watching the inauguration and was puzzled to see my extended family (grandpa, cousins, uncles, aunts, nieces and nephews) settling down enthusiastically with Bingo cards when the President began his speech.  I later gathered that some enterprising soul had put together probable words that would come up in the speech, as a Bingo game!

Now this was one presidential speech that had people hanging on to every word!
While I am no great Bingo fan myself –I prefer Craps –like McCain does-the incident prompted me to go online and check out Bingo. I was in for a bigger surprise. I found dozens of Obama Bingo game variations, including a Mrs Obama’s Online Bingo.  Launched by Kezia Obama, President Obama’s step-mother has launched this game to raise money for the Sue Ryder Care Foundation in UK which helps people suffering from Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s and Multiple Sclerosis.
Ever since, I have been on the Bingo trail and am simply astounded to see what the game has achieved in terms of philanthropy.  Most celebrities when invited to do ball calling, donate the proceeds to a charity.  UK pop star Robbie Williams whose music video shows him playing the game with Splash actress Daryl Hannah, has done his bit for breast cancer through the Bingo game.  In fact, as the proceeds of the game was meant for the UK Charity, Breakthrough Breast Cancer –players even screamed “Bingo Breakthrough!”
Hollywood stars, Michael Douglas, Russel Crowe, and Catherine Zeta-Jones are all self-proclaimed Bingo aficionados and unwittingly serve as brand ambassadors of the game.  Others in Bingo Hall of Fame are the Queen of England, Prince Williams and former US President, Bill Clinton.

What is surprising is that sports stars spare time to play Bingo as well.  Professional golfer Phil Mickelson has hosted many a Bingo event, while defender of the Middleborough Football Club, David Wheater enjoys the game with his girlfriend. Bingo’s acceptance as a sport is best reflected in former Formula One driver Damon Hill’s words: : “I’m addicted to adrenaline, that’s why I love it. It’s a bit like racing a Grand Prix car.”

Suddenly, Bingo is a billion dollar buzzword.

It is a fact that millions of dollars are spent playing Bingo every year. Loyal online Bingo players swear by the fun and enjoy the winnings that online Bingo has brought to their lives.There’s a massive hype around the game and no one can really deny that.

People like to win, especially if the victory involves money and where games of chance are concerned, players would do anything to bring luck. From here evolve the good luck charms. A lot of players believe that the lucky charms they carry help them to woo luck to get those winning streaks and consequently lot of money.

There are those too who are not really superstitious or do not believe much in luck. They find the idea of carrying lucky charms ridiculous. The avid players however, disagree.

You may even have several tips and tricks up your sleeve that believe will help you improve your game. Just as when people are in the casinos and they kiss or blow on the dice before they roll them, there are several similar Bingo superstitions that people like to use. Many players will say that they will absolutely never win unless they go through with their little rituals.

Studies over the past few years have actually been able to show that almost half of the regular Bingo playing community will actually use some type of symbol, ritual or lucky charm before every single game that they participate in. Some of these rituals may be as simple as making sure that they take the exact same seat within the Bingo hall every single time that they play. You may want to pray that you never sit in the seat of a rabid player! Another common ritual that is used quite a bit would be using the same dabber or marking pen with every game. Perhaps the player has a favourite colour that seems to bring them luck, such as green or blue.

Chances are, if you have been out to play online or offline Bingo amongst a large group of regulars, you have noticed some pretty interesting outfits throughout the Bingo hall . Many people will actually have special outfits that they wear or a unique smock with all kinds of different trinkets hanging all over the place. Often times, you will even see a player or two that is surrounded by a ton of stuffed animals. A lot of players who have certain Bingo superstitions will actually tell you that Teddy bears tend to bring the most luck. The more of them you have around you, the better the chances you have of winning. Whether or not any of these Bingo superstitions really work, at least there is no harm in having them!

Bingo has been popular in the US since the early 20^th century. With the revolution of online gaming though, Bingo has reached the UK too! It was only in the 1960s, that the Bingo halls became established in UK. The gambling legislations in UK were such that betting could only happen in the ‘members-only’ establishments.

As more and more of the British are converting into staunch Bingo fans, online Bingo is definitely in vogue! No more are the Bingo halls filled with old pensioners. Research shows that 8% of the total UK population - 10% of all women and 5% of all men, plays bingo.

The swanky online Bingo sites are considered the coolest place to hangout. With lively online communities, online Bingo sites are roping in more and more players with their excellent customer service, promotions, superb game quality, buzzing chat rooms and super friendly CM’s! The costs are so low that even the most budget minded are finding themselves indulging in some pure Bingo fun!

Bingo in the UK is revolutionized to such a large extent that UK has its own Parliamentary legislation on Bingo and a Bingo Act! This revolution was brought about by the establishment of the National Bingo Game Association in June 1986. The association also actively takes up social causes and started its support of Breakthrough Breast Cancer in 2003. It raised about £515,000! Ever since, it has raised over 2.7 Million Pounds.

Today, licensed Bingo halls operate throughout UK to meet the customer expectations. There are approximately 20,000 people employed in the bingo industry today, making Bingo a very attractive profession. UK also hosts a yearly “Best Bingo Caller” competition. The winning caller is chosen by popular vote and gets a 2 week paid holiday!

Now that’s surely fun!

A few years ago, Bingo loving parents who got tired of their kids cribbing in the backseat while driving, devised a radio Bingo game. The mom made a bingo card and wrote on it words that she thought the radio jockeys would speak. The kids got engaged and life became much simpler. What started off as a simple trick to alleviate moans and groans from the back seat is now a worldwide phenomena, with a slight twist.

That Bingo is now on radio, will not be surprising to any Bingo enthusiasts. The game has already gained ground on the internet and is now foraying into the mobile gaming world too. It’s already on the TV and in airplanes and the prizes are pouring fast. So what’s special about Bingo on radio?

Radio Bingo is designed especially for those who do not have access to online Bingo or a Bingo hall. While it lacks the chat factor and also the friendly community factor, Bingo enthusiasts living in areas with poor internet connectivity are rejoicing.

The prizes and the jackpots are similar to those on online Bingo and the game patterns are nothing new. Players, who for any reason weren’t able to travel to Bingo halls or navigate the online Bingo websites, can now play Bingo right from their homes.

To be able to play, all you have to do is buy cards at your nearest seller. The bingo cards come color coded and with serial numbers corresponding to the day of the week. Ensure that you have the right color and serial numbers on your cards for the day you want to play. Tune in to the radio Bingo program and have your phone ready. Keep daubing the numbers as they are called. As soon as you hit Bingo, call at the number and claim your winning!

Playing online bingo is really good entertainment because there are so many things to do once you’re on an online bingo site. Online bingo sites have great graphics and they can even emulate the feel of a real bingo hall with awesome audio-visual effects.

You can choose from tons of themed bingo games. The basic ones cover traditional 90-Ball Bingo and 75-Ball Bingo games, but there are even more enjoyable games — the newest additions to the online bingo game family. If you’re tired of daubing, you can "slide". That’s right, in the online 80-Ball Bingo game, there’s no daubing. You slide the numbers in order to mark them. Bingo cards in this game are called shutter boards. Even if you’re not a bingo fan, but like scratch cards, you can try the online bingo scratch card games!

Playing online bingo is not a lonely experience. You can visit online bingo forums and read or share jokes, discuss strategies, and talk on just about anything. You can even talk to other online bingo players while you’re playing the game. In a land-based bingo hall you’d be kicked out! Remember, online bingo players come from all over the world! And they’ll be congratulating you when you win.

There are more patterns that you can get on the online bingo cards and you have more chances of winning at online bingo games . These online bingo patterns are really entertaining to get because there are endless possibilities. There are also special bonuses for special patterns depending on the promotions that the online bingo site is running. There are also bigger prizes and bonuses in online bingo.

Online bingo is fun, entertaining and you can play in the comfort of your own home on your own time. Online bingo is available 24/7, all you need is to get on the Internet and play!

Online bingo is one of the most popular online casino games, not only because there is a lot of money to be won but also because you have a lot of fun when you play. You can have fun playing online bingo from your own home. You can now play multiple bingo games at the same time just by having different windows open on your computer screen.

Registering yourself with an online bingo site is one of the first things that you have to do. You are then given a random card. If you want you can take up 50 cards at a time. Numbers between 1 and 75 are called out by the online bingo software. Compare these with the numbers on your card. If they match, you can shout out ‘Bingo!’

Exercise a bit of caution along with the fun part while playing online bingo. Watch out carefully for the numbers that are called out. That is why it is advisable not to play with too many cards at the same time. Too many calls can confuse you and it becomes increasingly difficult for you to follow the bingo pattern . If there is more than 1 person who has the winning pattern, then the prize money is shared among the winners.

Online Bingo fun is heightened if you are winning. A good way to increase your chances of winning at online bingo is to play when the rush is low. Try playing in the mornings or afternoons. Also make note to fix a certain amount of money that you can afford to lose on an online bingo game. Sticking to a fixed budget is always important to minimize your losses. That way, you have lots of fun playing online bingo, without burning a hole in your pocket.

More often then not, your love for bingo remained confined to the local bingo hall. That was before the coming of online bingo. Now, with online bingo , if you don’t have the cash for gas, can’t make it to their location, have other things to do when they’re hosting the game, you can still play online bingo at home. All you need is a computer and a high-speed internet connection. You can zoom into the world of online casino at home and come out with money and loads of fun.

To start playing online bingo at home, register with an online bingo site. You will then be given a random card that is computer-generated. You can have a go at fifty cards simultaneously and the computer software will call a number from 1 to 75. If the pattern called out matches with the pattern in your card, you can declare yourself a winner by shouting ‘Bingo!’

You can also win handsome amounts of money playing online bingo at home. I’d suggest that you do not take too many cards at the same time. This will help you put your eggs in many baskets and increase your chances of winning, but it will also confuse you with the numbers and patterns. Since you have to make sure you can pay all your attention when the calls are made, too many cards in your hands can confuse you and you may end up missing a bingo pattern .

Before starting to play online bingo at home, you can practice playing on free online bingo sites. You don’t get to win any money, but you don’t have to invest any money either. You can acquire the skills which will come in handy once you start playing with real money. So spice up your life playing online bingo at home. It’s fun and it also rolls in the dough!