Online Bingo, like most games, is played just for fun by many. No one wants to throw away hard earned money in difficult times like these. But let me tell you, in a game like Bingo, it is possible to at least break even, and sometimes even make money without risking anything at all. Here is how: If you are not familiar with the concept of online casino Bingo bonuses, it may surprise you to know that casinos as well as bingo halls offer sign-up bonuses to new players making their first deposit. While there are varieties of bonuses, the most popular is the No-Deposit bonus. And most sites offer this in the form of Bingo Bucks or BBs.

BBs is literally free money that a player can play with. You can use it to play several rounds of Bingo games on the site. And if you indulge in chat games while playing the main game, kind chat monitors also award more BBs to winners of the most simple games ever found online! Of course chat BBs are nominal — between $1 and $2. On this site, to avail BBs in the chat games, a player must have made a deposit in the past 10 days and must have picked up at least two tickets for the ongoing main Bingo game.

There is a fallacy that Bingo bucks can be used only for playing. You will be surprised to know that, you can even withdraw the BBs. According to the withdrawal policy at 123bingoonline.com you can withdraw a maximum of $50 of the winnings from a free sign-up bonus, provided you make a deposit and satisfy wagering requirements, if any.

How does this work actually? Here is an example: Let us say you log onto 123bingoonline.com. You avail the free sign-up bonus and win $100 in the form of BBs. Our rules say, you can withdraw upto $50, provided you make a deposit. So you make a deposit of $20, and ask for $50 withdrawal. Your account is reset with $20+$50 =$70 cash; It is this money that you can withdraw or go on to play with and win and draw!

What if you win $100 from the free sign-up bonus and decide to deposit $20 clubbed with a 300% deposit bonus with a 3X wagering requirement on Bingo and/or a 15 X wagering requirement on casino games? Well, well, your account will be credited with $50 alright, and of course the $20. But it will also boast of a $60 bonus. Your account now has $80. As per the wagering requirement, you have to place bets worth three times your account (80 x3) $240 on Bingo games or worth $1200 on casino games, before you withdraw.

Let us say, you decide to play chat games while you are meeting your wagering requirements on Bingo. If you win the chat BBs as well, then you jolly well have to fulfill the wagering requirements –if any– on them as well, before you can proceed with withdrawal. Let us say you win 10 BBs worth $1 each. Then your wagering requirement would go up by 10×3 =$30, so you should wager upto $270.

There is more. Life gets a little complicated as you go along! Let’s say you get put off by this, as you have not understood the rules properly before playing. You decide to abandon Bingo and you play slots on our site. Just a $1 bet. But hey! That means you have to also fulfill the casino game wagering requirement of 15 x deposit+Bonus Bucks+Chat game BBs + Any other Goodwill Bonus.

So as you can see, there is a certain method to the bonus buck bonanza! It comes, but it certainly does not come cheap or easy! You have to stay in the game long enough to reap the benefits.

Do you know what number the term “ two fat ladies” refers to? Or, who is considered the father of Bingo? Give up? Well, the term “two fat ladies” refers to number 88, and Edwin S. Lowe is considered as the father of Bingo.

There is much more to Bingo than simply daubing the numbers on your cards. Bingo is surrounded by many interesting facts and terms. Wanna find out? Here we go:

What was Bingo called in the beginning?

Bingo was called Beano initially. In Beano, a special “marker” was used to mark numbers. Can you name that? You may be surprised, but beans were used by players to mark the numbers called in Beano! The players just placed the bean on a disc carrying the letter and number called out.

Ever wondered how Beano was renamed as Bingo? It all happened during a carnival when a player got too excited and yelled “Bingo!” instead of Beano. This eventually led to the renaming of the game as Bingo.

Since then Bingo has spread far and wide and is now quite popular around the world.

In Australia and the UK, Bingo is known by a different name. What do you think that name is?

If you say, Housie, you get full points. As a matter of fact, it is played with 90 balls and a different Bingo card called ticket is used to mark numbers.

Looking for more questions? Let’s talk about online Bingo. Do you know what Bingo Bucks (BBS) are? It is a special way Bingo websites thank you for playing Bingo with them. You can use Bingo Bucks to play Bingo games but you cannot withdraw them directly.

What do you think people refer to when they say Bingo chat games?

When you play Bingo online, you can join the chat room opened for a particular game. The person who controls the chat in a chat room, called a chat host, often comes up with short games based on numbers, events and themes to keep players engaged and excited.

The popularity of Bingo has led to the development of many similar bingo games. Can you name one game that closely resembles Bingo?

The game is called Keno. It is played in casinos, both offline and online.

Bingo has been around for many years . Can you guess how old this game really is ? More than 450 years! It is one of the oldest games out there. No wonder the old and elderly seem to have a natural affinity towards it!

Do you know who invented Bingo cards that are still used? That man was known as Carl Leffler. He invented about 6,000 different Bingo cards and promptly turned insane! Beware, too much of anything is dangerous. We don’t want players to meet with a similar fate. So play with restraint, don’t go overboard.

Which is why we will stop here and come back later with some more Bingo tidbits.

What happened last week in England turns out to be another attempt to lower the taxes enforced on land-based Bingo halls. Will it yield any better results South Shields MP David Miliband, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, and a Bingo enthusiast himself, played the role of a Bingo caller. The  Bingo show was a huge success and many think that it will shape public opinion against the high incidence of taxes on Bingo halls.

According to media reports, MP Miliband said, “…A number of important issues have been raised, and I will be taking these back to the Chancellor of the Exchequer.” He was responding to a presentation on the hefty taxes that Bingo halls have to pay. “However, I think I’ll be sticking to my day job,” he chuckled, “and leaving the calling to the experts.”

As of now, land-based Bingo halls pay 15% VAT and a gross 15% taxes on their total revenues. It’s a good thing that MP Miliband is not the only government official who is aware of this problem regarding double tax. Would-be Tory MP Karen Allen, Conservative parliamentary candidate for South Shield, also visited an Bingo club recently. She also agreed that the 30% tax on Bingo is not helping clubs to bloom.

We do understand the problems faced by the offline Bingo industry. With the government rejecting their pleas repeatedly, perhaps the solution lies online.

When I was younger, playing Bingo altered my attitude to life.

As a teenager, I was depressed over my break up with Jenny. Clearing her mails from my inbox, I found a promo that said, “You will discover online Bingo means much more than a game at XYZonline.com.”

“Big deal,” I muttered, but went ahead and registered. I needed some distraction after all.

I entered a chat room where a Trivia Bingo game was on. The chat host popped a question: Which Hollywood romantic has topped the American Film Institute’s 100 Years…100 Passions list?

I typed in the answer –Casablanca —and went on to imagine myself and Jenny in the roles of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman! The $2 bonus I earned, did not register on my mind. But there was some pesky little thing, cheering me, I noticed. I continued playing mechanically. Until the next question came up, “Which event or day celebrates love?” I answered this too –St Valentine’s Day on February 14. Another $ 2 dropped into my account and I began to sit up and take notice. So did pesky Sarah –she was saying, “Way to Go Sweetheart”, but I ignored her.

Question number three was “Where do you ‘wear your heart’ if you are quick to show your feelings? “Sleeve” I said and earned another $ 2. But Sarah had other ideas: “Do you even have one?” she said. I apologized and thanked her for cheering me on, even as I joined the cheering band. My quota of three correct answers was up.

Know what? I returned to the chat rooms often after that. I don’t know if it was a coincidence. Sarah seemed to be following me …into the Alphabet Bingo game, the Block of Five. I tried Add ‘Em Up and there she was. Funny thing is she thought I was following her!

Well, perhaps it was not just the Bonus Bucks that I was looking out for. Jenny was a distant memory and I was alive again. Or maybe it was just that Valentine was round the corner!

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 offline or online Bingo games 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!

In which country is the bingo network growing at a rate of 30% per month. It’s Spain! Yes the country that gave us salsa and Latino music is all set to play Bingo.

A number of online bingo sites have been launched in Spain and the number grows as you read this! Interestingly enough, Spain is defying the stereotypical demographics observed all around the world. The average age of Bingo players in Spain is found to be 35 and 67% of players making cash deposits are male!

Increased Broadband availability is the main reason for this growth spurt. With a dial up connection, it was very expensive and time consuming to play a good online Bingo marathon. The slow dial ups took forever to download the game or buffer the software – pushing the phone bill to the ceiling!

In 1998, after the telephone lines got liberalized in Spain, broadband came to every household and more people started getting access to the online Bingo halls. The players also stayed away because of security issues earlier. Where outdated computer hardware and dial up connections posed a significant security threat, the cleaner, secure systems of money transfer offer simple solutions to the players. This advancement in technology made playing Bingo viable even to those wishing to use online payments method.

It also seems that players in Spain were waiting for the US and UK markets to take hold of the market before they started to deposit. They were perhaps skeptical of the Spanish websites or of the game itself and were unwilling to part with their hard earned cash. Even though a lot of people signed up, deposits remained low.

Simpler and faster transfer of money to online Bingo sites without the need of a credit card also helped establish the players’ confidence in the game. Even with the growing number, Spain is still seen as an untapped market. With land based Bingo still being very popular in Spain, transition of loyal Bingo players to the online Bingo halls is almost inevitable.

With the advancement in technology and the increasing broadband connectivity, game quality and security of personal information has increased. Growth in confidence is now natural, and it won’t be long before more Spanish internet users are attracted to the prospect of winning cash prizes at online bingo .

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!

We all agree that Bingo has taken the world by a storm and is making waves everywhere. You might love the game a lot, but do you really know much about the game? Here are some fun facts that you definitely should know!

The game of Bingo was derived from a state run lottery under the name “Lo Giuco De Lotto” in Italy. The lottery is still run every Saturday!

The present day form of Bingo was first played by the Romans in 1778. It was then a children’s game and was called Lotto.

Bingo, known as Beano – since it was played with beans, was popular in the early 1900s, but was properly established by American toy salesman Edwin S. Lowe in 1929. Lowe also named the game Bingo.

Around 500 clubs link together in the UK to play the Bingo every day, except on Christmas.

60,000 players were involved in the largest bingo game ever to be played!

Even though Bingo is known as the middle aged women’s game, more than 30% of Bingo players around the globe are under the age of 35 and 20% of them are male!

Millions of people world wide, find employment as Bingo callers , spotters, cashiers and operators. The figures grow right as we speak.

An average bingo game lasts between 3-6 minutes. The variations are even shorter!

The popularity of Bingo rivals that of football! Last year, the number of people who played bingo  games was more than the number that attended the NFL games.

Bingo is the key source of community fundraising and is one of the biggest contributors to charities and social organizations in Europe and North America.

95% of bingo players have won at least once playing Bingo.

Online Bingo is so popular that it has been decreed to be the second most favorite national pastime of Belgium by popular vote!

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!

Do you like to pop your head into the Bingo chat rooms now and then, even when you are at work? Do you wear a T-shirt that says “I Am A Bingo Mommy” to your child’s PTA meeting? Do you spend more on daubers than you do on the rest of your stationary?

If the answer to all the above questions is yes, you are a Bingo head and you think Bingo all the time! Bingo has been making waves all over the world. Whether it is a session of online Bingo or a game of free Bingo in your community, the game simply keeps finding its fans everywhere.

Bingo is no longer limited to the Bingo halls . It is now in your home – available at the touch of a button – on your computer. You can now play Bingo on domestic flights, on your mobile handset, on radio and even on your TV sets.

Celebrities are thinking Bingo too! You can now play with your favorite celebrity and interact with them online. If that doesn’t satisfy you, you can play with millions of other people through your television sets. If you’re getting bored at work and dread that long meeting, simple, play Bingo.

In the UK, Bingo has become the order of the day. Bills were passed in counties of California, pleading the lift of the limit on Bingo winnings. Bingo has become a style statement. With the jewellery, clothing lines, stationary and cool Bingo supplies, the game towers above any in its genre.

It seems the whole world is going gaga over online Bingo games. Overnight, online Bingo has become a multi billion dollar industry! The world is now thinking Bingo. What are you thinking?