Just over two weeks ago there was a natural disaster which shook the World, this earthquake and aftershocks took place in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. At the time no-one really understood the magnitude and the devastation to hit the small Caribbean island of Haiti. As the news started to filter through the World saw that tens of thousands of men, woman and children have lost their lives and many more now have no basic commodities like food, water or shelter.

The good people at 888Ladies Bingo have seen the devastation and have decided that ALL the proceeds from their January £8,888 Guaranteed will go towards the Oxfam disaster fund to help the people of Haiti. This means that every penny you spend on this promotion will go directly to the disaster fund to help people cope in their time of need.

If like thousands of other players you enjoy playing the popular end of month game then don’t worry as 888Ladies Bingo will still be placing there £8,888 in the jackpot, the only difference is that you will be donating some money to a well worth organisation.

Well done 888Ladies!

* Please note that this blog post is about offline bingo and not online bingo *

At the beginning of 2007 bingo was deemed the new ‘night out’ as more and more young people were entering through its doors. This was a boom time for the bingo organisers as the money was flooding in, causing this industry to grow from strength to strength. Unfortunately like all good things it has came to an end, the No smoking ban and the recent tax hike has crippled this once thriving industry.

With bingo halls up and down the country shouting ‘eyes down’ for the last time is there anything else that could go wrong for the bingo giants?

According to reports in the Guardian, Gala and other bingo companies have been bending the rules set out by The Gambling Commission, this is regarding the number of roulette and gaming machines with a £500 jackpot.

They have got round this ruling by creating bogus sub divisions of the bingo hall, thus allowing over the maximum permitted £500 roulette and slot machines.

Gala coral who are the only company to operate in all the high street gambling categories have debts of around £4.4 billion, and with as much as £80 million to be paid to their creditors by September and £150million next year a substantial fine by the Gambling Commission could be too much for this company to take. We will have to keep an eye on the outcome of this ruling.

As online gaming sites become more popular, it is essential that people understand the consequences of irresponsible gambling. The recent news story of a Royal Mail worker who stole more than £75,000 to help feed their online gambling habit. Patricia Barnes, 39, was jailed for 12 months after her addiction to online bingo and slot machines got out of control and she began stealing from the Royal Mail to help feed her habit. The story should serve as a reminder to the many that ‘Online Bingo’ sites should be fun and those who participate should be responsible not to let their actions get out of control.

If you are unsure whether or not you may have developed a gambling problem, you can use the following simple checklist for self-assessment. If you answer positively to at lest four of the following questions it is recommended you call either our customer service staff, or call Gamcare or Gamblers Anonymous and seek professional advice.

* Preoccupation:
Do you find that you are becoming preoccupied with past gambling successes?

* Tolerance:
Do you find that you need to increase the amount of money you gamble to achieve the same enjoyment and excitement?

* Unable to Stop:
Have you recently tried to stop gambling but were unsuccessful?

* Irritability:
Do you become moody or impatient when you are cutting down how much you gamble?

* Escape from Reality:
Do you ever use gambling as a way of ignoring stress in your in life or even to pick you up when you feel down?

* Chase losses:
Do you ever try to win back the money you lost by increasing the size or frequency of your wagers?

* Conceal Involvement:
Do you ever hide how much or how often you gamble from significant others?

* Unsociable Behaviour:
Have you ever committed fraud or theft to get money to gamble with?

* Ruin a Relationship/Opportunity:
Has gambling ever ruined a personal relationship or an occupational or educational opportunity?

* Bail-out:
Have you ever needed others to relieve a financial problem created by gambling?

With the booming of internet, online games gaining popularity in the industry and the casinos cannot afford to lose credibility amongst players. Larger, high profile casinos have the most to lose and therefore work very hard to operate fairly and within the confines of the law. If you are at all concerned, stick to the names you know best.

I used to play poker online,but i am not a hardcore poker player. Your blog is very helpful. moderation in gambling is more important bat all.

For further online gambling tips,blogs or casino games,you can visit http://www.betterbettingonline.com for more online casino games,reviews,bonuses, blogs and latest games!

Sunday night (Feb 22nd) is Oscar night when celeb stardom goes stellar and the world’s attention switches to a strip of red carpet and a handful of beautiful and creative individuals who have been selected to receive the prestigious award of an Oscar. Paddy Power Bingo are also putting on a bit of ‘bling’ to help you celebrate the Oscars in pure diva style.

The ‘New VIP Platinum Room’ from Paddy Power Bingo is between 6 – 7pm and will be packed to the brim with big prizes waiting to be won. Paddy Power Bingo have got 2 x £400 up for grabs, as well as 3 x £200 prizes and tons of Jumping Jackpot Games!

Not content with just that Paddy Power Bingo we will be giving you an amazing 10% Loss-Back offer on Celebrity Top Trumps. That means that if you lose between £5 and £25- Paddy Power Bingo will pay back 10% of your total loss, as a special Oscars Bingo night treat.

There have been mounting claims over the past few months for the government to reconsider its current tax whammy on bingo clubs. Under the current regime, bingo club revenues are subject to both VAT at 17.5% and gross profits tax at 15%. There has been strong evidence to support the claims that this double-tax sting is a major contributor for the closure of over 100 bingo clubs in the past year alone.

Stewart Hosie MP said, “Licensed bingo remains the only gambling product subject to double taxation, which results in an effective tax rate of 28.2 per cent compared with 15 per cent for most other gambling products … Bingo halls provide a safe and friendly environment for the whole community but especially older people to meet and socialise.”

It does seem strange that bricks and mortar bingo halls have to be subjected to these extraordinary high taxes. The government want to help communities not strain things further by closing down meeting areas such as bingo halls. Perhaps we need to start dishing out bingo cards to those that sit down at Parliament so they can see how much fun playing bingo games can be.

So your tempted to play bingo online, you sign-up for your first game and typically like all bingo crowds a conversation strikes up – their a chatty bunch y’know – bingo players. But there talking to you in code or so it seems. Your message box is full of ‘LOL’s’, ‘ROFL’ and ‘AFAIK’. What’s going on? We’ll this is online bingo lingo and don’t worry its just everyday abbreviated terms trimmed down to help make communication online faster.

It’s all good fun and the more you participate you’ll soon know the difference between a ‘BRB’ and a ‘AFK’ that’s ‘Be Right Back’ and ‘Away From Keyboard’ for the uninitiated amongst us. We thought you’d like your own Bingo Lingo text speak so we have drafted up a list of popular terms for you to print off or you can just bookmark this page and relate back to it from time to time as you become part of the fastest growing online community that has grown to love playing bingo games online.

Bingo has long been stereotyped as having been played by old woman with blue rinse hair but the game has worked hard at removing this outside view. Bingo, today, is big business. And like all markets, the marketing guys are always working hard in the background to promote their product to a new audience.

However, it seems that a new target audience have found Bingo. ‘Young Fogeys’ or teenagers to you and me are taking the game up in their droves. Spurned on by a lack of local amenities to keep them occupied, kids are now seeing the bingo hall as a place to meet, have fun and obviously play bingo.

Bingo halls are not modern day youth clubs or community centres opening there doors to anyone looking to get out of the rain of course. And, rightly so! The bingo games are not being treated in this manner by the younger generation. They are serious players! Which adds new competition and more fun for all participating.

It shows the popularity of bingo, no matter if you play at a bricks and mortar bingo hall or use the many interactive bingo websites online. If you class yourself as a ‘Young Fogey’ then check out ourfree online bingo tips and advice to help you get more out of your enjoyment of playing bingo online.

This our first post on the new Free Bingo Blog – we hope to bring new and exciting features relating to the fantastic world of online bingo.

• Good luck with the new free bingo blog. Some great stuff to read so far
• Good luck! A new feed to follow
• Agree with MrGenius, some great content already. Keep it up!!