In the last couple of months, we’ve been keeping our eyes peeled, and it’s a pretty impressive list of suspects. Bingo Fabulous have been offering a monthly opportunity for a little while now, where three lucky players have their electricity, water and gas bill respectively paid for the following month. At the start of 2010, Wink Bingo were offering those wanting a little break from the bills the amazing chance to have all their bills paid for – for a whole year! And just recently, Foxy Bingo held a fantastic game where the grand prize was a years worth of groceries from Asda. And if that wasn’t enough (extra)ordinary for you, lest we forget Tasty Bingo’s ongoing weekly treat, where they stump up the cash to treat you and your family to pizza and all the trimmings for a few pennies every Thursday at 6pm!

So is this online bingo sites being cheap or heading towards dull prizes?? We think not. We actually have to say we love it when an online bingo site offers a prize that can actually take the everyday boredom out of life by dealing with the necessities. Especially at the moment when your mind is most definitely on your money, having an online bingo site offer something which can take the stress out of the boring stuff is more than a welcome idea – it’s pretty dam inspired!

Although we will never tire of the thrill of trying (and promptly failing lol) to win one of the dream prizes at an online bingo site, scooping a £25k jackpot is not the only thing we want. To have an online bingo site that understands that not only do we dream of dosh, we also have nightmares about paying the bills puts them pretty high in our estimation. Especially when they offer chances to take the drudge out of everyday life – and all by playing online bingo. We’ve always believed that online bingo has been a great chance for us to have a little flutter (always responsibly mind…) and basically take a few minutes out from the stuff we have to deal with day in and day out. If the prize is something that can further take the stress out of living, then we say long live the (extra)ordinary!

It seems that Think Bingo rethinking their room raiding policy has fanned the flames a little. Although room raiding has been tolerated at many an online bingo site for a while now, Think Bingo have always gone against the grain in their inimitable style. Perhaps its because Think Bingo are one of the longest running standalone UK bingo sites (notching up an impressive 6 years on the scene) that they have been so content sticking to their guns on the issue. And any regular to the fab forums at Think Bingo will know Think Bingo roomies definitely have had strong feelings towards the issue, with many helping to stop room raiders getting their lil opportunistic mitts on prize money by reporting where necessary. But this online bingo neighbourhood watch is now coming to a close, which makes you wonder – is room raiding really all that bad?!?

Well, like anything, there are arguments for and against. Perhaps for some, the idea of room raiding is merely grabbing chances as and when they come your way. Buying in multiple rooms, particularly when there is such an influx of pre-buy and guaranteed jackpot games in online bingo seems common sense. You maximise your chances of winning by indulging in a little online bingo multitasking – no harm done whatsoever right?

The flipside of this is that players that may not have a chance to play in more than one room may find themselves a little pushed out. And it also takes away some of the “added extras” of online bingo – especially for those who believe it’s not just about winning, but also the taking part. Room raiding greatly affects the quality of the chat, with roomies more fixated on scooping the jackpot than scoring a few new friends in an online bingo chat room.

However, we can’t help but sit on the fence with this one! This is certainly a case of player habits, and as such, we think it’s only fair to let individual players decide what they would rather do. Personally, we don’t mind a bit of room raiding at our favourite bingo sites, but we also respect those that would rather natter than dash from room to room. And to have an online bingo site police this behaviour – well, it’s nice to think the online bingo world has matured enough to let it’s players decide what to do. To raid or not to raid – now that is the question!

With a jackpot of a whopping £10k guaranteed, Foxy’s game was already headline news… but then came the revelation that this was in fact a free bingo game. Perhaps the Fox was suffering from a little heatwave madness, or perhaps it seems Cashcade, Foxy Bingo’s parent owner, refuse to stop at giving away thousands of pounds in free bingo money at sister site Cheeky Bingo. And of course, when Foxy Bingo does something, you know it’s gonna be bigger than your average online bingo site. So when Foxy Bingo does free, it’s perhaps no surprise that the jackpot is £10k with a price tag of absolutely nothing. Which definitely got us thinking.

When it comes to free bingo, is it better to have quality over quantity? We already know the free bingo goldrush is dying down, and although there are plenty of sites that offer free bingo (Cheeky Bingo and Costa Bingo being perhaps the most notable free bingo sites), it’s not the big “free for all” (ahem) as it once was. Often sites require you to deposit before playing the free bingo games, adopting the stance that free bingo fans are welcome to play, but they should at some point have to pay.

Our point in this is perhaps it’s better to compromise. Whilst the flames of free bingo may be dying down a little, there seems to be plenty of life in the concept yet, particularly when massive name bingo sites such as Foxy Bingo take a “less but more” approach. That’s to say, you wont be able to get your free bingo fix quite so frequently at a site like Foxy Bingo, but when you do, you know the stakes are high – and the payout could be well worth the wait! The flipside to this is the likelihood of scooping that big money prize may not be quite so good as playing at a game that offers a smaller jackpot of  say £50, but considering you are paying nout, it’s hard to see how you could be losing out!!

It’ll be interesting to see if the other big name sites like Wink Bingo or Posh Bingo catch onto this idea, as we know that the online bingo world is still trying to find a way to make free bingo work for them. After all you can’t get something for nothing – or can you?! We’ve been told Foxy Bingo will be running plenty of free bingo Thank Foxy it’s Friday promos over the summer – and we’ll be sure to keep you up to date with the next best way to win big – without paying a penny!

Gerry Sutcliffe, the UK Minister for Culture, Media and Sport has announced that the government will be reviewing the licensing structure for online gaming – enforcing changes that could have a huge affect upon the way things ‘work’ online. Sutcliffe first indicated that change was on the wind back in April last year and this was reaffirmed only weeks ago when he stated that the changes would primarily apply to operators who are not licensed in the UK: This will therefore affect around 98% of operators and includes major brands: If his proposals come into force then as it stands these operators will not be able to directly publicise their sites toward UK players – At the moment all ‘white list’ overseas operators are able to do this.

The new move aims to guard UK players by ensuring ALL online gaming operators stick to this country’s stringent gaming laws therefore removing any ‘variables’. It is still early days and there will no doubt be much consultation to come between Sutcliffe and the Gambling Commission. Prudent regulations do guard consumers and undoubtedly if online bingo is to move onwards and upwards then players must be protected. However, it seems no coincidence that this move coincides with several major operators moving abroad to avoid huge tax rates. So it remains to be seen as to whether the result will simply amount to more financial problems for the industry, a worse deal for players (higher ticket prices and lower jackpots) and much more £££££ for the tax man.

On Saturday – in preparation for the big day on Sunday – look out for Foxy Mama’s all day bingo games at Foxy Bingo. All depositing members will have the chance to nab some fab bonuses and play Free Bingo games. Then on Mothering Sunday, again look out for the special Foxy Mama games throughout the day and you could be playing for more bonuses –there are 10,000 bonus points up for grabs if you bingo on the flower pattern!  Bingo points can be redeemed for cash or used to buy bingo cards. The choice is yours!

If you have not yet signed up at Foxy Bingo now is a great time to get yourself registered.  Foxy Bingo is currently giving a £10 free play no deposit bonus to newbies who register to play their regular online bingo games.  It’s dead easy too! Just complete the online form with your details, name, address, credit card details and then choose an online name as an alias.

To join in with special promotions like this weekend’s Foxy Mamas you do need to be a depositing member. Right now Foxy Bingo is offering a very generous 200% first deposit bonus.  So deposit £10 and Foxy Bingo will give you another £20. With a 200% bonus up for grabs and a tonne of bingo bonus points up for grabs it makes sense to deposit as much as you can afford – no point missing out on all that free bonus cash! New players can make an initial deposit of up to £150 and receive £300 absolutely FREE. But it does not stop there at Foxy Bingo – Every time you make a further deposit of between £10 and £100 Foxy Bingo will credit your account with a further 50% bonus. Mama Mia!

in fact they will give you a 400% cash match on any deposit from £10 to £25; which means for just a £25 deposit you will receive £100 FREE!

Think Bingo have been online for almost six years now and are renowned for their phenomenal community; but that does not mean the £40K a day they pay out in cash and prizes should be overlooked! Here at Think Bingo you can have it all! The games are non stop with eight bingo rooms available twenty four hours a day seven days a week – Plus there is a good selection of Instants. With plenty of rooms available 24/7 Think Bingo are able to cater for even the most arduous bingo fan and the rooms do not become overflowing with players: Keeping the Chat flowing and the odds fair.

Think Bingo has a regular schedule of promotions – the “Think Big” promotions run from Thursday to Sunday in which some excellent prizes as well a £3K in guaranteed jackpots can be won. Each week at 9pm the “Thursday Thriller” has a £1K guaranteed jackpot and cards are just 25p – minimum purchase is four cards. Every Friday at 9pm it is time for “Movie Madness” – tickets are £1 each and there is always a stunning 50” Home Cinema System or 40” LCD TV up for grabs. In the 90ball “Saturday Special” the jackpot is guaranteed at £2K and tickets are £1.

Fancy a new laptop? Then make sure you get your ticket reserved in the Sunday special “Lappy Mania” – Although sometimes Think Bingo will change the prize in this promotion to a digicam so ensure you check out what’s on offer that week. Tickets for the “Lappy mania” game are £1, regardless of whether the laptop or the digicam is the main prize. Also on Sunday on the hour every hour from 6pm until 9pm there is £2K in guaranteed jackpots. At 9pm there is a guaranteed £1 jackpot so make sure you don’t miss out on that one. If you are not going to be around no problem – tickets can be pre-purchased for ALL the Think Big promotions.

On top of the weekly scheduled Think Big promotions players are regularly treated to a variety of Chat games, special promotions and bonuses. Once you are a member simply join the Think Bingo forum to keep up to date with what’s going on that week. Think Bingo? Think BIG!!!

At Cheeky Bingo the free cash is positively flowing and many people simply enjoy the social side of bingo and do not feel the need to part with their money and go for big cash prizes. While the free bingo games might not have huge jackpots on offer you can still have a lot of fun and if you are lucky, your bingo ‘piggy bank’ will soon start to look healthy. So ignore the cynics and make up your own mind: Free play members at Cheeky Bingo can and do win. That’s a FACT.

The great British public have been spending money on bingo entertainment for eons and are well used to being bombarded with the latest marketing strategy from one company or another. Sure, marketing is a powerful thing – which is why ALL companies spend huge amounts of money on it! However, this isn’t a tact especially reserved and taken up by the online bingo operators. Look around: Nowadays it is all just part of the great game of life and so stands to reason online bingo will be included.

All that said, the fact remains Cheeky Bingo is FREE and it makes a change for us to get something for nothing in this world – so why not make the most of it? There is no need to hand over your bank details to sign up and play, or make a deposit of any kind. It simply could not be more straight forward! Cheeky Bingo offers both traditional 90 ball and 75ball bingo; and the jackpots available can be anywhere from £1 up to £10. Unlike the pay to play games everyone has the same number of cards too which means all players have the same odds of winning – so it is very fair and square as well as free!

The cash won in the free play games rooms can be used in selected pay to play rooms too – and at Cheeky Bingo ticket prices start at just 1p for non-depositing players; making this is a real bargain bingo website overall. Win just £1 in the free play rooms and that will buy you 100 tickets in the “Penny Peaches” room or 50 tickets in Cheeky’s “Takes Two” room – so who needs to make a deposit!? As they say, the best things in life are free!

Play Virgin Bingo!

Virgin Bingo has launched yet another new slot game – Amazon Wild! And to celebrate they have a great new prize draw promotion where some lucky player will win a fabulous trip to Rio de Janeiro. The latest slot from Virgin Bingo is a 5 reel 100 line game that is sure to send players wild in the jungle!

This is a fast and furious promotion that ends at 23.59 on March 7^th – so you had better get your bingo survival kit out and get stalking if you want to become a Brazillionaire!

Every £20 each player wagers on the new Amazon Wild slot will earn them one automatic entry into the prize draw for two flights to the famous Rio de Janeiro. The draw is random so it does not matter whether you have one ticket or twenty – it’s literally all down to the ‘luck of the draw’. On the plus side too, if you don’t take to the new slot then all money wagered on Virgin’s other jungle themed slots Jungle Madness and Mayan Mania all count towards the qualifying £20 during the promotion period.

The draw will take place on Monday March 8^th and the winner will be notified via email – so if you take part make sure you keep an eye on your inbox because you will need to accept the prize and also give them your details by March 30^th. This prize is two return flights to Rio de Janeiro from a London Airport – the winner will have to organise and pay for accommodation, transfers, visas, health checks and any necessary injections etc And make sure their passports are in order.  If that all sounds like a lot of work not to worry! The flights have been valued at £1250 and the winner has the option to take the money –so it’s entirely up to you if you are lucky enough to win: And hey, somebody has to!

If you haven’t signed up at Virgin Bingo before they have a 100% cash match offer on the first deposit, so for just £10 you could be off to Rio or banking that £1250! Virgin will match any first deposit from £10 to £100 which means you can get a lot of free entries into this prize draw just with the bonus cash. Virgin Bingo is a great place to play if you enjoy slots and they also have plenty of bargain penny bingo on the go too. This promotion is on until March 7^th and there is also free bingo no deposit available up until that date. So if you feel like a rumble in the Virgin jungle there never was a better time to go and get some action!

Play Wink Bingo

A short time ago we brought you news that Myracar79 donated some of her £25K winnings to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford; after they saved the life of her young four week old daughter who needed an emergency heart by pass operation.

Myracar79 from Northampton (Myra Carbin) gave money so the hospital could buy an infusion pump – the same machine that helped save her daughters life.

“It was such a surprise to win. The fact that it was so unexpected persuaded my husband and me that we should do enjoy it and do good things with it too. So we’ve had great experiences because of it and being able to help John Radcliffe Hospital is just the icing on the cake” said Myra. Well, that cake now has a BIG cherry on top because Wink Bingo have just matched her donation! Wink Bingo MD Maurice Karpes explained that they were “very touched” by the story and so were “keen to do what we could to help – We were delighted to be able to match Myra’s donation and buy more equipment for this amazing unit.”

Representatives from Wink Bingo went back to the John Radcliffe Hospital with Myra to present another cheque to staff that will go towards supporting the Children’s Intensive Care Unit there. Penny Hambridge is the Development Officer for the child unit stated that everyone was “extremely grateful to both Myra and Wink Bingo for their amazing donations”.

Charitable donations such as this are extremely important to hospitals, as Miss Hambridge points out, “Donations such as these enable us to buy equipment beyond what the NHS alone can fund and this is a wonderful example of how people in the community can support the Hospital”. That is the ALL important word here… community. And if there was ever a BIG community it is among online players – and not just at Wink Bingo.

During the last year online bingo players have raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity which just goes to prove there really is power in numbers. And with regards to bingo that is literal! As Wink bingo’s MD points out, this is “a reminder that not only is bingo a lot of fun and you can win some fantastic prizes; it also presents an opportunity to put something back into the community and use what we have to do something good.”

Wink Bingo is a renowned UK online bingo website who boasts a great community atmosphere as well as excellent promotions and games. Until April 1^st new players can still get £15 for free – no deposit required; as well as a 200% cash match bonus and 50% on reloads. And with Myracar79 as a shining example of the people you will come across laying there, there really is nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Play Sun Bingo!

The Sun Bingo £70K Shopping Voucher Giveaway has been a great success and so they have decided to extend the offer for another week. Originally this offer was due to end on March 1^st – now you all have until March 7^th to go get you hands on that £20 Voucher.

The voucher can be redeemed in more than eighty stores, including some of the UK’s leading brands; like WH Smith, Boots, Homebase, HMV and Debenhams.

The £20 voucher is an extra bonus on top of their usual 100% cash match for first deposits from £10 to £100. One thing we would like to point out – in case you do not read the small print – is that you do need to deposit AND spend the £10 BEFORE 23.59 March 7^th. PLUS the vouchers can only be redeemed by the first 2000 qualifying new members by March 21^st – so no saving it until Christmas folks!

The Sun Bingo is a tried and trusted site that has been around for a while. Right now they are offering FREE 90 ball bingo every Tuesday night in the ‘Fashion Club’. There are four free games every hour; taking place 10, 20, 40 and 50 minutes past, from 8pm until 10pm. Although they may not have free bingo on the go 24/7 these games offer big money jackpots (relatively speaking) in comparison to many – paying out £10 for just 1 line; £15 for 2 lines and £50 for a full house: So well worth participating.

Until March 7^th the Sun Bingo also has a prize draw for players who join in the Snap! Bingo game. There are four rooms with tickets available from just 1p – For every £1 spent on tickets players get a free entry into a draw for £500. Referring a friend to Sun bingo also has its rewards. Unlike many sites Sun Bingo only allows each member to refer up to ten friends but the rewards are greater than most with a free £10 on offer for you both. It does not take long, just enter a few of their details via your account and they will receive an email inviting them to play.

The Sun Bingo is well know for it’s friendly community and rock steady promotions and with the extra £20 voucher up for grabs right now there has never been a better time to join. They have a good selection of 90 and 75 ball bingo as well as side games – some of which are just that bit different. So if you fancy a change why not go get some Sun? Who couldn’t do with some of that right now!