Go-Bingo - online bingo news: January 2008 Archives

MASARYKTOWN - No one wants to take the credit for raking in more than $86,000 for the local hospice center.

Organizers insist it has been a collective effort and any kudos should be shared by everyone, including the paying players.

Several heads came together more than 10 years ago and decided they would raise money for local charities by hosting a Bingo at the Masaryktown Community Center.

Other nonprofit groups have received donations, but Hernando-Pasco Hospice has relied on at least $1,000 from the Bingo each month. It is by far the charity that has received the most money from the community center.

"There is no single credit in this," said president Gene Richards. "It's a community effort. It's a member effort."

Membership with the Masaryktown Bingo stretches across the Nature Coast. Richards said people travel from Hudson, Dade City and Tampa to participate every Wednesday and Saturday afternoon.

The $86,000 sum has been collected during a seven-year span, according to director Shiela Hart.

"A lot of our players lose a lot of people who go to the hospice center," she said. "It's where you can go out a little easier. Die with dignity."

Some of the other nonprofits that have received donations from the Bingo are Toys for Tots, HEART and various cancer charities. Bingo members also have given to the local high schools and have helped fund scholarships.

"Hospice is the best group around," said volunteer Carol Notto.

Her husband's health deteriorated to the point she could not assist him on her own. Hernando-Pasco Hospice made sure the last week of his life was as peaceful as possible.

"Hospice came in during the last week to help out," Notto said. "They are such beautiful people over there. I can't say enough about hospice."

Representatives with the hospice center recently donated a plaque to the community center as a show of appreciation.

Janet Ware, who serves as the center's director of development, said the organization "feels blessed" to have the Masaryktown Bingo as one of its supporters.

"Folks who have benefited from our services are very grateful for our assistance and they become more involved," Ware said. "They are an amazing group of people and we really do appreciate their efforts ... It means a great deal."

Richards wanted to describe how much Hernando-Pasco Hospice assisted him and his family with a recently deceased family member, but he stopped before he began.

"I can't go there," he said as he turned his head away. He was not ready to talk about it.

Written by TONY HOLT, Hernando Today

www2.hernandotoday.com

Program Council is looking to jazz up the game of Bingo with a night filled with prizes and hit music.
Starting on Friday PC will offer "Bingo Boogie Night" at 7 p.m. in LSC 320.
"Our bingo nights are actually a new event that we'll be having this semester," PC Advisor Chuck Collins said." It's actually something that we'll be having a few times each month."
PC plans to hold "Bingo Boogie Night" every other Friday throughout the semester, excluding Spring Break and the Easter holiday. On most nights, it will be held in LSC 320, except on Feb. 27, when it will be held in the LSC ballroom.
"It's a night of Bingo and we do offer prizes throughout the night," Collins said. "One of our top prizes is an iPod Nano."
Other prizes include a Bingo champ t-shirt, DVDs, board games and CDs. There will be six to 10 games per night.
"Each game will be different," said Onaome Mukoro, who is the social chair for PC and the MC for the bingo games. "There are different patterns like Four Corners. It won't be just straight lines."
The name comes from the music that will be played before the start of the games and at intermission as an atmosphere boost.
"It should be a good time to hang out and make friends," Collins said.
The next Bingo Boogie Night will be Feb. 15. PC is planning to hang a sign in the LSC atrium with future Bingo dates.

Written by Dorothy Shoemate
http://media.www.houstonianonline.com

January 29, 2008 (London, UK) - BingoProgram.com received the CAP Award for "Best Bingo Affiliate Program" at the black-tie awards ceremony in London last week during the CAP Euro affiliates conference. The award was received by Frank Tornatore - the dynamic personality behind Bingo Program (www.BingoProgram.com) for the ongoing support and expert advice that he gives to the webmasters in his program.

"Affiliates trust Frank's advice," said CAP Awards organizer Alex Pratt. "He's got the inside scoop on the best bingo and gaming sites, and he's happy to share his knowledge."

A veteran in the business and a successful affiliate operator himself for many years, Tornatore guides affiliates to the best gaming and bingo sites through one-on-one consultation and through his widely read blog, franktornatore.com.

"The secret in this business is knowing who to partner with," said Tornatore. "The bingo sites we represent are the best in the business - best games software, best stats and reporting, best conversion rates. I don't know that I deserve an award just for introducing affiliates to someone they can trust but I certainly appreciate the recognitionon behalf of BingoProgram!"

One of the market leaders in converting visitors to players, Bingo Program is the Affiliate Program for Bingos.co.uk, BingoFriends.com, CasinoJoker.com, EuroBingo.com, ElBingo.com. Tornatore has partnered with thousands of webmasters from all around the world, providing unparalleled management systems, marketing tools and advanced affiliate programs. The Bingo Program team is integrated by several qualified work groups including designers, programmers, marketing and affiliate managers, and customer service agents, all working to help webmasters get the most from their traffic.

Winners of the first annual CAP Awards were nominated and voted on by fellow affiliates. Awards were also presented to the Best Poker, Casino, Sportsbetting and Skill Gaming Affiliates and Affiliate Programs as well as the Best Payment System and Best Overall Affiliate and Best Overall Affiliate Program.

Written by www.igamingbusiness.com

In the news recently as a takeover target for Sportingbet and for its recently signed deal with NetPlayTV, Parlay Entertainment stole the show at the latest International Casino Exhibition (ICE) in London with the imminent launch of its Parlay 5 online bingo software.

Complete with the interesting tagline 'Bingo Without Borders', Parlay 5 makes it possible for bingo online players of diverse languages and currencies to play together.

The system's flexibility was one of the hits of ICE and it is expected to be launched during the second quarter of 2008.  The launch will come at a time when a major online bingo games surge is being reported by many of the industry's providers.

Written by John Witherspoon
www.bingostreet.com

NOTE: The following article is a press release issued by the aforementioned network and/or company. Any errors, typos, etc. are attributed to the original author. The release is reproduced solely for the dissemination of the enclosed information.]

GSN Premieres 'BINGO AMERICA' on March 31 TV Icon Patrick Duffy Hosts Innovative New Game Show, Weeknights at 7PM/6C SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 30 -- GSN announced today the premiere of BINGO AMERICA, an original, 40-episode series, beginning Monday, March 31 at 7PM/6C. Developed by executive producer Andrew Glassman, the fast-paced, "free-to-play-along-and-win" new series blends all the classic elements of trivia-based game shows with traditional bingo game-play. BINGO AMERICA and host Patrick Duffy will be awarding cash and prizes to both on-air contestants and at-home viewers in every episode. "Andrew and his team have created something unique that truly works for all kinds of GSN viewers -- traditional game show fans and engaged viewers who want to sit forward and play along for real prizes," said Jamie Roberts, Senior Vice President of Programming, GSN, upon making the announcement. "And we couldn't have found a better fit than Patrick; we know our audience is really going to embrace him." Said Glassman: "I'm looking forward to bringing this new series to GSN's audience. They're one of the industry's most enthusiastic fan-bases and with free, downloadable bingo cards, they'll be able to play along and try to win every time they tune in." BINGO AMERICA begins production in Los Angeles today with Duffy making his game show hosting debut. Best known for his iconic portrayal of Bobby Ewing in the Golden Globe-winning series "Dallas," Duffy also starred as Frank Lambert in the ABC hit, "Step By Step." "The truth is, I love game shows. Especially the classics. They're exciting to watch and fun to play along with because they're real -- these people aren't characters," said Duffy. "I'm thrilled to be working with GSN on a show like BINGO AMERICA that's based on such a widely recognized and easy to play game." Putting a unique spin on the traditional game show format with free, downloadable bingo cards available at GSN.com, BINGO AMERICA invites every viewer to play along while the on-air contestants compete for their own "Bingo." In addition to "Bingo," viewers have another chance to cash-in during the show's final round, the Bonus Game. In the Bonus Game, any viewer whose "bonus numbers" (located at the bottom of every downloaded bingo card) match the numbers selected on-air becomes an instant winner. And in keeping with GSN's commitment to multi-platform interactive endeavors, fans of the show can also receive "bonus numbers" via text messaging by simply texting BINGO to 94949 on their mobile phones. Andrew Glassman produces the series for GSN via his production company, Glassman Media. Glassman's production credits include "National Bingo Night," the "Average Joe" and "The Ex-Wives" franchises, and the Amy Grant-hosted network series, "Three Wishes." NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. The Bingo America Home Viewer Sweepstakes is open only to legal U.S. residents, 18 and older with Internet access and a valid email address. Void where prohibited. Game cards available at GSN.com/Bingo on or about March 28, 2008. The Home Viewer Sweepstakes is a seeded instant win game; it is not a state-sanctioned bingo game. Standard text message rates apply to any text message sent or received; entrants requesting additional "bingo bonus numbers" should check their wireless service plan for the exact rate. See Official Rules at http://www.GSN.com/bingo for complete details, including additional eligibility requirements, card availability times, prize claim deadlines, odds of winning, and prize descriptions/restrictions. GSN is an industry-leading, game content provider distributing competition programming through its 66-million subscriber cable television network and its casual and skill-based online games site, GSN.com. As the premier television network for games, GSN produces some of the most popular original casino and game show series on TV today. GSN.com features all types of game play: flash games for fun, skill cash game tournaments and free downloadable games. GSN is distributed throughout the U.S. and Canada by all major cable operators, satellite providers and telcos. The company is jointly owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Liberty Media Corporation. For further information, visit GSN's press website at corp.gsn.com. SOURCE GSN www.gsn.com

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - GSN is launching "Bingo America," a new 40-episode half-hour interactive game show series to be hosted by Patrick Duffy.

"Bingo America" combines elements of a quiz show with the game of bingo. Contestants are asked to answer trivia questions to "earn" letters.

The show will award cash prizes to the on-air players as well as to viewers.

Viewers will be able to download up to 10 bingo cards a day on GSN.com and then play along with the broadcast. Additionally, viewers will have another chance to cash in during the show's final round, the Bonus Game, when anyone whose "bonus numbers" on their downloaded cards match the numbers selected on-air becomes an instant winner. Fans also will be able to receive bonus numbers via text messaging.

""Bingo America," which hails from Andrew Glassman, the creator/executive producer of ABC's "National Bingo Night," will debut March 31 and air weeknights at 7 p.m., with repeats on weekends at 4:30 p.m.

Glassman said "Bingo America" will be very different from "National Bingo Night," which also allowed viewers to download cards and play along.

"It is based around the same premise of interactivity," he said, "but it is completely different and custom designed for a nightly half-hour strip.

Written by Nellie Andreeva

www.reuters.com

Daub Ltd is to a new 889.com-backed online bingo enterprise early February as part of its bingo network aimed at the Western European market.  888.com is set to provide the backroom operations with Daub operating the site which will be known as WinkBingo.com.

Daub already comes with considerable experience in the free online bingo world and includes casino and online poker amongst its operations.

888.com is already a mainstay in the online bingo industry with a network of forty-five online bingo halls including bingoballroom.com, bingofabulous.com and Bingo Street favourite Twofatladies.co.uk.

888.com is also involved in supplying online bingo games solutions to operators with their own networks including such UK online bingo favourites as Thinkbingo.com, Thinkbingoplus.com and Bingoscotland.com.

888.com's CEO Gigi Levy said that the agreement with Daub "..., is a further progression in 888's diversified strategy to grow our customer reach and appeal and to broaden our potential audience significantly through innovative partnerships. The combination of 888's global gaming experience and Daub's expert knowledge will help the partnership achieve significant market share."

Written by John Witherspoon
www.bingostreet.com

Players on Bingo Scotland might be familiar with the blue theme of the UK bingo site.

The colours match those on the Scottish flag, highlighting the fact that the website caters particularly for players north of the border.

But for one member the blue connection has proved especially lucky this week, the site reveals.

Vsblue is the fluky punter, having claimed the single largest earnings on Monday to get the week off to a start.

The lucky bingoer scooped £689.96 of the total £24,588.65 given away over the 24-hour period.

Meanwhile, south of the border, fellow UK bingo site Think Bingo gave a sum of £39,624.12 to its players over the course of the day.

Among these, owlface took the top spot on the virtual podium with the greatest individual success.

Some £468.67 was added to the member's account during Monday's online bingo games, the site says.

 

Written by Bob Bardsley.

www.onlinebingo.co.uk

Ladies looking for a "fun, safe and friendly" UK bingo website might like to try recently launched 888ladies.

The site is promising £10 of free gaming credit on sign-up, with no deposit required, to allow its new members to sample the experience.

With chat accompanying each game, a community feel is on the cards as, 888 ladies says, "bingo is much more fun when you play it with friends".

Daily contests on the site include the coverall game which sees the money up for grabs reduced if nobody reaches a full house in 40 balls.

But on Tuesdays in the 22:00 game, filling a card in between 25 and 40 calls could see one player claim £888,888.

In the hour between 21:00 and 22:00 each night, anyone reaching bingo on the specified 'money ball' will also see their winnings doubled, 888ladies advises.

 

Written by Bob Bardsley.

www.onlinebingo.co.uk

As President Bush finishes his final State of the Union address tonight, some youngsters across the country may be yelling, "Bingo."

That's because a lesson plan and bingo game, developed by the National Constitution Center, aims to entice young people to watch the speech, learn about issues facing the country and listen to how the president plans to resolve them.

The NCC, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that educates the public about the Constitution, has developed a State of the Union lesson for students in grades six through 12. Under the plan, students were asked to read Article II, Section 3, of the Constitution in class before tonight's address. Then, as a homework assignment, they were given a "State of the Union Bingo" card to use as they watch the speech. Cards will have key phrases and words such as "health care," "global war on terror," "climate change" and "tax credit." In the days after the speech, students will be asked to share the results of their cards and discuss the speech.

Officials at the NCC hope that this lesson plan will help engage young people in the political process.

"While 'State of the Union Bingo' may not yet be the Super Bowl or Academy Awards, the impact it will have in classrooms and households across the country will be immense," the NCC said in a press release. "This unique learning tool will help students understand the constitutional requirements for the State of the Union address, examine the choices the President makes, describe the events and topics addressed, analyze the President's legislative plan and learn how competitive they can really be."

NCC officials said there is no way to know how many teachers have downloaded the plan and game from its Web site. This is the second year it has been made available. Bingo cards are updated to reflect current issues and phrases the president is likely to use.

Some educators worry that today's youths lack a basic knowledge of U.S. history, government and presidents.

A survey released last year polled 14,000 college freshmen and seniors at 50 schools and found that the average score for seniors on questions related to U.S. presidents was a failing grade of 57.6 percent. The poll, commissioned by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, found that even some of the most educated American students had trouble answering basic questions about U.S. presidents, including dates and the major events of their presidencies.

Written by Amy Fagan

www.washingtontimes.com

A grandmother has become a millionaire after scooping what is claimed to be the world's biggest bingo win.

Christine Bradfield, from Bargoed in Caerphilly county, won more than £1.1m at The Castle Club in Merthyr Tydfil.

The 53-year-old won the National Bingo Game's platinum prize at the Sunday night session at the club.

The jackpot played in 470 clubs across the UK is the biggest in Britain and it is thought to be the biggest anywhere in the world say its organisers.

"At this time we certainly believe Christine's win is the biggest win a legitimate game of bingo in the world," said Steve Baldwin, communications manager for the National Bingo Game.

The Castle Club in Merthyr went "absolutely crazy" when Mrs Bradfield's win was announced on Sunday night.

I won't be giving up work. I couldn't be at home or I'd be out shopping all the time Christine Bradfield

The club's general manager Mike Wiltshire was calling the game that made her a millionaire.

"The place erupted, everyone went wild," he said.

"It was amazing. And word spread quickly so that most people in Merthyr knew before the end of the evening."

Mrs Bradfield herself said she was "in shock" and so was her crane driver husband Ray when she phoned him with news of her win.

She said: "We won't sleep tonight but he has to go to work in the morning."

But she plans to share her £1.1m prize with her sister-in-law Lorraine Williams, who is from Aberbargoed, and her giant win on the bingo does not signal a life of leisure, she said.

Shopping

"I work three days a week in a garage and luckily I don't have to be in until Wednesday, but I'll be there then," she said.

"I won't be giving up work. I couldn't be at home or I'd be out shopping all the time."

And she said she will not be giving up bingo either.

"I just love the game," she said. "I have been playing since I was old enough at 18 and I won't stop now."

She said she could not repeat what her son and daughter said when she phoned them with the news and said she will use the money to spoil her three grandchildren.

Christine joined the Castle Club when it opened 11 years ago and plays there twice a week.

Her prize-money, totalling £1,101,686 was made up of the Platinum Jackpot prize of £1,018,233; the Sunday night National Game prize of £80,000, the Zone prize of £3,121 and the Club prize of £335.

Written by www.news.bbc.co.uk

HUNDREDS of bingo players in Bournemouth will be left without a local club in less than a fortnight.

Just a week after Gala Coral admitted it was reviewing the future of its Winton bingo club, staff have been told it will close on February 10.

The club in Wimborne Road has a very local customer base and many residents will be unable to travel to alternative Gala clubs at the Lansdowne or Tower Park.

A spokesperson for Gala Coral was unable to confirm how many staff were employed at the club but said negotiations with workers were currently underway.

"We are probably going to transfer our staff to other positions in the group but that is all under consultation at the moment," she said. "I do not know what is happening to the building but the club will be closed."

Rumours that the closure was imminent prompted council officers to try and get the historic Art Deco building listed.

There is nothing to stop Gala Coral selling the site to a developer but the council hopes they can be convinced to consider alternative uses for the building.

Moordown ward councillor Beverley Dunlop said: "We will be sending the relevant materials to English Heritage to seek their opinion and over the coming weeks will be in discussion with Gala Coral on future uses of the building."

The building used to be the home of the 1,500-capacity Moderne cinema, which featured striking and innovative interior design when it opened to the public in 1936.

Written by Melanie Vass

www.thisisdorset.net

BingoKnights.com, one of the leading online bingo gaming websites, is proud to announce the launch of a brand-new 90-ball room offering. For all you bingo lovers, new 90 ball "Blue Saphire" room is now open. Register to get $21 free trial exclusively for 90-ball bingo game.

Costa Rica -- BingoKnights.com, one of the leading online bingo gaming websites, is proud to announce the launch of a brand-new 90-ball room offering. For all you bingo lovers, new 90 ball "Blue Saphire" room is now open. Register to get $21 free trial exclusively for 90-ball bingo game.

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The ticket format of the 90-ball game slightly differs from that of 75-ball game. Each ticket has 3 rows of numbers and each game has 3 winners: the first to complete one row, the first to complete 2 rows and the first to complete 3 rows (the entire ticket). Top three players of the session will also get $30, $20, $10 bb's every day. Players can play exciting chat games with great number of bb's to be won, which only means Double the fun. For full details of what is on offer simply register at Bingoknights.com to join in the fun.

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Amongst the most generous online bingo bonus giving websites on the net, Bingoknights.com offers a distinctive live chat service that gives players an opportunity to form friendships with other players all around the world.

About the site
Bingoknights.com is a leading online bingo gaming website that provides best online bingo games, tips, promotions, tournaments, community chat rooms and multilingual support for bingo players.

Written by www.prweb.com

The money you can now win from just playing bingo, whether it be bingo online or at a land based club is just amazing, and the National Bingo game that is played at most land based clubs every day just keeps on producing those big bingo winners.

A father of four from Kettering was elated to say the least when he won £50,000 playing bingo at his local Gala Bingo club on Saturday night. He has been playing bingo with his wife for the last 16 years and lady luck was certainly shinning on them that night. The National Bingo Prize was £100,000 but he had to share it with another member as they both called house on 41 numbers, but I am sure that the father of four is not going to worry about that, and 2008 sure looks a lot brighter now for him and his family, thanks to the National Bingo game and Gala Bingo.

I have often heard the saying "Beginners Luck" and I have seen it with my own eyes when players who I know had never played bingo before have gone to a bingo club for the first time, or even played bingo online and Won! Well a social care worker from Bristol definitely had beginners luck when he went to bingo for the very first time with his work colleagues and won £45,000! The man and his five male colleagues went to the Mecca Bingo Club 'for a bit of a giggle', after deciding before Christmas that they should do more social activities together. They will all certainly be able to socialize even more now thanks to this huge win as the lucky bingo player will also be sharing his winnings with his friends.

As from Sunday the 20th of January you will now be able to play for 5 big prizes on every National game. So it looks like there is going to be even more big National Game Winners in the weeks and months to come! Gala Bingo have also just launched a fantastic Mega Jackpot Monopoly game at their online bingo site that has a Jackpot attached to it that starts at a whopping £1.5 million, who will be the first to win this, we will all just have to wait and see!

Written by Hollie

www.unluckyforsome.co.uk

The retired 61-year-old, from Castletown, who doesn't want to be named, thought he had only won the £120 house prize at the Majestic Club, South Shields.

But after a 20-minute wait for results from clubs around the country, it was announced he had won the National Bingo Game top prize by completing a full house in 45 calls.

"My wife and I were already walking out of the club when it was announced how much I'd won and I was stunned," he said.

"When we realised, we were both so pleased we started jumping about."

The man - who has four children, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren - intends to use the money to take a holiday abroad for the first time with his wife.

He is also considering re-decorating his home and buying new furniture.

"The Majestic has been very good to us as we win quite regularly there. It is a great club," he added.

The National Bingo Game is the second largest computer-controlled game in the UK - behind the National Lottery - and about 470 clubs link together to play.

"The win has caused quite a bit of excitement here," said the Majestic Club's relief manager Lisa Wilson.

"When people realize that you can win these kind of amounts, it does create a lot of interest.

"In my own experience, I have only known it happen a few times.

"But it's always great to see someone win the top prize. Everyone was really pleased for him."

Written by James Johnston
www.sunderlandecho.com

The European Betting and Gaming Association (EGBA) said it is "delighted" by a decision by a French judicial court verifying the government's commitment to respecting European Union (EU) law.

According to the EGBA the Court of Appeal of Versailles' statement calls into question French gaming legislation and its compatibility with EU law. It now places the French government in the position of having to justify its current online gaming regulations that restrict non-French gambling companies, including online bingo halls and online bingo operators, from accessing the French market.

The European Court of Justice has previously ruled that gambling businesses operating in one EU country can offer its products and services throughout the EU and that restrictions are only applicable for reasons of public interest.

Sigrid Ligné, Secretary General of the EGBA said: "We are delighted with this decision. It is an important one and comes in the general context of the commitment taken by the French authorities to propose a controlled opening of the French gaming market by March 2008."

EU members still running state gambling monopolies are being placed under pressure by the European Commission to uphold free trade of goods and services between member nations. UK-based online bingo games operators are currently restricted from a number of EU countries due to state-run gaming monopolies.

Written by John Witherspoon
www.bingostreet.com

A 61-year-old retiree was satisfied with taking the house prize at the Majestic Club in South Shields recently, reports National Bingo.

But 20 minutes after his numbers came up the other venues in the country finally completed the link game.

Not a moment too soon, it was revealed that nobody else in the country had reached a full house in fewer balls.

As a result, the plucky punter had scooped the £40,000 UK bingo jackpot - just as he was heading for the door.

"My wife and I were already walking out of the club when it was announced how much I had won and I was stunned," he tells National Bingo.

"When we realised we were both so pleased we started jumping about," he informs the operating body of UK bingo.

In April 2007 the Majestic Club had reason to celebrate as one of its players claimed a £100,000 national jackpot.

 

Written by Bob Bardsley.

www.onlinebingo.co.uk

The Caribbean island nation of Antigua says it is disappointed by a UK government decision to not include it on its 'whitelist' of jurisdictions allowed to advertise online gaming products in the UK.

The decision comes at a time when Antigua is still embroiled in a World Trade Organisation dispute with US over the US decision to implement restrictive legislation in 2006 effectively banning non-US companies from operating online gaming businesses to the US market.

Antigua's omission from the whitelist will affect any online bingo halls and online bingo games operators working through Antiguan jurisdiction and licenses.  A number of UK-based online bingo operators have ties to Antigua which may need to be changed for them to continue operations.

Antigua's Finance Minister Dr. Errol Cort made it known to reporters his country was surprised and disappointed by the UK government's decision not to grant advertising whitelist status to Antigua.

Written by John Witherspoon
www.bingostreet.com

Long-running dispute takes new twist as bingo operators lobby Treasury to make a U-turn on the way the industry is currently taxed.

Bingo companies have put more pressure on the government to ease the tax burden they carry.

In a letter delivered alongside the industry's submission to the Treasury ahead of the 2008 Budget, bingo operators warned that the alleged double-tax regime for bingo may cause club closures and a consequent decline in tax take for the Treasury,The Daily Telegraph reported.

Industry bosses claimed in the letter that Bingo was 'the only mainstream gambling product to be subject to double taxation in the form of gross profits tax and VAT.'

Eight bingo chiefs including Rank boss Ian Burke and Gala head Neil Goulden said, 'Based on current projections, the net cost of removing VAT at this point is likely to be revenue positive to the government when compared with the cost of clubs closing.'

Written by David Jetuah

www.accountancyage.com

Grand Rapids, Michigan is the bingo capital of the United States due to the number of bingo games and players in the city. The study was conducted by online bingo news portal, BingoLingo.

Panama City, Panama -- BingoLingo, a site devoted to bingo, both online and land based, is pleased to announce that Grand Rapids, Michigan has been named "Bingo Capital of the United States."

It was determined that Grand Rapids has more bingo games and bingo players per capita than any other metropolitan area in the United Sates. "We used several criteria and Grand Rapids not only met these criteria, but exceeded every other major metropolitan areas in the number of bingo games and players," said Susan Strafford, marketing director of BingoLingo (http://www.bingolingo.com).

Grand Rapids, located in western Michigan, has an ethnically diverse population of 1,320,487, including a large population of Roman Catholics which may, in part, account for the popularity of bingo. Careful research revealed that Grand Rapids has more bingo games per capita than any other major metropolitan area in the United States including all major cities.

It was also found that Grand Rapids has a large number of online bingo players. The new smoking ban recently imposed on bingo halls is thought to have contributed to the increase in the number of players who choose to play bingo on the internet. Other factors cited were the wider variety of games, larger prizes, and the convenience of playing at home.

"Colder climates in the north tend to have the largest percentage of online bingo players," said Anthony Wayne, editor of the Internet Bingo Blog (http://www.internetbingoblog.com). "So, it's not surprising that a city in the north was the winner. They love their bingo in Michigan."

With the largest number of bingo players per capita, BingoLingo is pleased to award Grand Rapids, Michigan the title of "Bingo Capital of the United States.

BingoLingo is a website devoted to bingo, both online bingo and traditional bingo halls. BingoLingo strives to be the best source for bingo news and articles about current issues related to Bingo.

Written by www.emediawire.com

The 61-year-old and his wife started jumping about after landing the prize on the National Bingo Game at the Majestic Club in the town's Denmark Centre.

The lucky winner only thought he had landed the house prize of £120 after completing a full house in 45 numbers.

And he and his wife were about to leave the club during a 20-minute wait for the national results to come through.

But then it was announced his was the lowest call from 470 clubs playing nationwide on Monday, January 14.

He said: "We were already walking out the club when it was announced how much I had won. I was stunned. When we realised, we were both so pleased we started jumping about."

The retired winner, who does not wish to be named, said he had been playing bingo "every night for many years", but this was his first big win.

The father-of-four from Castletown, who has four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, now intends to take his wife on their first holiday abroad together.

He is also considering re-decorating his home and buying new furniture.

"The Majestic has been very good to us as we win quite regularly. It is a great club," he added.

Written by www.shieldsgazette.com

888 Holdings plc has entered into a licensing agreement with Daub Ltd., through which 888 will provide its bingo software, instant games and support services to winkbingo.com. The site is expected to go live later this month targeting Western Europe. 

According to 888, Daub is owned and operated by a group with substantial experience in the online gaming world, including knowledge of online bingo, casino and poker.

 

In addition to operating its own brands, 888's bingo business includes a network of 45 online bingo sites. The company provides bingo solutions to business partners operating their own networks and other third party sites, including some of the most prominent sites in the UK such as mirrorbingo.com and foxybingo.com, operated and owned respectively by Cashcade Ltd.

 

Gigi Levy, CEO of 888, said: "The agreement with Daub, is a further progression in 888's diversified strategy to grow our customer reach and appeal and to broaden our potential audience significantly through innovative partnerships. The combination of 888's global gaming experience and Daub's expert knowledge will help the partnership achieve significant market share."

Written by www.gamingintelligencegroup.com

Scotland, Glasgow -- Scot Bingo, Scotland's leading online bingo site, is celebrating Burns Night with some very special offers.

Any player who manages to hit a full house in under 43 balls on Friday (25 January) will not only receive £1,000 but will also receive a year's supply of haggis.

And the Scot Bingo player who gains a full house in the fewest calls between 6pm and midnight on Burns Night will win a bottle of 10 years old single malt Talisker whisky from the Isle of Skye.

Scot Bingo are the only bingo site recognising Burns Night this Friday and have put to shame other competitors who have ignored the Scottish Festival.

Scot Bingo marketing director George Oborne said: "We have 150kg of haggis ready to send to anyone who gets a full house in under 43 balls on Burns Night. The winner can either have it shipped all at once or could wait until next year and have a real Burns Night feast with their friends and family."

He continued, "Burns night is a really important event in the Scottish calendar. Robert Burns, our favourite son, is of course the centre of attention but what is also is important is the bringing together of friends and family. This is what we want to focus on at Scot Bingo -- to bring all our friends together, have a really good time and maybe even win a whole lot of haggis."

Scot Bingo has continued to be heralded as the best place to play bingo online in Scotland due to its good awareness of Scottish traditions and the friendly Scottish community present in Scot Bingo's chat rooms.

Scot Bingo regular Andrew Weir said of Burns night, "I can't wait for Friday night, I reckon that there will be a great atmosphere in the chat rooms and although I'm not sure what I'd do with all the haggis, I'm certainly not shy about having the occasional dram."

Written by www.emediawire.com

Scotland, Glasgow -- Scot Bingo, Scotland's leading online bingo site, is celebrating Burns Night with some very special offers.

Any player who manages to hit a full house in under 43 balls on Friday (25 January) will not only receive £1,000 but will also receive a year's supply of haggis.

And the Scot Bingo player who gains a full house in the fewest calls between 6pm and midnight on Burns Night will win a bottle of 10 years old single malt Talisker whisky from the Isle of Skye.

Scot Bingo are the only bingo site recognising Burns Night this Friday and have put to shame other competitors who have ignored the Scottish Festival.

Scot Bingo marketing director George Oborne said: "We have 150kg of haggis ready to send to anyone who gets a full house in under 43 balls on Burns Night. The winner can either have it shipped all at once or could wait until next year and have a real Burns Night feast with their friends and family."

He continued, "Burns night is a really important event in the Scottish calendar. Robert Burns, our favourite son, is of course the centre of attention but what is also is important is the bringing together of friends and family. This is what we want to focus on at Scot Bingo -- to bring all our friends together, have a really good time and maybe even win a whole lot of haggis."

Scot Bingo has continued to be heralded as the best place to play bingo online in Scotland due to its good awareness of Scottish traditions and the friendly Scottish community present in Scot Bingo's chat rooms.

Scot Bingo regular Andrew Weir said of Burns night, "I can't wait for Friday night, I reckon that there will be a great atmosphere in the chat rooms and although I'm not sure what I'd do with all the haggis, I'm certainly not shy about having the occasional dram."

Two Swedish journalists have published an open letter to European Union (EU) compliance chief Charlie McCreevy calling for active enforcement of the EU's requirements of its member states to engage in the movement of free trade and services, including online gaming.

Sweden, a growing market for online bingo games, operates a state-run gambling monopoly and this has exasperated the authors of the letter, Anders Gerdin and Jan Helin, who believe non-Swedish EU-based online gambling competitors are being unfairly restricted.

The letter calls for "strong and decisive" measures from the European Commission aimed at Swedish non-compliance.  At this time non-Swedish online bingo halls are excluded from operating in the Swedish bingo online market due to the state's monopoly.

The authors urge European Commission to "proceed as soon as possible", saying: "It is high time to put an end to the Swedish government's lack of respect for the EU Treaty."

Written by John Witherspoon
www.bingostreet.com

The popularity of online gambling in the Nordic region, including a growing love of online bingo games, has got the Finnish government taking a closer look at the issues of underage gambling and problem gambling.

A working group centered around Finland's Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is subsequently proposing that the country's Lotteries Act be strengthened to combat underage gambling and that online games come with identification devices. Evocative gambling advertisements are also targeted for restriction.

On a per capita basis, Finns come in at fourth place in the world for gambling expenditure.  An estimated forty thousand Finns suffer some level of problem gambling.

At this time there is little restriction on Finns engaging in online games with online bingo halls and operators of free online bingo able to offer their services without needing authorization.

Written by John Witherspoon
www.bingostreet.com

A hybrid game combining a lottery and bingo is due to launch next month on Virgin Media-owned TV channels that its creators claim could generate up to £16 million for good causes in its first year.

The game, BingoLotto, originates from Sweden and will see 10,000 British retailers selling its £2 game cards which will allow players to take part in 3 interactive games that will be shown on the Virgin 1 channel.

The shows will be presented by the squeaky-voiced comedian Joe Pasquale and Suzanne Shaw, former member of Hear'Say.

"We are very excited to be bringing BingoLotto to the UK," said game creator Gert Eklund.

At least 20 per cent from sales of the tickets will go to good causes and charities in the UK.

Written by www.jackpot.co.uk

UK bingo players are being invited to sign up for the newly-launched Love It! bingo site.

And as a reward for doing so, they can expect a bonus of £10 credit when they open a new account, the website advises.

Editor of the weekly publication Karen Pasquali Jones adds that there's no need to know bingo parlance.

Terms such as "two fat ladies" and "two little ducks" are no obstacle thanks to the website, she explains.

"Luckily, you don't have to go out to play bingo or understand what all those funny phrases mean," she asserts.

"Now you can play at home with LoveItBingo."

With a number of other games also on offer, UK bingo players might like to try their hand at something else once in a while - or stick with a good old favourite like Think Bingo.

Emira B, a 27-year-old beauty salon worker from Dewsbury, did just that - and claimed £965,728 on the site's Deal or No Deal game.

 

Written by Bob Bardsley.

www.onlinebingo.co.uk

The Canadian Mohawk nation's Mohawk Council of the Kahnawake has reacted strongly to its exclusion from the UK's Department of Culture Media and Sport Whitelist. The Whitelist designates those online gaming operators, including online bingo games operators and online bingo halls, able to advertise in the UK.

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission is deeply disappointed saying in a statement that Kahnawake enjoys a "...long-standing reputation as the world leader in Internet regulatory compliance and enforcement".  The organization has contrasted their status with the recently whitelisted Tasmania, "....which has no such history."

A popular choice with many online bingo operators, Kahnawake will be acutely aware some operators will probably choose a more UK-friendly commission to go with.

"Despite having been the first jurisdiction to accept and implement the world-recognized eCOGRA standard, the implementation of a mandatory continuous compliance policy, and our consistent enforcement of what may very well be the world's most stringent due diligence program, our name has not been added to the U.K.'s exclusive white list," the Kahnawake statement continued.

"Kahnawake has concerns regarding the process undertaken by the U.K. authority and has initiated inquiries to ascertain whether the application was afforded fair and objective consideration, which at this point, we do not believe was the case."

Despite the setback, Kahnawake says it remains committed to the principle of a regulatory approach to the enforcement of the Internet gaming industry.

Written by John Witherspoon
www.bingostreet.com

A Swedish game combining a lottery and bingo is being launched on three UK digital TV channels.

The backers of BingoLotto claim some 10,000 British retailers will sell its £2 game cards, which entitle players to take part in three live, 'interactive' bingo games being shown on the Virgin 1 platform and broadcast on three digital platforms.

The shows will be presented by comedian Joe Pasquale and Suzanne Shaw, one time member of manufactured pop band Hear'Say and a contestant in the Dancing On Ice television series.

The show has a mascot called Mr Bing. A variety of prizes, including cars, will be offered.

"We are very excited to be bringing BingoLotto to the UK," said game divisor Gert Eklund.

Written by www.talkingretail.com

Don't miss your chance to win a share of £25,000 with Dream Ticket Bingo. Every Wednesday from January 2 to February 20, a Dream Ticket Bingo card will be in the Evening Telegraph. Each game will have a play period from the Wednesday the card is inserted, until the following Tuesday. If you successfully complete a full house, you've won £1,000!

With eight games in total and £25,000 up for grabs, don't miss your chance to be a Dream Ticket winner! Good luck!

HOW TO PLAY

• A Dream Ticket Bingo card will be in the Evening Telegraph every Wednesday from January 2 until February 20, 2008.
• There are eight weekly games and £25,000 of cash prizes up for grabs.
• Each game begins on the Wednesday the card is inserted into the Evening Telegraph, and ends on the following Tuesday.
• Every day during the duration of the card (play period) we will publish a selection of Dream Ticket Bingo numbers.
• If the numbers published are on your card, cross them off.
• Play all six grids on each card.
• If you cross off all 15 numbers on any one of the 6 grids you can make a claim.
• A £1,000 full house prize will be awarded to each reader who correctly completes a full house.
• If you don't receive a game card, don't worry, just call 0800 028 5598 and we'll post one out to you.

HOW TO CLAIM

• If you manage to cross off all 15 numbers on your card for the game in play, you can make a claim.
• To make a winning claim, call the Dream Ticket Bingo claims hotline between 10am and 12 noon on 01332 253014 the day after your winning numbers are published.
• Claims for Friday and Saturday should be made the following Monday.
• Claims made outside these times will be invalid.
• Please have your card with you when you telephone.

Terms and conditions:
Our usual competition rules apply as published daily in the Classified section of the Evening Telegraph. Under 18s are not eligible to play. How to play and claim form part of the rules. The total prize fund for eight weeks is £25,000.

Brian Maw	Sarah Bishop with Daniel & Thomas

Written by www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk

Wagerworks has signed a contract with Two Way Gaming for the interactive television company to gain access to Wagerworks' online gaming products.

Wagerworks, a major online gambling software developer, includes Monopoly, Cluedo and The Price is Right amongst its products for Two Way Gaming as well as offering online bingo games and products for online bingo halls.

Two Way Gaming's managing director Guy Templer commented on the deal saying: "The WagerWorks system is very flexible and offers huge potential. In the coming months this deal will see us putting together some exciting new properties for TV."

Two Way Gaming is a UK-based company operating gaming channels for SkyTV and cable TV customers.  It provides bingo amongst its interactive TV offerings.

Written by John Witherspoon
www.bingostreet.com

A man who headbutted another at an Exeter bingo hall causing him to fall down a flight of stairs "saw red mist and lost control", a court heard.Malcolm Stone was spared jail by city magistrates yesterday despite being warned at a previous hearing that he may be sent to prison.

The 39-year-old, of Bishop Westall Road, Exeter, admitted assaulting Martin Bingham by beating at the Mecca bingo hall, in North Street, on October 5.

The court was told that Stone was with friends when he and Mr Bingham's ex-partner started to argue.

Mr Bingham told Stone to leave her alone and Stone then turned and headbutted Mr Bingham, causing him to lose his balance and fall down a flight of stairs.

When Mr Bingham got to his feet at the bottom of the stairs, he was punched by Stone and fell back on the ground, where he was kicked.

A friend of Stone pulled him off Mr Bingham and he left Mecca Bingo. He was later arrested.

Mr Bingham was taken to hospital with severe bruising and swelling to an eye and his nose. He also suffered a cut to the head.

Prosecutor Ben Winzer asked magistrates to exclude Stone, who works as a DJ to earn extra money, from a list of licensed premises in the city.

The court heard in Stone's defence that he had referred himself to the Victory Centre through his GP on an eight-week course for anger and emotional management therapy to address his problems.

The court heard he had attended his first appointment earlier this week. Stone's solicitor said it was a nasty incident and that her client "saw a red mist and lost control of himself."

She continued: "He is a man who can control his temper but is on a very short trigger."

She showed magistrates a number of references, including one from the duty manager at Mecca Bingo who said Stone had taken gifts and apologised to staff there after the incident.

Magistrates sentenced Stone to four months in prison suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to be supervised by the probation service for two years, attend an aggression replacement therapy course and carry out 100 hours unpaid work in the community.

Stone also has to pay £225 compensation to the victim and £70 costs.

Written by www.thisisexeter.co.uk

Being the only online bingo software developer Worldwide to receive a remote gambling software licence by the UK Gambling Commission, is even more of a feather in the cap (for Parlay Entertainment) than being one of just thirty companies worldwide to receive a remote gambling software licence.

This licence allows the company to deploy its online bingo software to its clients who are headquartered anywhere in the UK, or to those clients who may be headquartered elsewhere but who target the UK market.

To its credit Parlay also holds a Class 4 Remote Gaming Licence in Malta and is a certified gaming software provider in the Isle of Man, but of course Parlay is most thrilled to have been granted the UK licence, the company's European Managing Director, Steve Cook, announced very recently.

The licence means that not only can Parlay continue to service its existing UK online bingo licensees but can sign up new ones as well - a big plus for its market.

To say that Parlay are proud that they are currently the only online bingo developer, worldwide, to receive such a licence for the UK, would be an under-statement.

Naturally Parlay, as a licensed gambling software supplier, are required to abide by the 2005 Gambling Act and its three main objectives - (i) keeping crime out of gambling, (ii) ensuring that gambling is conducted fairly and opening, and (iii) protecting children and vulnerable people from being exploited by gambling.  All very good objectives indeed which are both actively and proactively adhered to by the company.

As a matter of fact, Parlay, have integrated their online bingo software with that of over 50 operators and will be exhibiting very soon (January 22 to 24) at the ICEi exhibition at London's Earls Court. This being the seventh consecutive year that the company has shown their support for the ICE show and we are sure they are looking forward to promoting their latest software package, Parlay 5 to the many excited customers who are sure to be in attendance.

Parlay were actually the very first company in the world to develop and deploy commercial internet bingo products and is available in both the 75 and 90 numbers versions.  And their technology powers more online bingo sites than any other software provider in the whole world.

So, anyone can see it would be unwise actually to deal with anyone than the world leaders in the field!

Written by Denise

www.unluckyforsome.co.uk

Bingo Scotland (http://www.bingoscotland.com) has enjoyed huge success in both the Which Bingo Site of the Year and Which Bingo CM Team of the Year awards.

The site was the highest placed Scottish bingo site in the prestigious Which Bingo Site of the Year awards (voted for by bingo players nationwide), with their team of Chat Moderators running out clear winners in the equally esteemed UK CM Team of the Year vote, beating a myriad of site from across the UK.

Not only did Bingo Scotland finish as the highest placed Scottish bingo site, they finished above national operators such as Gala Bingo and Sun Bingo. The Site of the Year Award was won by Think Bingo.

Bingo Scotland's Ben Starr welcomed the results: "We're particularly delighted with our results as they showcase Bingo Scotland's popularity amongst those best qualified to judge the best from the rest - online bingo (http://www.onlinebingo.co.uk) players themselves. To be the highest placed Scottish bingo site is testament to Bingo Scotland's position as the most well established and largest Scottish Bingo site out there, and we're pleased that our fabulous team of CMs have been justly recognised and rewarded as the best in the business anywhere in the UK. We'd like to thank our players for their continued loyalty and for making Bingo Scotland such a fun and inviting place to be."

'Roomie' Liz Grimley, from Inverness, said: "Well done CMs and all at Bingo Scotland. Very well deserved and you are SIMPLY THE BEST!!!", and Pamela Stewart from Midlothian made it clear why she feels Bingo Scotland stands out from the crowd, adding "there's a real feeling of warmth from people in the rooms - a real sense of community".

Bingo Scotland launched in October 2005 as the only dedicated Scottish online bingo offering, and has since cemented its position as the biggest Scottish Bingo Site. Tens of thousands of Scots have sampled the 24/7 bingo games and chat on offer. Over Ј20,000 is won every day by Bingo Scotland's tight knit community of bingo fans, and there are numerous opportunities to win big jackpots every week on their progressive jackpot games and special big money coveralls.

The site welcomes new players to their friendly community every day, each receiving Ј5 free when they deposit Ј5 to their bingo account. One such newbie, Margaret Spearey, said: "Although a fairly newish member i felt i had to say how brilliant all the roomies are, making ya feel welcome and including you in chat. I've been to lots of other places, but it's the friendly chat that makes Bingo Scotland so great. Thank you from all new members for being so flippin fantastic!!!"

Written by www.pr-usa.net

Online payments processor and e-wallet Neteller, the company that had a much publicized run-in with US authorities over its links to online gambling payments, is scheduled to make its final punitive payment this month.

A popular online banking choice amongst online bingo players and free bingo operators alike, Neteller will pay US$ 38.25 million on 16 January as the last installment of its deferred prosecution agreement with US authorities.  The total amount paid by Neteller to get US authorities off their backs will have been US$ 136 million.

Like many in the bingo online industry, Neteller has had to diversify its business strategies away from the US market in order to rebound from the losses incurred by the implementation of the US' Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act which sought to disrupt financial transactions between players and non-US online gaming operators.

The company has also successfully paid back nearly US$81 million of the US$94 million in frozen funds to its former US customers.

Neteller has been considered a bit of a success story by observers of the online bingo industry for the way it was able to bounce back from the crippling run-in with US authorities last year.

Written by John Witherspoon
www.bingostreet.com

Parlay Entertainment, the Canadian online bingo software provider which recently secured a UK license, is to be acquired by PEIC Acquisition Corp.

PEIC Acquisition Corp. is a subsidiary of Letton Investments which operates out of the Caribbean island of Barbados.  The company sets up investments in firms involved to the online gambling industry.

The acquisition still has to meet with the approval of Parlay's board of directors and shareholders.

Parlay Entertainment is a popular bingo software provider with a number of UK online bingo halls and online bingo games operators.  It provides multi-player online bingo software to UK operators such as Virgin and Littlewoods Gaming.

Written by John Witherspoon
www.bingostreet.com

Foxy Bingo, the online operator, has dropped glamour model Jordan from its advertising. It is understood Foxy Bingo was unwilling to meet her huge pay demands.

The decision to drop Jordan, whose real name is Katie Price, will mean a renewed focus on the "Foxy" character - a man with fox's head - which will now appear by itself on all promotional material for the brand, both off and online.

Foxy parent company Cashcade said last year it was going to divert its budget from direct marketing into television advertising, and was planning to quadruple its spend in 2008 (MW 6 September, 2007).

The company said it was responding to the likely increase in competition from online betting companies, able to advertise on TV, following the introduction of the Gambling Act 2005 on September 1 last year.

It is not known whether the decision to drop Jordan will affect these plans. A TV ad, fronted by the model, was due to go into production last September, but the failed negotiations over her fee mean this will no longer happen.

Cashcade says that celebrities will still form a part of Foxy Bingo's marketing mix on radio and in magazine interviews. In September last year, the brand signed up astrologer Russell Grant as the face of a new game - Russell's Lucky Stars. Grant also reads a monthly horoscope linked to a "lucky number" and gives regular interviews on Foxy Bingo's online radio station.

Publisher: Marketing Week

www.marketingweek.co.uk

Bingo players can light up during fund-raisers for Lexington high school booster clubs, a judge ruled Thursday.

Fayette Circuit Judge James Ishmael affirmed a 2005 district court ruling that found that booster clubs qualify as private organizations under the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government's indoor smoking ban. Private organizations are exempt from enforcement.

The rulings mean health department citations against six Lexington booster clubs will be thrown out. And it is sure to spark a debate at the Urban County Council over whether to revise the ban, which was enacted in 2003.

A lawyer representing the booster clubs said the ruling is a big win for students who play sports, march in their high school bands or participate in other extra-curricular activities. The clubs raise money for uniforms, equipment, facilities, trips to competitions and other expenses.

"We're losing sight of the importance of these kids," lawyer Jerry Wright said. "Who wants to tell these kids in the band that you can't go walk in the Macy's parade?"

But Councilman David Stevens says we can't lose sight of the health hazard of tobacco smoke. He thinks the city should amend the smoking ban so booster clubs are not exempt. Stevens said it should also consider appealing the ruling, though he leans toward revising the ordinance instead to avoid legal fees.

The thick fog of smoke at bingo games is "about as bad as you can get," said Stevens, a doctor.

Through his spokeswoman, Mayor Jim Newberry declined to say where he stands on amending the smoking ban.

More than a dozen citations will be dismissed against the Lafayette Football Boosters, Tates Creek Varsity Cheerleading, Bluegrass Gymnastics and boosters for baseball teams at Henry Clay, Paul Laurence Dunbar and Tates Creek high schools.

The smoking ban prohibits smoking in most public places, including restaurants, bars and bowling alleys. Ishmael's ruling will not affect such establishments.

The ordinance's definition of a private club says the group: must be an establishment; must maintain selective members; must be operated by the membership; must not provide food or lodging for pay to anyone who is not a member or a member's guest; and must not be profit-oriented.

Bingo proceeds are a large source of booster club revenues. Allowing bingo patrons to smoke draws bigger crowds and helps them raise more money, club members say.

The funds support things that schools, and some parents, can't afford, Wright said. Unless the public suddenly gets an appetite for more taxes, boosters will have to raise money from somewhere, he said.

Wright told the council at a meeting once that he'd shut down the bingo games himself if the council ponies up the money for the students. He didn't have any takers.

"How many bags of fruit can you sell?" Wright said. "How many candy bars can you sell?"

The booster clubs have continued to allow smoking at bingo games while the case was on appeal, Wright said. They believed they were in compliance with the law and are relieved the issue is settled, he said.

Nobody wanted "to be in violation of an ordinance by continuing to smoke at these bingo sessions," Wright said. "These are nice people that run these charities, and they're not the type of people who violate the law."

The county health department will consult with its legal advisers about what do next.

The smoking cases have been to every layer of Kentucky's court system except the Supreme Court.

They began in February 2005, when the health department cited the clubs for allowing smoking during bingo. A month later, a district court judge threw out the citations, ruling that the clubs are exempt from the ordinance.

Ishmael overturned that ruling in April 2006, saying it is irrelevant whether booster clubs are private organizations. The public is allowed -- encouraged, in fact -- to attend the fund-raisers, and it was the clear intent of the ordinance to ban all indoor smoking in public, he ruled.

But Ishamel was overruled in August by the Kentucky Court of Appeals. A three-judge panel unanimously ruled that Ishmael effectively wrote words into the ordinance. They sent the case back to his court and ordered him to determine whether the clubs are private organizations.

On Thursday, Ishmael affirmed the 2005 district court ruling. He hinted that he disagreed with the district court ruling in a footnote. But he said there is substantial evidence to support the district court's findings so he has no choice but to affirm the ruling.

Wright said he doesn't think the county can file an appeal. Regardless, it should accept the ruling, he said.

"The government has had many days in court," he said. "Not just one. All these courts have spoken. When is it enough?"

In spite of the ruling, the council can still rewrite the ordinance so it applies to booster clubs. Ishmael noted as much in his ruling.

Some council members, anti-smoking advocates and prosecutors from the county attorney's office met earlier this month in anticipation of Ishmael's ruling. Stevens said he will work with the city law department and health department lawyers on a proposal that addresses the ruling.

Stevens said he wants to persuade the council to amend the ban before he retires from the council at the end of the year.

Wright said the council shouldn't change an ordinance just to affect a particular group of people. If one private organization is exempt from the ban, then all private organizations should be exempt, Wright said.

"I would hope the council would just leave it alone," he said.

Written by Brandon Ortiz

www.kentucky.com

NEWS that a Bournemouth bingo hall is being considered for closure has prompted efforts to get the historic building listed.

The Gala club in Wimborne Road, Winton, is one of five in the country currently being reviewed, owners Gala Coral have confirmed.

A definite decision on the club's future will be made at the end of the month but Bournemouth council has already been called on to try and protect the Art Deco building from being bulldozed and replaced with flats.

The building is not presently listed but planning officers at Bournemouth council are considering asking English Heritage to assess the site and see whether it is deemed worthy of protection.

The building used to be the home of the Moderne cinema, which opened to the public in 1936.

According to the Winton Forum's website, the cinema featured cutting-edge and innovative interior design, with furniture made of tubular stainless steel, with fake leopardskin upholstery.

It could accommodate an audience of 1,500 and even had provision for a theatre organ, though none was ever installed.

It also staged local talent contests and helped launch several famous names, including the Dowland Brothers.

But cinemas and talent contests were no match for the popularity of television and the building was converted into a bingo hall in 1963.

A spokesperson for Gala Coral confirmed the Winton club was being considered for closure and said they could not comment any further until a decision was made at the end of this month.

Written by Melanie Vass

www.thisisdorset.net

Canadian online bingo software developer and provider Parlay Entertainment Inc has announced that it is in the early stages of being acquired by PEIC Acquisition Corporation, a company run by the founder of Sportingbet, Mark Blandford.

The two companies signed a non-binding letter of intent late last week proposing that PEIC acquire Parlay's outstanding common shares by way of a statutory plan of arrangement. The proposed transaction is subject to satisfactory completion of due diligence by PEIC, the execution of a definitive agreement, court approval, regulatory approval and the approval of both the board of directors and the shareholders of Parlay.

The letter states that Parlay will not solicit or initiate competing acquisition proposals or participate in other negotiations or discussions, however, this would not impact on Parlay's ability to respond to any superior proposal from another party.

PEIC is registered in Ontario, Canada, with Blandford serving as President. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Letton Investments Ltd of Barbados established to invest in companies operating in the online gaming industry.

According to the agreement, Parlay is to pay all out of pocket legal, tax and accounting costs and expenses up to $491,000 except where the transaction is terminated by PEIC in certain limited circumstances.

Written by www.igamingbusiness.com

The Financial Times is reporting that an extensive campaign by land-based bingo operators Rank and Gala Coral is putting UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling under increasing pressure to cut the current taxes causing so much trouble to the land-based bingo industry.

The campaign by Rank and Gala currently enjoys the support of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).  DCMS is expected to make tax reform proposals relating to the bingo industry in its budget submission.  

ATE Online is reporting, however, that the UK government believes that the land-based bingo sector's problems are of a more endemic nature and that a simple change to the tax structure will not solve the industry's current problems.

Neil Goulden, CEO at Gala Coral was quoted in the Financial Times as saying: "The message we are giving the chancellor and the prime minister is 'if you give us the same tax treatment as other gambling industries, it will be an investment that will drive up admissions'."

Land-based bingo has faced the twin threats of a 'double tax' on its earnings and the loss of customers due to a UK-wide smoking ban in public places.  As a result, a number of bingo halls are facing closure around the UK with some operators already ceasing operations.  Online bingo games and online bingo halls are little affected by the smoking ban and taxation structure.

Written by John Witherspoon
www.bingostreet.com

Which Bingo's 'Online Bingo Site of the Year 2007' has been awarded to Think Bingo.  The award is decided by player votes which have doubled since 2006, according to a report on ATE Online.

"We are amazed each year that we run these awards as to how dedicated players are to their favourite online bingo sites," said Which Bingo owner Phil Fraser. "Their enthusiasm for their preferred bingo game knows no bounds. I'd like to congratulate all our 2007 winners on their success and look forward to another great year for online bingo in 2008."

Think Bingo responded by saying: "We are delighted to receive this prestigious award on behalf of our Think Bingo members and chat moderators. It is them that set Think Bingo apart and demonstrate that you don't have to be the biggest to be the best."

Written by John Witherspoon
www.bingostreet.com

The widespread hysteria over casino gaming is reaching a fever pitch as the issue will be studied closely by politicians in Frankfort.

Yet a different form of legalized gambling has been in place in Kentucky for years... Bingo.

Now, with slot machines and Blackjack tables possibly in the state's future... we surveyed local bingo players on the matter.

It's a weekly ritual for these Bingo players.

But instead of discussing Bingo strategies, the conversation's now are about legalized gaming.

Long-time Bingo player Minnie Holland is all for casinos.

"If we're going to have gambling in our state it's better because we don't need to go to Indiana and give them all of our money," says Holland.

But only as long as the money benefits the state.

"As long as it's put toward the things that we need here for the state," continues Holland.

Fellow Bingo player, Steven Waters says that's exactly why betting on casinos is bad business.

"Casinos are going to be for themselves and that's taking something away from charitable activities like this," he warns.

"The only thing with casino gaming is that the money's not going back into the community to help all of these programs that we help," says American Legion- Post 23 Bingo Chairman, Jim Manley.

Manley says in the past ten years, their revenues from Bingo have topped a million dollars... which is used to provide assistance to the community.

But he believes casinos will drain them of loyal Bingo customers.

"We feel like casino gaming is really going to kill us," he says seriously.

But Bingo patron... Beverly Roark feels that type of exodus isn't likely.

"I don't think it will, because there'll be a lot of people that don't like to go gamble on the boats and they'll continue to come on to Bingo," says Roark.

The opinions about legalized gaming are mixed, but everyone we talked to agree... voters should have the final say.

"You just can't send your representative out there and make a good judgment call on everybody's behalf, when he's not hearing from everybody," says Waters/

Manley feels Governor Steve Beshear is using the bleak outlook of this year's budget to convince Kentuckians the only way to fix the economy is through legalized gaming.

Now, with slot machines and Blackjack tables possibly in the state's future... we surveyed local bingo players on the matter.

It's a weekly ritual for these Bingo players.

But instead of discussing Bingo strategies, the conversation's now are about legalized gaming.

Long-time Bingo player Minnie Holland is all for casinos.

"If we're going to have gambling in our state it's better because we don't need to go to Indiana and give them all of our money," says Holland.

But only as long as the money benefits the state.

"As long as it's put toward the things that we need here for the state," continues Holland.

Fellow Bingo player, Steven Waters says that's exactly why betting on casinos is bad business.

"Casinos are going to be for themselves and that's taking something away from charitable activities like this," he warns.

"The only thing with casino gaming is that the money's not going back into the community to help all of these programs that we help," says American Legion- Post 23 Bingo Chairman, Jim Manley.

Manley says in the past ten years, their revenues from Bingo have topped a million dollars... which is used to provide assistance to the community.

But he believes casinos will drain them of loyal Bingo customers.

"We feel like casino gaming is really going to kill us," he says seriously.

But Bingo patron... Beverly Roark feels that type of exodus isn't likely.

"I don't think it will, because there'll be a lot of people that don't like to go gamble on the boats and they'll continue to come on to Bingo," says Roark.

The opinions about legalized gaming are mixed, but everyone we talked to agree... voters should have the final say.

"You just can't send your representative out there and make a good judgment call on everybody's behalf, when he's not hearing from everybody," says Waters/

Manley feels Governor Steve Beshear is using the bleak outlook of this year's budget to convince Kentuckians the only way to fix the economy is through legalized gaming.

Written by Ryan Dearbone

www.wbko.com

Having scooped £45,000 on the national game, many people might be tempted to treat themselves.

But one 59-year-old Sheffield woman is treating her mum instead, with a cruise planned as one way in which to spend her winnings.

She tells National Bingo: "I was very shocked when they told me how much I had won and it still hasn't really sunk in yet."

With the cruise yet to come, she could be hoping to avoid that sinking feeling for a little longer.

Her win came in 42 calls at the Gala Bingo club in Halifax Road - and is not the first to be claimed in a Sheffield venue.

The city's Gala Bingo and Mecca Bingo halls have seen a number of UK bingo jackpot winners over the past few years.

From July 2004 to October 2006, this resulted in more than £986,000 going to players in the city's bingo halls.

 

Written by Bob Bardsley.

www.onlinebingo.co.uk

Prime Time Bingo is an online gaming entertainment site established in 2006. Prime Time Bingo thrives on offering its members hours of fun and entertainment with wide range of online games. These include Bingo, Slots, Casino games and many more. The games on this site uses software provided by Parlay Entertainment, and The Gaming Network.

Parlay Entertainment Inc. is the world's leading developer and dominant licensor of Internet Bingo solutions. As the inventor and

patent holder of Internet Bingo, Parlay was the first company in the world to develop and deploy a commercial Internet Bingo product. Parlay's leading edge multi-player technology is used to power more online Bingo sites than any other software provider in the world.

Prime Time Bingo is a premier online bingo website, and they play 90-ball bingo games every minute of the day and their chat rooms are always action packed with their great community of bingo players. Their decreasing jackpots and progressive jackpots offer huge cash prizes to their players and you can also win loyalty points every time you make a deposit, purchase a bingo card or refer a friend. Enjoy their 3 reel,5 reel and 9 reel slots while you bingo with your friends. So what are you waiting for? Get into the zone with Prime Time Bingo today!

Written by James Murray
www.melodika.net

Canadian online bingo software company Parlay Entertainment have been issued a UK license by the UK Gambling Commission.  The new license, given through its Parlay Malta subsidiary, allows Parlay to develop and supply its online bingo and gambling software.

"We're thrilled to have been granted a UK license," said Steve Cook, Parlay's managing director for Europe. "It means we'll be able to continue serving our existing UK-based licensees as well as signing up new ones. We're also pleased that we are currently the only online bingo developer to receive a remote gambling software license in the UK."

Parlay will be required to abide by the UK's newly revamped Gambling Act 2005 which seeks to keep fraud out of gambling and ensure UK gaming is maintained in an open and fair manner. It also actively protects underage Internet users.

At least fifty online bingo halls employ Parlay's bingo online software.  Parlay is also expected to soon be unveiling its latest online bingo games product called 'Parlay 5: Bingo Without Borders'.

Written by John Witherspoon
www.bingostreet.com

The new Australian Labour government's bid to restrict access to pornographic and gambling sites under a plan called 'Clean Feed' would greatly hinder and strain the coutry's internet performance, according to some Australian IT specialists.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is hoping to control and censor the Internet through ISPs, a move that has met with little enthusiasm in the IT industry and been labeled "idealistic but impractical".

Should the Australian government persist with its plans, the new rules would affect online bingo games operators and online bingo halls trading in Australia.  The plan's supporters say only sites on a designated blacklist would be targeted and citizens can choose to opt-out.  Bingo online sites would almost certainly be part of such a blacklist.

However, IT professionals say the move would threaten the new Labour government's pre-election promise to facilitate the speeding up of Australia's broadband Internet service.

"The Rudd Government campaigned on a platform promising to speed up Australians' access to the worlwide web by rolling out broadband around the country," said Sue Dunlevy of Australian IT who believes a blacklist would have an opposite effect.

Written by John Witherspoon
www.bingostreet.com

Throughout January, players at Bingos UK are being invited to take part in a virtual dance competition.

Each day a different dance takes place - and for January 14th, that dance is the tango.

Members of the UK bingo site must choose two numbers and watch for them being drawn during the promotional games.

Should both of their numbers come up, the lucky punter calls out "Tango!" in the chat to claim their victory.

First to call is rewarded with two dance step points, with one going to the runner up.

At the end of the day, the top three highest-scoring players are promised a cash bonus, while the top five at the end of the month-long contest can expect a further prize of up to £100.

Bingos UK recently encouraged its members to get their year off to a winning start by trying their luck on the Bring Home the Bacon slot machine, with a jackpot of £11,237.

Written by Bob Bardsley.

www.onlinebingo.co.uk

Scot Bingo has been named Top New Online Bingo Site in Scotland in the Which Bingo Site of the Year Awards.

The annual award, which was voted on by bingo players across Scotland, is considered the most prestigious bingo award of the year.

Scot Bingo , which was launched in November, has swiftly become one of the favourite bingo sites for players in Scotland.

Managing director George Oborne commented: "Everyone at ScotBingo is delighted to win this award. We're surprised to win it because we haven't been around that long and it's testimony to the hard work of everyone on the team here. We'd also like to thank all our customers for making it such a great site and being so welcoming to new players."

Regular player Lucy Fisher said: "I tried out a load of sites but ScotBingo made getting started really easy and once I entered the chat room I felt right at home. It's good to be playing against fellow Scots."

Hundreds of bingo players across Scotland have been signing up to Scot Bingo, to play bingo, make friends, chat and win money. Players on the Scot Bingo network have won more than £150,000 every week for the past eight weeks.

Scot Bingo's huge jackpots have also been pulling in the punters. In December a player on the Scot Bingo network won over £99,000 from the Cash Cow jackpot, whilst six lucky players won the £1,000 Piggy Bank in the same month.

The great sign up bonuses at Scot Bingo also helped them become the best new bingo site in Scotland. Matt Mc Kechnie said this "After my £1 free I was so impressed that I put £20 in my account. Not only did ScotBingo give me another £20 for free, but half an hour later I had won over £100! That certainly made Christmas a little easier."

Written by www.prweb.com

HOUSE that! Lady Luck came to the region when two bingo players scooped thousands on the same day.

The Mecca Club in Chandlers Wharf, Stockton, Cleveland, gave two of its members a happy New Year when they each won the National Bingo Game . . . one in the afternoon and one in the evening.

The first winner, who does not want to be named, was playing the Afternoon Delight game when he won £45,000, having completed a full house in 43 numbers.

The man, who is from Cleveland, plays bingo just once a month. He plans to buy a new car.

The second winner, who also wants to remain anonymous, won the evening National Game prize of £90,000 in 38 numbers.

The woman, 21, has been a club member for three years and only plays occasionally.

"When they announced how much I had won, everyone started cheering and applauding me. I was very shocked and shaky," she said.

Written by Caroline Smith, Sunday Sun

www.icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk

PARKERSBURG -- Basket bingo has a connection with a night of walking after one of the first official 2008 Wood County Relay for Life fundraisers.

On Saturday, three Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital surgery relay teams sponsored an evening of Longaberger Basket Bingo at the Vienna Community Building in Jackson Memorial Park.

Carmen L. Hathaway, Senior Community Manager with the American Cancer Society in Parkersburg, said the event was one of the first official fundraisers for the 2008 relay. The first team captain meeting was Thursday.

"There were 21 teams registered and there are many more potential teams," she said, adding 149 teams participated in the 2007 relay and she thinks this year will have more.

"Our goal is (to raise) $350,000" this year, Hathaway said.

The CCMH surgery teams raise funds throughout the year, Pat Goodwin, one of the team captains, said Saturday.

"We have a few teams that fundraiser all year long... I think it's a little bit easier on them -- there aren't as many (fundraisers) going on and people give a little bit more," Hathaway said. "My pockets are always empty because I support them all."

Goodwin said she expected to raise about $2,000 from Saturday's bingo fundraiser.

"We do a lot of our fundraisers together," she said of the three surgery teams from CCMH.

Goodwin said she started the first team in the surgery wing about seven years ago, three years after she had breast cancer. She participated with her daughter the year before she started the team in the surgery ward.

"I was hooked after one year," Goodwin said. "I think everybody is affected by cancer."

She said the American Cancer Society has worked hard to fund research into cancer treatments and cures and several scientists they funded have won Nobel Peace Prizes for their work.

Goodwin said the surgery teams sell baked goods, have dinners and raffles to support the American Cancer Society.

"I think people are very supportive in this area," Goodwin said.

She said most of the bingo prizes and several of the door prizes had Longaberger baskets included.

"They're very nice prizes," she said, adding many hospital employees donated the baskets.

Goodwin said she supports other Relay fundraisers, "just to help them raise money."

Patty Lynch, of Parkersburg, is a walker on a CCMH relay team who was at Saturday's event. Her team is selling cookbooks as a fundraiser.

"We're doing good," she said.

The team started with about 300 books before Christmas and now has about 100. Lynch said she had never played bingo before.

"It's fun... It's a good way to raise money," she said.

Lynch said she had not won a bingo game, but she did get a door prize.

"I looked up and said 'I'd like to win that' and they called my number," Lynch said.

Tammy Moore, of Vienna, a senior Longaberger consultant, helped organize the baskets for the event.

"I always support the groups I work with," she said. "I enjoy helping groups with fundraisers... especially Relay teams."

Moore said she loves playing bingo. Basket bingo "is very popular in the area... and people like to support things," she said.

Hathaway said a list of many Relay fundraisers can be found at http://http://events.cancer.org/rflwoodcountywv.'>http://events.cancer.org/rflwoodcountywv.

"It's updated often," she said.

Written by Rachel Lane
www.newsandsentinel.com

HOUSE that! Lady Luck came to the region when two bingo players scooped thousands on the same day.

The Mecca Club in Chandlers Wharf, Stockton, Cleveland, gave two of its members a happy New Year when they each won the National Bingo Game . . . one in the afternoon and one in the evening.

The first winner, who does not want to be named, was playing the Afternoon Delight game when he won £45,000, having completed a full house in 43 numbers.

The man, who is from Cleveland, plays bingo just once a month. He plans to buy a new car.

The second winner, who also wants to remain anonymous, won the evening National Game prize of £90,000 in 38 numbers.

The woman, 21, has been a club member for three years and only plays occasionally.

"When they announced how much I had won, everyone started cheering and applauding me. I was very shocked and shaky," she said.

Written by Caroline Smith, Sunday Sun

www.icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk

An eGaming Review report is saying that online gaming software provider Playtech may be targeting UK online bingo development firm Virtue Fusion for its nest acquisition.

The exclusive and unsourced report comes at a time when Playtech has already announced its intentions to grow its business through an aggressive acquisition strategy through 2008.  

The reported target of Playtech's latest acquisition, Virtue Fusion, is the backend provider for major online bingo operators such as Mecca Bingo and betting shop William Hill.

According to the report both companies have rebuffed making comment on the report.

Playtech is already itself a major supplier of bingo online software support systems with many online bingo halls already basing their operations on Playtech's software.

Written by John Witherspoon
www.bingostreet.com

According to the Financial Times newspaper, the UK Government's Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is to support bingo companies campaigning for a reduction in tax to ensure the continued viability of the sector.

Both land-based and virtual bingo groups such as Gala Coral and Rank have appealed to the British Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, for tax reductions to prevent the closure of bingo halls taking place caused by a recent economic slowdown and a reduction in the numbers of land players due to a smoking ban. According to the bingo industry, 100 clubs could be forced to close this year after 33 clubs shut in 2007.

The DCMS is now expected to push for tax breaks in its Budget submission as bingo operators say they face double taxation in the form of a gaming duty of 15 percent and value added tax (VAT) of 17.5 percent. The Treasury, however, believes the industry is losing customers and facing systemic problems that tax relief alone would not solve.

"The message we are giving the Chancellor and the Prime Minister is 'if you give us the same tax treatment as other gambling industries, it will be an investment that will drive up admissions'," said Neil Goulden, Chief Executive for Gala Coral.

"We continue to lobby and make the argument to Treasury," said Ian Burke, Chief Executive for Rank.

Gala Bingo has responded by pushing its online bingo product and developing an online television offering in the hope of attracting a younger market less inclined to visit a club.

"We are seeing growth out of online bingo," said Goulden.

"It is fairly new and only 20 per cent of our online players have ever visited a bingo club. We are probably going to market it more actively."

Written by www.igamingbusiness.com

The UK bingo industry is still battling to reduce the unfair "double taxation burden". However, despite the efforts of leading providers such as Mecca bingo, the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) continues to be slow to provide any official support.

The bingo industry is calling for changes in current taxation laws. Bingo is the only game which is subject to 15% gaming duty and 17.5% VAT. Although reports have been released which state that the DCMS is "understood" to be backing the effort, no official moves have yet been made.

The bingo industry is showing worrying signs as Gala Coral have admitted this week that closure is a possibility for five clubs across England and Scotland. The most worrying element of the closures go ahead is the impact on employment. 

Head of Investor Relations for Rank Group, Dan Waugh, has A DCMS spokesperson has stated that there has been noticeable support amongst MPs for the lobbying led by Mecca Bingo. All 102 clubs have invited local MPs and invited them to visit; 42 requests have been accepted, with more arranged for the near future.

Sandy Lee

www.casinowire.com

AUSTIN, Texas -- Multimedia Games, Inc. announced today that its wholly-owned subsidiary, MegaBingo, Inc., has been selected by Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation ("OLG"), to develop and provide electronic bingo ("eBingo") gaming software, support systems, technical assistance, training and related services. The five year agreement was awarded following a competitive procurement process and includes software development, four site licenses and support services during the first year of operation.

Pursuant to the agreement, MegaBingo will develop software to operate bingo and OLG's "play on demand" games (player vs. machine), assist in the installation of the bingo software at OLG's Data Centre in Toronto, and assist in the deployment of the eBingo and play on demand software at future locations in the province of Ontario, Canada. Development work on the products is expected to be completed by the end of calendar 2008.

Clifton E. Lind, Multimedia's President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We look forward to working closely with OLG's staff to develop a highly flexible and scalable electronic bingo system that will create a new revenue source for the benefit of the citizens of Ontario. The Ontario Lottery's choice of MegaBingo marks our initial entry into the large traditional charitable bingo gaming market and highlights our growing role in aiding government entities in building revenues through the development of new gaming systems that meet their unique regulatory guidelines. There are many domestic and international jurisdictional opportunities where our systems development capabilities can provide cost-effective solutions to supplement existing lottery revenues, and securing additional contracts of this type is a priority and consistent with our long-term strategy of further diversifying Multimedia's sources of revenue."

Ron Ko, OLG's Director of Bingo Gaming added, "We are excited about our partnership with Multimedia Games and MegaBingo as we develop a new, total solution to address Ontario's bingo operations and to help in our efforts to drive revenues for charitable organizations in the province through the introduction of new, more innovative bingo products."

About Multimedia Games

Multimedia Games is a leading developer and supplier of comprehensive systems, content, electronic games and player terminals for the Native American gaming market, as well as for the casino, charity and international bingo, video lottery, and sweepstakes markets. The Company's ongoing development and marketing efforts focus on gaming systems and products for use by Native American tribes throughout the United States, the commercial casino market, video lottery systems and other products for domestic and international lotteries, and products for charity and international bingo and emerging markets, including sweepstakes, promotional, amusement with prize, and coupon gaming opportunities. Additional information may be found at www.multimediagames.com.

Written by www.businesswire.com

In keeping with a growing trend in acquisitions within the online gaming industry, Australian gaming firm Tattersalls has bought Macquarie Bank's 50% stake in the European Gaming Group.  Tattersalls now has full ownership.

European Gaming Group was formed as a joint venture between Tattersalls and Macquarie Bank to purchase UK gambling company Talarius for GBP 142 million.

Tattersalls is a Victorian-based poker machine and lotteries operator with little experience in the online gaming or online bingo industries.  The purchase of European Gaming Group brings Tattersalls into the UK gambling industry but it

Written by John Witherspoon
www.bingostreet.com

A 74-YEAR-OLD pensioner from Morecambe has had a terrific start to 2008 after she won £20,000 playing bingo on New Year's Eve.
The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said she hadn't yet told her family about her win as she wanted to surprise them when she got the cheque in her hand.
She won the national prize while playing a game called 'Afternoon Delight' at the Gala Club in Marine Road, Morecambe.
The lucky winner completed a full house in 42 numbers, the lowest call of any of the 470 clubs playing nationwide, and also scooped the house prize of £40.
The woman, who is a widow with two sons, three grandchildren and one great-grandchild, has played bingo since 1991 and enjoys a game at Gala six days a week.
She said: "Even though everybody in the club was clapping I really didn't think I could have won so much.
"I just can't get over it at the moment so I can't decide definitely what to do with the money, but it's a very nice New Year present.
"I may re-decorate my living room and have new carpets."
Morecambe Gala bingo has previously given away more than £225,000 in UK bingo jackpots, according to National Bingo figures.

Written by Greg Lambert
www.thevisitor.co.uk

(PRWEB) January 10, 2008 -- Crown Bingo, one of the UK's leading internet bingo sites, is delighted to have been placed third in Which Bingo's Bingo Site of the Year award.

The competition, which is decided by a vote of bingo players across the UK, rewards bingo sites for the quality of their bingo games, jackpots, bingo chat rooms, chat masters, customer service and their security and reliability.

Dan Smyth, managing director of the Crown Bingo site, said: "We're all extremely proud to accept this bingo site of the year award. Thank you to everyone who voted and we look forward to an even better 2008. Given that we are a relatively small site, we're happy to finish third, ahead of some of the big brand names like Mecca Bingo and Gala Bingo.

"It just goes to show that players love a really good bingo site. Next year we'll be going all out to win Bingo Site of the Year 2008."

CMTunaman, head chat moderator of the Crown Bingo site, said: "All the CMs are really pleased! We're all mad about bingo and have been playing and working in bingo for years so we've always known how good a bingo site Crown Bingo really is!"

More than 400 bingo sites were eligible for the vote, which took place through the month of December. Players were only allowed to vote for one bingo site and the site operators were not allowed to offer any incentives to get players to vote, meaning that the cream rose to the top.

Online bingo has grown massively in the UK in the past two years with tens of thousands of players logging on to bingo sites every night. Crown Bingo is one of the most popular bingo sites with huge jackpots (including a Cash Cow jackpot that hit £99,000 in December), free chat games, great customer service, the friendliest CMs and generous bonuses.

Written by www.emediawire.com

A 57-year-old admin assistant recently scooped the £17,500 Afternoon Delight UK bingo jackpot.

But thanks to an agreement she had made previously, her mother is to take a slice of the profits.

Meanwhile, the winner tells the game's operating body, National Bingo, that her son also stands to gain from the prize money.

"I'm very shocked and won't really believe it until I have the cheque in my hand - but it's a nice time of year to win," she adds.

Her win came at the Gala Bingo club in Surrey Quays Leisure Park, London, where she has been a member for about six years.

This is not the first time a UK bingo jackpot has been split three ways, National Bingo reveals.

A recent £100,000 sum was shared by the winner with her brother and her father, whose idea it was to play.

 

Written by Bob Bardsley.

www.onlinebingo.co.uk

Gala Bingo may be forced to close a number of its bingo halls, according to Gala Coral chief executive Neil Goulden. The admission comes despite repeated claims by Goulden that it had "no plans" to close any outlets.

Speaking exclusively to Marketing Week, Goulden admits that the company is on "red alert" regarding closures and that much will depend on whether the Chancellor eases the tax burden on the bingo industry in the Budget in March.

It is understood that five venues have been earmarked for potential closure. A month-long consultation process has begun on halls in Lakeside, Teesside, Bristol, Bourne­mouth and Edinburgh.

Gala Bingo reported a 10.7% fall in pre-exceptional profits for 2007. The industry has been hit hard by the smoking ban, which came into force in July 2007 and the loss of high-jackpot slot machines, as a result of the Gambling Act 2005, introduced last September.

Goulden says: "It is true our bingo business is suffering but not just due to the smoking ban and the removal of slot machines but through government policy and unfair tax regimes."

Gala Coral, together with Rank, who between them operate almost half the country's 600 bingo halls, have been lobbying the Government to reform the industry's tax regime. Bingo operators say they are unfairly hit by a gaming duty of 15% as well as VAT. It is believed that their case has the backing of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and has won considerable support among MPs, who fear sweeping closures and jobs losses.

Goulden adds: "The Government has got one opportunity to invest in the bingo industry. We have submitted plans to them that show they will make more money if they invest in bingo than if they don't."

Written by Louise Jack

www.marketingweek.co.uk

The European Commission and lawyers for some of Europe's biggest online gaming companies are going to be busy dealing with the recent German national decision to virtually ban online gambling in the country until 2011.

Sixteen states in Germany voted at the end of last year to maintain state-run monopolies which will restrict private online gaming companies from operating in Germany.  The move effectively flies in the face of European Union (EU) efforts to create free markets between EU member states.

Online bingo halls and operators of online bingo games will be amongst those unable to tap the growing German online bingo market.

The European Commission (EC) has already labeled the move as disproportionate and are encouraging the states to reconsider their new regulations.  This inevitably means the EC could take measures against Germany which could see the country brought before the European Court of Justice.

Written by John Witherspoon
www.bingostreet.com

The £20,000 UK bingo jackpot was scooped by a 74-year-old Morecambe woman on New Year's Eve, National Bingo reports.

But while celebrating the start of a new year, the lucky punter is yet to begin rejoicing over the win.

Her delay in doing so is all part of a ploy to keep her family in the dark, she tells the game's operating body.

She adds: "I just can't get over it at the moment so I can't decide definitely what I'll do with the money but it's a very nice new year present."

According to National Bingo, the announcement is to be made once she has the cheque in her hand to show to her relatives.

The win came at the Morecambe Gala Bingo club, which has previously given away more than £225,000 in UK bingo jackpots, according to National Bingo figures.

 

Written by Bob Bardsley.

www.onlinebingo.co.uk

Various UK media are reporting that online gambling company Betgenius is employing Arbuthnot Securities to conduct a review of its business, with the aim of making a GBP 60 million sale.

Betgenius is a provider of technological and data-driven solutions to the sports betting industry.

The report comes at a time when UK paper the Sunday Times is reporting that online gaming analysts are predicting a wave of consolidation.  The online bingo industry has already seen a number of online bingo halls and bingo online operators bought up by large European gaming companies, especially in the booming Scandinavian online bingo market.

Written by John Witherspoon
www.bingostreet.com

A Norwich bingo player had a winning start to the year after claiming a £150,000 prize in a national draw - the biggest in her club's history.

The woman, who turns 70 next month, scooped the mammoth jackpot in a quiet afternoon session at the Mecca Bingo hall in All Saints Green in the city centre on Sunday.

Her win, in a free game involving thousands of players from the company's 103 venues nationally, left the woman stunned and the crowd erupted into cheers when her two-line prize was confirmed.

The woman, who is a regular at the club and attends up to six times a week, did not want to be identified, but said she would be sharing the massive prize with her daughter, an occasional player who was with her at the time, and using the cash to pay off her mortgage.

Nearly 80 players were at the club at the time and the £150,000 haul was the second highest amount given out across the country as part of a £1m giveaway, Mecca Millionaire.

General manager John Roche, who started his position at the club just three weeks ago, said the atmosphere was electric.

He said: "It was quite a quiet afternoon session, and because we are just a small club everyone thinks it's not going to be us who wins.

"But when the lady here won it was amazing, the whole place went into uproar. She was more nervous than anything but it was an absolutely tremendous atmosphere."

And fellow regulars at the club were thrilled at the woman's win.

Irene Davison, 72, from Salhouse, who has played bingo for more five decades, including 15 years at the Norwich hall, said: "I think that's brilliant, her getting all that money here. I've been going to bingo for 50 years and I've never been when someone's won that much.

"It would have been a great atmosphere in here."

Pat Gough, 45, from Holt, who works in customer service for Anglian Water, added: "That's the biggest amount I've ever heard of. The most I've won in £100.

"£150,000 is a very nice amount to win. I think it would change your life.

"I'm really pleased it went to someone who plays at this club."

Last year players at the Mecca Club in Aylsham Road were named the luckiest in the country after four big money winners scooped £156,000 between them in just one week.

All of the winners initially paid out just £5.50 in total for their tickets and one of them walked away with £100,000.

Written by Sam Williams
www.eveningnews24.co.uk

A woman from Prescot has had an unforgettable start to the New Year after winning £264,288 at bingo on only her second visit.

Pauline Davies, 26, scooped the prize at Mecca Bingo in Knotty Ash on Sunday night and can't believe her luck at winning so much money, especially after being a member for such a short time.

She said: "I was in total shock, everyone was screaming around me and my heart was pounding. I'm still waiting for someone to tell me it's a joke!"

Mrs Davies only started going to Mecca last month because it was a good way to spend time with her mother, Maureen Taylor, 59, who has been a member at the bingo for years.

Maureen had been recovering from a liver transplant operation so Mrs Davies and sister Patricia Taylor, 32, thought that going to bingo was the best way to get her out of the house.

The huge win was on the Mecca Millionaire game., launched in September 2007, which gives Bingo operators the ability to retain a percentage of the player's stake and give away huge accumulated jackpot winnings. The game has already made three bingo millionaires in the past four months.

Brian Hennigan, manager of the Mecca in Knotty Ash, said that everyone was delighted for Pauline. "The atmosphere in the club was electric and we are delighted that through the Mecca Millionaire game we are able to give people real life changing amounts of money," he said.

Mrs Davies, a mortgage broker at Destiny Mortgages in Prescot, has already made plans about how she is going to spend her money, starting with paying off virtually all of her mortgage.

She said: "There's a penalty cause of a couple of thousand pounds if I pay it all off, so iIll just leave £1 in the account!"

As well as paying off the mortgage, Mrs Davies and husband Kevin, 32, also have plans for a return trip to the destination where they had their honeymoon after they married last July. She said "We went to Cyprus for our honeymoon and we are planning on going back there in October, to celebrate Kevin's birthday."

Written by www.liverpoolecho.co.uk

Censorship laws have been introduced by Australia's new Labour government aimed at stopping children from being able to access restricted Internet sites that peddle pornography and online gambling.

A January 20 date has been set for the implementation of the new rules which will affect most service providers who supply content over a carriage service.  

The new regulations will require Internet service providers to ensure that they offer 'clean feeds' that exclude age restricted content.  Users will then be able to 'opt-out' and not receive the censored feed.

Due to the linking of online gambling with online pornography, online bingo games operators and online bingo halls will be affected by the new rules.  Online bingo is a popular niche in the Australian online gaming industry.

The new legislation has be criticized over its implications for the freedom of expression with some claiming the move is nothing more than political grandstanding.

"Anybody who's computer-savvy can work their way around these filters in about two minutes maximum," one pressure group is quoted as saying in the Australian media.

Written by John Witherspoon
www.bingostreet.com

The CEO at gaming giant Harrah's is to remain in his position at the company despite its future merger with TPG and Apollo Management, according to a company press release.

Gary Loveman recently lead an attempt by Hurrah's to buy a stake in UK gaming company Rank which is a major player in the UK land-based and online bingo industry.  Rank, which has been experiencing declining earnings in its land-based bingo operations, has firmly rebuffed a number of recent takeover attempts.

Harrah's is one of the gaming industry's biggest providers of casino entertainment and has been operating out of Reno, Nevada, for close on seventy years. Harrah's is currently the owner of London Clubs International casinos in the UK where there is also a very large online bingo games market and online bingo players' community.

Written by John Witherspoon
www.bingostreet.com

The Mecca bingo club in All Saints Green, Norwich.

A Norwich pensioner is celebrating a fantastic start to 2008, thanks to winning £150,000 at Mecca Bingo yesterday, a share of a £1million giveaway in free games that took place across the country.

The anonymous woman, who will be 70 in February, is a regular at the club, playing up to six times a week. She was with her daughter, an occasional player, and will share the prize with her, as well as paying off her mortgage.

The woman, who has been a member at Mecca Norwich, in All Saints Green, for many years, has only won small amounts in the past.

The huge win was thanks to the Mecca Millionaire game, launched on 1 September 2007, which saw Britain's first ever million pound giveaway by any high street bingo operator.

The Mecca Millionaire game is possible thanks to new gambling laws in this country, giving bingo operators the ability to retain a percentage of the player's stake and give away huge accumulated jackpot winnings. Mecca has made three players millionaires in the last four months alone.

All 103 clubs around the UK took part in a Mecca Millionaire bonanza yesterday, with the two daily games played for free. Players had the chance to win one of three prizes each game, with one line winning £100,000, two lines winning £150,000 and full house winning £264,288.50.

Mary Lynn, manager of Mecca All Saints, said: "The atmosphere in the club was electric and we're all so excited. People were stomping and cheering and so pleased for her.

"We are delighted that through the Mecca Millionaire game we are able to give people real life changing amounts of money."

www.eveningnews24.co.uk

Sixteen German states have very recently voted in favour of continuing on with their State-run gaming monopolies.

Just in case you didn't realize, those aforementioned German State-run monopolies make it illegal for non-State run online bingo companies to operate in Germany.

This most certainly is not only very disappointing news to independent online bingo operators but an extremely backward step - a step which is contrary to EU regulations supposedly establishing free markets within the EU trading bloc.

The question is though - how much notice do people take when they don't really want to take notice, when they feel it's not really in their own (financial) interest?  About as much interest as they are inclined to take - in this case NONE.

Of course there is mounting opposition to this 'head in the sand' self interest - which by the way as we all know is blooming elsewhere in the EU as well.

The opposition in this particular case is being led by a few top online gaming operating companies, including BWIN Interactive Entertainment and Fluxx AG.  Legal representation is being utilized by both these companies but this may just mean more fees for the lawyers and time wasted. But that doesn't mean independent online gaming operators should just stand back and do nothing either.  What it may mean however is that much more direct and painful (to the Germans) action needs to be taken?

The comment that the accord breaches EU law, as it excludes foreign betting companies with EU licenses from the German market, while an accurate comment, will, without a doubt fall on deaf ears - as far as the German states are concerned anyway.

It is also reliably reported that legal action by all three thousand betting operators currently active in Germany is expected.  We really hope this benefits someone apart from the lawyers!

There must be an effective solution somewhere - possibly boycotting certain German operations and/or products? In other words him them where it hurts - in the hip pocket?

While online bingo games are not a large part of the German online gambling market, it must be said that once this type of maneuver, and manipulated, is tolerated and allowed at all, that it's only a matter of time before it spreads to other markets and to a size beyond that that normally could be imagined.

Written by Denise

www.unluckyforsome.co.uk

A tax reform for the UK's bingo industry is expected in 2008 after the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has backed a campaign by the big boys of bingo, Rank and Gala Coral.

The department is now expected to apply pressure on the chancellor Alistair Darling for tax breaks when it comes to releasing 2008's budget.

The UK bingo industry is going through a tough time with falling admissions and an ageing customer base which have been compounded by the introduction of the smoking ban and the new Gambling Act in 2007.

Bingo companies are currently taxed twice - by Gaming Duty (15 per cent) and VAT (17.5 per cent). Bingo bosses rightly feel this is excessive as it is the only form of gambling to be taxed in this way.

"The message we are giving the Chancellor and the Prime Minister is 'if you give us the same tax treatment as other gambling industries, it will be an investment that will drive up admissions'," Gala Coral's chief executive Neil Goulden told the Financial Times.

However, the Treasury believe the tax breaks alone will not solve the problems facing the industry - with up to 100 clubs predicted to close in 2008.

Written by www.jackpot.co.uk

A reform of the UK bingo industry's tax regime is expected in the 2008 Budget after a recent campaign by industry leaders Rank and Gala Coral won the support of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.  

The UK bingo industry is currently experiencing severe problems with an ageing customer base and increasing competition from other games, compounded by the effects of the 2007 smoking ban and the introduction of the new Gambling Act which led to a reduction in the number of highly profitable gaming machines.

 

The campaign focuses on the fact that Bingo operators must pay tax in the form of both Gaming Duty (15%) and VAT (17.5%), the only sector of the gambling industry to do so, with a warning that many more clubs may face closure if nothing is done to alleviate the problem.

 

Neil Goulden, Gala Coral's Chief Executive told the Financial Times: "The message we are giving the Chancellor and the Prime Minister is 'if you give us the same tax treatment as other gambling industries, it will be an investment that will drive up admissions'."

 

However, it has also been acknowledged that this may not be the only solution to the problems facing the industry.

 

The decline in attendance at bingo clubs and the ongoing effects of the changes in the gambling act resulted in a 19% decline in revenues at Rank's Mecca Bingo in the first 5 weeks following introduction of the act, forcing it and other bingo operators to consider alternative options to recover these revenues, with many already trying to push their online bingo products to capture a younger and possibly more lucrative market.

Written by www.gamingintelligencegroup.com

A technical debate over electronic bingo machines found in American Indian casinos could shut down tribal gaming operations in Washington, including the Tulalip Tribes' bingo hall.

The problem is looming for many tribes around the country.

The National Indian Gaming Commission late last year proposed new regulations that would redefine Class II gaming, which consists mainly of machines for bingo and other competitive games.

Because of technology, many Class II machines feature fast-paced play similar to Class III machines, which are mainly slot-style machines.

Slot-style machines are closely supervised and limited through gaming compacts each tribe negotiates with state governments.

"Technology has blurred the industry to where it's difficult to distinguish between Class II and Class III," said Shawn Pensoneau, a spokesman for the National Indian Gaming Commission.

The proposed regulations would define Class II machines as those that require player participation on bingo or lottery-style games and use the machine only as an "electronic aid," according to the commission.

That's different from a Class III machine, which is an "electronic or electromechanical facsimile," in which players gamble using in a randomly-generated game that requires little interaction on their part.

That means some previous Class II machines will be considered Class III machines, said Ron Allen, chairman of the Washington Indian Gaming Association.

Washington tribes are each allowed to own up to 975 Class III machines. They can lease Class III machines from other tribes who aren't using their full 975-machine allotment and operate up to 3,500 Class III machines in their gambling operations, depending on their gaming compact with the state.

Washington imposes no limit on the number of Class II machines each tribe can operate. They're not as lucrative as Class III, slot-style machines, but many tribes use them to supplement their businesses and offer different styles of gambling.

If the proposed regulations go into effect and a tribe has reached its maximum for Class III machines, they'll likely have to pull the plug on their fast Class II machines, Allen said. For some tribes, that means entire facilities could go dark, he said.

"This jeopardizes thousands of jobs and economic opportunities," he said.

Allen also argues that the commission has exceeded its authority. The 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act set forth the structure for Indian gaming, and only Congress should be able to change it, he said.

The fact that a commission designed to supervise and support Indian gaming is setting forth proposals that could severely truncate its revenue potential is surprising, he said, adding that the proposals are likely fueled by political pressure.

"The non-Indian gaming industry has a high interest in seeing these casinos shut down." Allen said.

The commission is likely trying to do what's best, but "sometimes the best of intention gets lost in the details," Tulalip Tribes Chairman Mel Sheldon said.

"That's why Indian Country is approaching this proposal with caution," he said.

The commission says the new definition isn't a change; it simply creates a rule where one is needed.

"Indian gaming is the only gaming where there are two different classes," Pensoneau said. "Right now, there's no real measurement to determine what is Class II. This is something we feel is necessary."

The commission has argued that tribes will benefit from the proposed regulation because they'll be able to purchase gaming machines with certainty that they're not violating their gaming compacts.

But for tribes that rely on revenue from Class II machines, especially those that operate facilities entirely made up of Class II machines, the regulations could be devastating, Allen said.

Of the 29 federally-recognized tribes in Washington State, 28 tribes have gaming compacts with the state to operate Class III machines, according to the Washington State Gambling Commission. The Cowlitz tribe is currently negotiating a compact and plans to build a casino along I-5 south of Olympia.

The Nooksack Tribe's Northwood Casino, which opened late last year, has only Class II machines.

The Tulalip Tribes offers a mix of Class II and Class III machines in the Tulalip and Quil Ceda Creek casinos, but Tulalip Bingo has only Class II machines.

Sheldon said his tribe is analyzing the potential impact of the proposal and plans to ask for an extension of the official comment period, which now ends Jan. 24.

The Stillaguamish Tribe only has about 60 Class II machines on the floor in its Angel of the Winds Casino, but tribal Executive Director Eddie Goodridge said the proposed regulations would mean that the Class II machines they've purchased would be worthless.

Class II machines aren't as lucrative as Class III machines, Goodridge said, "but people like them."

"The reason the machines work is because, for all intents and purposes, they have the look and feel of a slot machine," he said. "The commission wants to slow it down so you'd be sitting there for moments on end waiting to play another game."

Certain states, including Florida and Oklahoma, don't allow Class III gaming, Allen said. Tribes in those states would bear the brunt of the proposed regulations, perhaps being forced to shut down altogether.

"The commission is just not in the real world if they say this regulation will have only a negligible impact," Allen said.

Written by Krista J. Kapralos
Herald Writer
www.heraldnet.com

FAYETTEVILLE -- Springdale's bingo balls may stop bouncing soon.

A weekly bingo game run by the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Springdale has lost about $1,500 a month since the state legalized charitable bingo in July.

State taxes are cutting away at the money once raised for local charities, said post quartermaster Randy George.

"Some people think it's not even worth having now," he said about the long-standing bingo game that attracts about 100 people to the post each Wednesday.

The money raised through the game funded two to five $500 college scholarships each year before the state taxation. Only one scholarship was offered in 2007 because the bingo game raised less money, he said.

Despite a constitutional prohibition against gambling, some groups throughout Arkansas had been holding regular bingo games and raffles. The state in the 1990s licensed illegal games and from 1995 to 1999 taxed their operations.

Before bingo and raffles were approved, the only gambling in the state was allowed at the Oaklawn Park horse track in Hot Springs and Southland Park, a greyhound track in West Memphis.

Act 388 of 2007 legalized charitable gambling through bingo and raffles and established a method of taxing the games. Any charitable group that runs either a bingo or raffle must purchase a license or risk prosecution. Those who run a bingo game must additionally pay a 1-cent tax on each bingo "face" sold and a 10 percent tax on all bingo equipment.

A bingo card can contain several faces -- or squares. Each face is a playing area.

It's the 1-cent tax on the bingo faces that drive the games into the red, George said.

State officials, at the time the legislation was passed in early 2007, said the taxation was meant only to cover the administrative cost of regulating the game. The state began collecting the tax in September.

It appears the money generated by the taxes will exceed the $700,000 originally forecasted by the end of the state's fiscal year in June, said John Tice, assistant revenue commissioner at the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration.

What is to be done with that extra money is up to the General Assembly in 2009, he said.

The effect of taxation has been that some smaller bingo games in Arkansas have stopped because of the higher cost to run a game. The lower profit leads to lower payout for players, which entices fewer folks to play.

For example, if a group offers the state maximum payout of $7,500 in an evening to a crowd of 100 players then the organization must raise $75 per person to cover the winnings given out each session, Tice said. That amount is before the state taxation on bingo faces, which is usually higher than the cost of the printing itself.

"Some of the smaller organizations are finding that they just can't draw enough players," Tice said.

The intent of the state law governing charitable bingo and raffles wasn't to regulate the practice, it was to eliminate them altogether, said Jerry Myers, commander of American Legion post in Prairie Grove. The post hosts a Thursday night bingo game that attracts between 25 to 40 people each week.

"Overall, we are probably operating at pretty much a deficit," Myers said. One of the ways the post is considering keeping its bingo game afloat is by shutting down one of its high-paying games.

"Of course, if we were to shut that down, people would be mad," he said.

The post depends on an established audience of regulars who come out as much for the pleasure of playing as the hope of winning big, he said.

He wrote a check in December for a three-month supply of bingo cards and paid $1,800, about $1,100 of which went to state taxes on the bingo faces. The post gave away five college scholarships last year but decided to eliminate one because of the increased cost of running the bingo game.

Myers said he hopes the state regulations are changed in 2009 to lower the tax.

State Sen. Shane Broadway, D-Bryant, was a sponsor of the legislation that led to the new rules. He said the laws were meant to regulate charitable gambling, not squash it. By regulating the practice, it ensures bingo operators do not take advantage of bingo players.

If the money generated by the tax continues to exceed the amount needed to police charitable bingo and raffles, then the tax could be lowered when the Legislature meets next in 2009, he said.

"We will have to take a look at everything involved at that time ... but it is possible," he said.

The state has issued 337 charitable bingo and raffles licenses. Six of those are to the state-sanctioned manufacturers and distributors of equipment and bingo sheets. Twenty-four of those licenses are to groups in Benton, Carroll, Madison or Washington counties.

Of the licenses granted in Northwest Arkansas, half are temporary licenses allowing only a single bingo or raffle to be held. Half of the 24 licenses are to groups in Washington County.

The only group in Benton County to receive a yearly license for bingo is St. Bernard of Clairveaux Catholic Church in Bella Vista. The church is going to try its first bingo game Thursday and hopes to hold it twice a month, said parish manager Ray Brust, a church deacon.

The church recently paid about $4,000 for the bingo faces and equipment required to run a game.

"I was taken aback when I realized the state was taxing so much," he said. "I'm not really sure why the state felt like it needed to get involved in taxing the games."

The church plans to use any money generated by the game to help needy people in the community and continue financing several area nonprofits.

Brust said he is unsure if the game will generate any additional money for the church.

"We are testing the water. We are hoping at least to make our investment back," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Charitable Gambling Windfall

Taxes levied on charitable bingo and raffles are supposed to cover administrative costs to oversee the programs, estimated at $700,000 a year. About $500,000 has been collected by the state in the first four months since the rules were enacted.

Written by Christopher Spencer
www.nwaonline.net

It's still your grandmother's game. But the cry of "Bingo!" today has no one thinking of small change.

Nearly two dozen area charitable organizations raked in more than $2 million each at bingo games last year, and eight of those groups amassed bingo receipts of more than $3 million, according to recently released licensing records.

Sweet profits usually follow, but not always. Trinity High School in Garfield Heights netted about $650,000 at its weekend bingo games in 2007 - the top earner regionally, with a profit margin of 17 percent.

But elsewhere in bingoland, profit margins of 10 percent or less are common, and some hosts actually lose money.

Competition from casinos and the statewide smoking ban are hurting a pastime never noted for its health effects, observers say. Nevertheless, bingo remains a robust industry in Northeast Ohio, one that helps to support hundreds of sports clubs, veterans halls, orthodox churches and Catholic schools.

A peek inside the business comes from licensing data collected by the Ohio attorney general's office. The state, which allows tax-exempt, nonprofit groups to raise money with bingo, issued about 2,000 bingo licenses last year. The largest concentration -- 144 -- went to Cuyahoga County.

Nonprofits seeking a new bingo license must divulge how they fared with the old one: reporting gross receipts and net profits.

The state has so far tallied about two-thirds of the financial statements, enough to make a few points.

"A lot of people do think of bingo as a nickel and dime game, and it's not," said Monica Moloney, who, as assistant chief of the charitable law office for the Ohio attorney general, is the state bingo expert. "It's a huge cash business, and many charitable organizations basically survive on bingo."

The lucky include St. Clarence Catholic Church in North Olmsted. Its Friday and Sunday bingo games garnered just over $2 million in 2007. After paying off winners and covering expenses, the games netted $342,000, a 17 percent profit.

Written by Robert L. Smith and Stan Donaldson

www.cleveland.com

It's still your grandmother's game. But the cry of "bingo!" today has no one thinking of small change.

Nearly two dozen area charitable organizations raked in more than $2 million each at bingo games last year, and eight of those groups amassed bingo receipts of more than $3 million, according to recently released licensing records.

Sweet profits usually follow, but not always. Trinity High School in Garfield Heights netted about $650,000 at its weekend bingo games in 2007 - the top earner regionally, with a profit margin of 17 percent.

But elsewhere in bingoland, profit margins of 10 percent or less are common, and some hosts actually lose money.

Competition from casinos and the statewide smoking ban are hurting a pastime never noted for its health effects, observers say. Nevertheless, bingo remains a robust industry in Northeast Ohio, one that helps to support hundreds of sports clubs, veterans halls, orthodox churches and Catholic schools.

A peek inside the business comes from licensing data collected by the Ohio attorney general's office. The state, which allows tax-exempt, nonprofit groups to raise money with bingo, issued about 2,000 bingo licenses last year. The largest concentration - 144 - went to Cuyahoga County.

Nonprofits seeking a new bingo license must divulge how they fared with the old one: reporting gross receipts and net profits. The state has so far tallied about two-thirds of the financial statements, enough to make a few points.

"A lot of people do think of bingo as a nickel and dime game, and it's not," said Monica Moloney, who, as assistant chief of the charitable law office for the Ohio attorney general, is the state bingo expert. "It's a huge cash business, and many charitable organizations basically survive on bingo."

The lucky include St. Clarence Catholic Church in North Olmsted. Its Friday and Sunday bingo games garnered just over $2 million in 2007. After paying off winners and covering expenses, the games netted $342,000, a 17 percent profit.

"Bingo built the church," said Walter Harter, St. Clarence's longtime bingo manager.

He's not kidding. Bingo proceeds cover 40 to 45 percent of the church budget, he said.

In an old warehouse on Brookpark Road, bingo games in 2007 generated more than $400,000 in profits for the Hilltoppers Girls Athletic Association of Valley View.

"We have a lot of kids who can't pay for sports programs and this is how we fund it," said Patrick Diulus, the association director.

All of the games have been hurt by increased competition - like the casino in Erie, Pa. - and by the new ban on smoking in public places, bingo managers say.

From behind a tabletop array of bingo cards, dabbers and soda cans, bingo players onced smoked for hours.

Now, at places like St. Felicitas Church Hall in Euclid, they must wait for smoke breaks and step outside - and the player pool has shrunk by about 30 percent.

"I liked it much better before," said Dolores Tallmadge of Highland Heights, a bingo player and a smoker for 50 years. "Sometimes you need a break. Like right now."

Still, she joined the ranks of about 140 players at St. Felicitas on Thursday night. She listened, dabber poised, as a caller read off number after number. And she added her voice to that familiar chorus of sighs, one now amplified by a multitude, when someone else cried out "bingo!"

Posted by Robert L. Smith
http://blog.cleveland.com

Charles Clarke turns bingo caller

The future of the city's bingo clubs is on the line because of an "unfair" tax and the fallout from the smoking ban, bosses said today as they enlisted the aid of Charles Clarke to improve their luck.

Unlike other forms of gambling, bingos have to pay both 15pc gaming duty and 17.5pc VAT, while sports betting, for example, just pays the 15pc.

The industry has also been hit hard by the smoking ban, which has had a 15pc detrimental effect on revenues, and has led to 12 out of the 119 Mecca bingo clubs nationwide closing in the last six months.

To get the lowdown on the issues facing the clubs, Norwich South MP Mr Clarke turned bingo caller when he visited Mecca Bingo in All Saints Green.

The former Home Secretary might not have had the legs eleven-type lingo - he said two and two for 22 instead of all the 2s and one player called out to "get him off" - his visit was appreciated by Ian Burke, chief executive of the Rank Group, which owns Mecca Bingo.

Mr Burke is calling for either the gaming duty or the VAT they pay to be eliminated.

He said: "We are struggling financially because of this double taxation and because of the smoking ban. The smoking ban has had an impact on spend per head and, to a lesser extent, admissions. Players who smoke use the interval to go outside and smoke, which is time when in the past they would still have been playing.

"We do not think it is fair that bingo halls have to pay both these taxes while, for example, with sports betting, you just pay the gaming duty and not the tax."

He told Mr Clarke there were two reasons why one of the taxes had to go.

He said: "The first one is the social argument in that bingo is a social amenity. About 80pc of our players are women and a lot are elderly, and for them this can be the only time they come out of the house.

"And the second reason is financial. If one of these taxes was eliminated, the Treasury would benefit more from bingos in the future. The typical Mecca branch gives the government £1m per year in total tax."

He also said the clubs played in a large role in charitable fundraising in their areas and had been involved recently in the Breakthrough Breast cancer charity.

After listening to the arguments, Mr Clarke said: "There has to be a level playing field between all forms of gambling. Bingo is being taxed at a higher level than other forms of gambling, and that's not reasonable or correct.

"I also accept the argument that bingo is a social function, and I have always thought the key downside of gambling, addiction, is not as prevalent in bingo as in other forms of gambling.

"I will take the matter up and make representations to the Chancellor before the budget."

Mr Clarke's visit comes four months after fellow Norwich MP Ian Gibson visited the city's other Mecca club in Aylsham Road, to discuss the issue of double taxation.

Written by David Bale
www.eveningnews24.co.uk

The Which Bingo 'Online Bingo Site of the Year awards 2007' have been announced and three online bingo sites are celebrating after collecting the most sought after awards in the industry.

Online bingo players flocked to WhichBingo.com and Which Bingo.co.uk the leading bingo portals in the world, in droves to name the sites they felt were most deserving of the 'Online Bingo Site of the Year', 'UK Online Bingo Site of the Year' and 'New UK Online Bingo Site of the Year' awards.

The votes totalled more than double the number received in 2006, reflecting the widespread growth in popularity of online bingo, particularly in the UK.

The winner of the 'WhichBingo.com Site of the Year 2007' award goes to a site described as "the ultimate bingo experience." A bright future lay ahead when this site achieved a top five position in the WhichBingo.com New Site of the Year awards in 2005 and now that potential has been fulfilled. Congratulations to Bingo Billy, the International Site of the Year for 2007.

The UK Site of the Year award recognises and rewards excellence in UK online bingo, as voted by the most important people in the game - the players. The 2007 award goes to the site that finished fourth in the previous year's voting and lays claim to being the first ever standalone UK online bingo site. Which Bingo UK is delighted to name Think Bingo as the '2007 UK Online Bingo Site of the Year'. Upon hearing of their win a spokesperson at Think Bingo said, "We are delighted to receive this prestigious award on behalf of our Think Bingo members and chat moderators. It is them that set Think Bingo apart and demonstrate that you don't have to be the biggest to be the best."

The inaugural 'New UK Site of the Year' award was a similarly close run contest, with the best new sites in the business all competing for the title. The votes have been counted and Which Bingo UK is delighted to announce that the New Site of the Year 2007 is Gone Bingo UK.

Phil Fraser, owner of Which Bingo said, "we are amazed each year that we run these awards as to how dedicated players are to their favourite online bingo sites. Their enthusiasm for their preferred bingo game knows no bounds. I'd like to congratulate all our 2007 winners on their success and look forward to another great year for online bingo in 2008."

To read the results in full and find out more about all the sites involved in this year's Site of the Year competition, visit the awards pages at WhichBingo.com and Which Bingo UK today.

Posted by Susan Torres
www.casinogamblingweb.com

Net Entertainment, the Swedish online casino turnkey supplier with a range of online bingo products and online bingo games offerings has announced it has signed up casino group Glimmer Limited for its casino module system.

The signing marks the eighteenth new licensee agreement for Net Entertainment and caps a strong 2007 for the company.

"The fact that we have signed 18 new license agreements during 2007 demonstrates the strength of Net Entertainments offering" commented Johan Ohman, CEO for Net Entertainment. "2007 was a fantastic year where we managed to sign up a number of key operators, and our continued investments in R&D have given us the competitive edge we need to secure our position as the no1 casino software provider"

Net Entertainment has already provided online bingo services to UK company Parabol which operates the Maria Bingo online bingo hall.

Written by John Witherspoon

www.bingostreet.com

The disappointing news from Germany that greeted the online bingo industry at the beginning of 2008 has already produced reactionary moves from the major online gambling companies operating in that country.

Sixteen German states voted at the end of 2007 in favour of maintaining their state-run gambling monopolies which has effectively made it illegal for non-state online gambling companies to operate in Germany.

Observers of the free online bingo industry view this development as a backwards step contrary to European Union moves to establish free markets within the trading bloc.

Leading the opposition are the online gambling companies BWIN Interactive Entertainment AG and Fluxx AG.  Both are being represented by gambling and gaming legal specialist firm Hambach.

"The accord breaches EU law because it excludes foreign betting companies with EU licenses from the German market," Hambach said of the German states vote.

German newspaper Die Welt is also reporting that law firm Redeker expects legal action by all three thousand betting operators currently active in Germany.

Online bingo games operators are not a large part of the German online gambling market, but Bwin does offer an online bingo option for its cutomers.

Written by John Witherspoon

www.bingostreet.com

MORE than 50 years of playing bingo has finally paid off for a Merthyr Tydfil great grandad who has scooped a £90,000 top prize.

The lucky winner, aged 76, who does not want to be named, won the fortune at the Castle Club, Plymouth Street, Merthyr on December 22, where he has been a member since 2003.

He completed a full house quicker than anyone else taking part in the National Bingo Game, which includes 470 clubs across the UK.

The man, who is married, was playing with his sister-in-law when his numbers came up and with two children, seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren he could have an extra Christmas wish list.

"I couldn't believe it when they told me how much it was," he said.

"The reaction in the club was marvellous with everyone clapping and cheering me.

"I just couldn't stop shaking and I still shake when I think about it now."

He isn't sure yet what he will be doing with the money but he will definitely be taking his wife on a long holiday.

Written by David Williams, Merthyr Express

www.icwales.icnetwork.co.uk

The woman from the town of Blyth was in a state of shock recently after she scooped a fortune while playing bingo with her mother-in-law.

The unnamed winner, who is reportedly aged 41 and works as a carer in her local area, walked away £45,000 better off after completing a full house in just 39 calls.

Like thousands of other bingo-lovers from across the UK, the lucky woman has been playing the game at her local Mecca Bingo Club for a number of years and she told the National Bingo website that she plans to fund some home improvements and a holiday with her winnings.

"The reaction in the club was fantastic and everyone was clapping me," she is quoted as saying.

"I just sat there in a state of shock."

Earlier this month, a 75-year-old woman from Hartlepool scooped a £17,500 uk bingo jackpot and paid tribute to the good nature of the players and staff at her local bingo club.

Written by Ashley King.
www.onlinebingo.co.uk

IT'S the end of an era for a Northside bingo session which has been running for over 50 years.
The curtains have been drawn for the last time on the regular Wednesday night bingo in St Fergal's centre in Finglas.
Local Bob Furlong set up the session with friend John Hayden five decades ago but this month they were forced to call 'time' instead of 'house'.
"T'was popular for many years but sure the people get older and eventually die so the numbers get fewer and fewer," he told Northside People.
"People prefer to go to bigger halls now where there are bigger prizes.
"Back about 50 years ago we used to get about 200 people on the Wednesday nights but recently only about 80 people have been turning up, but you'd need an attendance of about 150 to cover the costs."
He added: "The bingo has been a big part of the Finglas community."
Bob recalled how in the early years, the Wednesday night sessions were hugely popular as they coincided with when the children's allowance payments were doled out."
According to local bingo enthusiast, Frances O'Driscoll, the sessions will be sorely missed by many.

  "I have been going to the bingo in St Fergal's for around 50 years," she explained.
"I was 13 when I first started going and I have been going since way back then.
"It was a huge thing for my family as my parents and the rest of family would go.
"At one stage there were eight generations of my family going to the bingo on Wednesday nights."
Frances has gone to great lengths over the years to make the weekly sessions.
"When I moved to the city centre I used to cycle to and from Finglas so I wouldn't miss the Wednesday nights," she explained.
"Unfortunately, the popularity has died away over the years.
"It's very sad. It's the end of an era really. I'd like to thank Bob Furlong and John Hayden for keeping it going over the 50 years and for giving me some very fond memories."
Local councillor Dessie Ellis (SF) said it was a shame to see the St Fergal's bingo nights finish.
"It's a terrible pity but it reflects how numbers have dropped considerably over the years," he said.
"Bingo nights play a big role in the community as they are often the only time when older people get out of the house to socialise with others."
It's the second blow for Finglas bingo fans over the past few months. Last summer, organisers had to call time on Saturday night bingo in West Finglas Community Centre due to poor turnouts.

www.dublinpeople.com

ATE Online is reporting that equity company Duke Street Capital has made an offer for the Mecca bingo chain owned by gaming group Rank.   The undisclosed amount for the offer has, so far, reportedly sparked little interest with Rank's board of directors.

Mecca bingo is one of the UK's most recognized bingo franchises and offers both land-based and online bingo options for bingo players.  Mecca's land-based bingo operations have come under increasing strain due to the effects of the recently implemented UK smoking bans and a double taxation policy imposed by the government.  Operators of online bingo games have largely been immune to these effects.

Concerning the Duke offer, neither Duke Street Capital nor Rank could be reached for comment according to the ATE Online report.

Rank has been the subject of a number of recent offers recently, most notably that made by US casino operator Harrahs.  Rank has so far rebuffed all offers to date.

Written by John Witherspoon
www.bingostreet.com

We live in a society where we salute the notion of talking out our differences, that if everyone gives a little bit, we can come to a reasonable accommodation. It's a pillar of first-grade training. Share the yo-yo, Billy, and we'll all cheer.

Anyone who's ever been in a negotiation, however, knows there's a point where talks collapse - where reasonable people declare deadlock.

I feel that way about the great bingo controversy at the Southside Senior Center in San Jose.

It might get solved through sensible accommodation. There's a reasonable compromise to be had. On the other hand, if disagreement reigns, it won't end Western civilization as we know it. In fact, it might just teach both sides something.

Sitting out

You may know the story. Saying it had received complaints that the volunteers who run the bingo games seem to win more often than players who don't help out, the city has enacted a new policy, blessed by the police department and the city attorney's office.

In a nutshell, it goes like this: If you're going to collect cash, verify score cards or otherwise volunteer to run a bingo game, then you shouldn't be playing. City officials say it's important to eliminate even the perception of favoritism in how the games are run.

Eight of the nine senior centers in town have gone along with this, agreeing to rotate volunteers so they can work one week and play the next.

But at Southside, where the game has been going on for years, the volunteers have rebelled. The essence of their argument: Nobody has a problem with the way things are running now. And if we're forced to change it, we might move the game to a church or the Lions Club. Then the city would be out the $15,000 that bingo raises for the center each year.

"It isn't going to change a thing," said Pat Bias, the leader of the volunteers. "Are people going to stop coming to bingo because of perception? Are people going to come because some of my players can't play? No, it doesn't make sense."

You have to respect Bias' point of view. She's been doing this for a long time. After all, a big payday at the Cottle Road center is only about $75, and when you ask city people to be specific about the cheating complaints they've received, they edge toward vagueness.

Of course, there is a reasonable compromise, even if it might take a little work: Enlarge and rotate the volunteer pool so that volunteers would sit out only every second or third time. As a sweetener, give the volunteers a break on other events at the center - lithography classes, say, or lunch.

After all, this is about more than money. It's also about fellowship. And there might be a modest gain in perceived fairness by separating the scorers from the winners.

Learning from discord

If that kind of compromise doesn't fly, however, the consequences may prove instructive to everyone.

Say for the sake of argument that the seniors succeed in moving their game - and the $15,000 it produces yearly - to a church or fraternal hall.

Yes, that would be bad for senior programs. But maybe it also would teach the city a lesson: Be careful about installing rules that hamper your economic ambitions. (I'm reminded of the foundered attempt by developer Don Imwalle to bring Starbucks to City Hall).

Or take the opposite possibility: The seniors move their game, but it is not a success. Ultimately, the city resurrects the bingo game at the senior center under its rules. In that scenario, the volunteers might learn something about the dangers of refusing to change. They would be left out in the cold.

Much as I'd like to see everyone agree, we'll probably learn just as much, if not more, from an impasse.

Gimme back that yo-yo.

Written by By Scott Herhold
Mercury News

LOUISVILLE (WAVE) -- WAVE 3 investigates how some places are trying to get out of a new smoking ban in Louisville. The operators and charities that get money from bingo halls say a new ban will put them out of business. Only WAVE 3 was at a meeting Wednesday where they talked strategy. WAVE 3 Investigator Janelle MacDonald has a look at some of the numbers.

In Kentucky, bingo is only allowed to make money for charities. To keep their license, each charity has to make 40 percent. Many say under the smoking ban before -- and if it comes back -- there's no way they can do that.

Dan Langford owns a magazine that caters to bingo. He says, "Sometimes you just have to stand up for your rights."

A group of bingo hall owners and the charities that operate the games say that is what they're doing.

"We have to fight somehow," says Langford. "We just can't lay down and die."

Langford doesn't smoke. He quit 25 years ago. But Langford says if others can't smoke at bingo halls, it's bad for business because he says, "They want to come and game here, have a good time, relax."

Langford says he has numbers to prove it. For instance, one local charity operated a Tuesday night bingo. Its numbers show in the third quarter of 2006, it made $6,200. After the smoking ban this year, it lost $8,000. The total swing in profit is more than $14,000.

That charity shut down its bingo at one location and says it may have to at another site as well.

Langford says, "It just shows you that the people want to smoke and gamble."

The group hoped to get that point across Wednesday to the Metro Council, but Langford says, "We had one show up. Everyone was invited. Do they have their mind made up already? Seems like it."

Robin Engel was the only council member. He says that's probably true, but the charities numbers could make a difference.

"The pulse of the council right now looks very favorable at the previous smoking ban, but I believe that the facts and the numbers about the loss of revenue by charitable causes, charitable bingos are coming out and that, those numbers the council has not been privy to," Engel says.

WAVE 3 checked and found Engel voted in favor of the ban each time it's been before the council but he says he's worked with charitable bingo in the past and supports what they do in the community.

The bingo group plans on airing radio ads, starting Thursday, encouraging their supporters to call their council members.

The Health and Human Services committee is scheduled to hear the revised smoking ban Monday, January 7th. Committee chair Mary Woodridge says there will be no public comment at that meeting.

WAVE 3 will be there for that meeting and will continue to cover this story for you as it develops.

Online Producer: Charles Gazaway

Online Reporter:  Janelle MacDonald

www.wave3.com

BELLA VISTA - A new game in town may add excitement to the act of giving to charity. Members of the St. Bernard of Clairveaux Catholic Church in Bella Vista will soon be calling bingo numbers in an attempt to raise money for area nonprofits.

The St. Bernard men's and women's clubs have united with the local Knights of Columbus to provide games twice a month at the church's Parish Hall at 1 St. Bernard Lane.

The first series of games will begin at 6: 30 p.m. Jan. 10, with doors opening at 5: 45 p. m., according to Tommy Freytag, a church member who helped organize the event. A second set of games will be held at 2 p.m. Jan. 15, with doors opening at 1: 15 p. m., he said.

After January, the games will be held at 6: 30 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month and at 2 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month, Freytag said.

The game comes after Arkansas voters approved Amendment 84 to the state constitution in 2006. The amendment allows using raffles and bingo for charitable purposes, according to John Theis, assistant commissioner of revenue for the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration.

The method of using charitable bingo for fundraising purposes of nonprofits subsequently became legal July 31 after supporting legislation was put into place, he said.

There is no limit on how many organizations can host charitable raffles or bingo games in an area, but the law is specific on which type of entity may host the games and for which purposes, Theis said.

Eligible groups include "religious, educational, veterans, fraternal, service, civic, medical, volunteer rescue service, volunteer firefighters organization or volunteer police organization that has been in continuing existence as a nonprofit tax-exempt organization in this state for a period of not less than five years immediately prior to conducting the game of bingo or raffles," the policy states.

To find out more about the guidelines on conducting charitable bingo or raffles, visit www. arkansas. gov / dfa.

Players at the bingo sessions in Bella Vista have the option of purchasing three different packs of cards, Freytag said. The main game will be played with a pack of 10 cards, with each card containing six faces, he said. Players can purchase these packs for $ 15, he said.

In between the main games, players can participate in side games by purchasing a pack of five cards, each with three faces, for $ 5, he said. Payouts will be given in cash at the end of each side and main game, he said. The size of the payout depends on participation.

There will also be one "blackout"game conducted at every session, he said. Players can purchase a blackout card for $ 2 and try to cover the entire card for a cash prize ranging in size from $ 250 to $ 500.

Only a certain amount of numbers will be called during the blackout games, and the pot is progressive, Freytag said. When the total hits $ 500, numbers will be called until there is a winner, he said. The afternoon and evening games will have independent blackout pots, he noted.

Refreshments and bingo supplies will also be sold during the events, he said. The money raised by the games will be donated to organizations such as the Bella Vista Courtesy Van, the Boys and Girls Club in Bella Vista and the Bella Vista Animal Shelter, Freytag said.

Some of the proceeds will cover the cost of hosting the events and will benefit the church's community outreach programs, he added. To find out more, call the church at 855-9069.

Players must be at least 18 years old.

Written by Jason Beatty Staff Writer

www.nwanews.com

SARASOTA - Deputies in Sarasota say two armed men robbed a bingo hall in the final minutes of 2007, and they're still on the loose.

Investigators say the robbery happened at the Palm Plaza Bingo Hall on Bee Ridge Road at about 11:35 p.m. on Monday night.  They say two suspects entered the building through the back door, and confronted three employees. 

According to deputies, one of the suspects was armed with a handgun, and he ordered two of the employees to the floor.  They say he demanded money from the third employee, who complied.  The two suspects then fled the business through the back door. 

The two men are still on the loose, and deputies describe both of them as being between 5'6" and 5'8" tall with slender builds.  Both men were dressed in black and wearing ski masks and gloves during the robbery.

Anyone with information about this case should call the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.

www.myfoxtampabay.com