The decision by the European Commission to reject France and Sweden’s justifications for maintaining state-run gambling monopolies is welcome news indeed for the online bingo industry.

It remains to be seen if Greece will receive a similar verdict regards its state-run monopoly, but it seems pretty much odds on they will.  Not only will this eventually free up the online gambling market in Europe for online bingo games operators everywhere, but it will also allow customers a genuine freedom of choice in which games they prefer to play.

There is still some waiting to be done as both Sweden and France have 60 days to respond before the EC can take them to the European Court of Justice.  However, the fact we’ve reached a stage where both countries have been asked to amend their laws is reason enough to celebrate.

Written by John Witherspoon – Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read bingo news.

It could be D-Day for a few countries in the European Union who are still resisting opening up their online gambling markets to foreign operators in favour of protecting state-run monopolies.

The European Commission decides today if it will be taking court action against those member states who refuse to allow online gaming companies the chance to ply their trade on a level playing field.  This is of great importance to online bingo players and operators of online bingo games alike and will be watched closely by the online bingo industry as a whole.

Of course, the online gambling industry is set to make these governments untold millions in revenues, so it would be naive to believe they will give up their state-monopolies without a fight.  However, the important thing is that the European Commission is showing its teeth in this vital issue regards the online gambling industry and, hopefully, free online bingo players will benefit.

Written by John Witherspoon – Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read celebrity gossip.

Did you know that people who play online bingo games tend to be smarter throughout their life than people who don’t?

This is the case according to the good scientists at the University of Southampton who have found that bingo players enjoy increased speed and accuracy in a number of activities designed to measure mental speed, memory and the ability to absorb information around them.

Of course, the tests mainly apply to traditional bingo, but I’m taking the liberty of jumping to an obvious conclusion and extrapolating the findings to include online bingo since it is virtually the same game, but obviously played on the internet.

Upon learning of the tests and their results, a curious tingling sensation of superiority enveloped me as I joined fellow online bingo players for a game last night.  Know what I mean?

Written by John Witherspoon – Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read bingo news.

The first fully electronic bingo club has been opened by Riva Gaming Group in Sutton, London and features 582 handheld terminals displaying electronic versions of the traditional paper bingo ticket.

Online bingo has been going for years and does the same thing, for all intents and purposes.  So what’s the big fuss?

According to Simon Hannah, CEO of Riva, he believes that: “We are operating in a challenging environment but we believe there is still plenty of room for growth for operators who provide unique and exciting facilities.â€?

What is challenging for Riva and other land-based bingo halls is that they are losing customers by the truck load.  For many, they blame this on a new smoking ban, while others point to VAT taxes.   Could it simply be there is a more enjoyable, more convenient and more smoker-friendly version of bingo out there that is already fully electronic?

I suggest you try playing a few free online bingo games before you answer that last question.

Written by John Witherspoon – Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read bingo news.

Things are obviously getting serious for land-based bingo halls here in the UK. With the upcoming smoking ban supposedly about to drive loyal customers away and competition from online bingo halls starting to bite into revenues, Birmingham MP John Hemming has come out with a motion to cancel the VAT tax on bingo halls and offer them some relief.

Personally, I think this is merely delaying the inevitable as the world’s land-based and online bingo players shift with the times to more technologically advanced bingo platforms. People will not stop playing bingo, they will just play it a different way.

Already we are seeing the introduction of land-based bingo halls adopting fully-electronic bingo game platforms that are virtually the same in look and feel to today’s free online bingo offerings. Riva Gaming Group has opened England’s first fully electronic bingo club in Sutton, London, with the club featuring 582 new personal handheld bingo terminals – this is as about as close to playing online bingo games as you can get without going online.

I actually hope Hemming’s motion is passed and he succeeds in removing the VAT tax from bingo, but I don’t think it will preserve land-based bingo as we know it today.

Written by John Witherspoon – Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read online bingo news.

Now this I find interesting, in the ‘whatever weapon you make, someone will find a way to counter it’ category.

A new online betting site called Betcha.com has appeared claiming to be “the world’s first honor-based betting platform” by providing P2P solutions for players and bettors who subscribe to the concept of “gentlemen’s bets.”

For online bingo players and operators alike, what’s interesting about this online development is that Betcha.com may be a way of getting around the current US Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) laws.

The availability of online bingo games to US players has been severely hampered by the UIGEA laws, but Betcha.com believes that since their site is honor-based UIGEA does not apply to them. UUnder a section entitled “Is this Legal” Betcha.com has this to say:

“Yes. There are at least five reasons why the Betcha Platform falls outside legal prohibitions against gambling. While most of them are technical legalese, one isn’t – it isn’t “gambling.” Although there are a few variations in syntax depending on the jurisdiction, the legal (and common sense) definition of “gambling,” at bottom, requires that you (1) risk (2) something of value (3) on the result of a future event beyond your control. Betting that doesn’t have all of these elements may be betting, but it isn’t “gambling” and, therefore, isn’t illegal.”

An interesting point. If there are any of you out there game enough to try this site out, let us know how you get on.

Written by John Witherspoon – Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read celebrity gossip.

One of the advantages people who play free online bingo have is the friendly banter they get to enjoy when visiting the chat rooms offered by today’s online bingo halls.

Online bingo is famous within the online gaming industry for its chat rooms where any and all topics from the latest online bingo promotions to celebrity gossip are welcome. Once you get the hang of online bingo lingo, a whole new world of online friends and fun is open to you.

Joining in on a chat room is easy and simple. Just follow the instructions on most online bingo sites and you’ll be part of the crew in no time. In my opinion, if you want to get the ins and outs of online bingo, this is one of the better ways to do it. Most online bingo players maintain a good knowledge of what’s on offer and which sites are providing the best games and promotions. It can be an excellent way to supplement your industry knowledge, much in the same way taxi drivers can be a great way to get to know a new city.

Written by John Witherspoon – Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read bingo news.

Playing free bingo games online with Bingo Street can offer you a lot more than simply going after progressive jackpots – it’s also about having fun and making new friends along the way.

Building networks within the online bingo community is a worthwhile pursuit and can be done a number of ways. For example, online bingo profiles are one of the more unique ways of introducing yourself. There is also the chance to talk things over in a multitude of chat rooms available out there – a perfect way to discuss things while playing your favourite game.

This is, what I believe, makes online bingo truly unique. It’s an interesting ‘passive’ type of network marketing that some of the more industrious players can take advantage of. And why not? After all, bingo is about making some money by winning and, as they say, there’s more ways to skin a cat.

Written by John Witherspoon – Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read bingo news.

The above headline is misleading – deliberately misleading. Bingo is not a sport, but a pastime based on a game of chance. Where it becomes a ‘contact sport’ is when the call goes out to support online bingo as a legitimate pastime open for all to play.

What I refer to here is the current campaign by US Congressman Barney Frank to introduce a new law to help license and regulate online gaming in the US. He has asked anyone interested to contact anyone we know who can help support his efforts to change the ridiculous UIGEA laws in the US.

this could simply be an email to an American friend sympathetic to more open online gaming. So please, if you have any American friends who enjoy online bingo or playing online bingo games, tell them about Barney Frank’s new bill and ask them to do what they can to support it.

For more information you can visit here.

Written by John Witherspoon – Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read more about online free bingo.

No other fall from grace quite typifies the current state of affairs in a post-UIGEA online gaming world than the demise of Betonsports.com and the arrest of its founder and former CEO.

When Betonsports founder Gary Kaplan was handed over by Dominican authorities to their US counterparts, the online gaming world held its collective breath, unsure where all this would lead. Also, the ongoing nonsense at e-wallet company Neteller, in which US customers saw their funds frozen by Neteller in its bid to avert a US investigation into its payment processing activites, has also soured matters for online gaming operators and customers.

Now reports are coming in that two Gibraltar-based have initiated discussions with the US authorities supposedly to avert action taken against them uder the UIGEA regime. Both Party Gaming and 888 Holdings are mainstays in the online gambling world and will be familiar with many people who play online bingo games. Reports that they are seeking amnesty from US authorities for operations conducted before UIGEA’s implementation must still send a chill down the majority of online operators.

Online bingo halls operating in the UK enjoy a well regulated environment with bingo online looking set to gain from the upcoming smoking ban about to hit English land-based bingo halls. As the online bingo industry continues to grown here I can only hope it sets up a platform for UK online bingo halls being able to take full advantage once the current UIGEA laws in the US are rescinded and that market reopens.

Written by John Witherspoon – Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read celebrity gossip.