Bingo companies are constantly seeking ways to increase their membership. When encouraging new players, one possible obstacle is perception and image. Despite the launch of online bingo games many people still associate bingo with church halls and the elderly. Companies recognized early on that they needed a way of changing the image of the game. One way of doing this is by using celebrities with universal appeal as brand representatives.

Katie Price (aka Jordan) was unveiled as the face of Foxy Bingo back in 2006. The appointment was made in an attempt to bring bingo into the mainstream. They created ‘Katie’s Charity Bingo Room’ and donated 50% of all bingo cards purchased on Monday evenings to charities chosen by Ms Price. However, in January 2008 Foxy Bingo and Ms Price terminated their working relationship on the grounds that they could no longer compete for her time without a significant investment.

Gala Bingo announced its partnership with X-Factor’s Sharon Osbourne also in 2006. It launched a series of nationwide TV commercials featuring Mrs Osbourne promoting Gala Bingo Online. Gala also launched Gala TV, the first live interactive bingo TV channel, presented by Mrs Osbourne and she recently launched her own bingo website in collaboration with Gala, www.sharonsbingo.com.

Former Atomic Kitten member Kerry Katona was one of the first ‘bingo celebrities’ announcing her partnership with Bingos in 2005. Bingos originally had four bingo rooms, each with its own progressive jackpot. Kerry was originally a caller at the site and featured on the home webpage.

Oct 09 2009