Straight away when we walked through the doors into the hall all the regulars looked at us like some sort of non local’s that shouldn’t be allowed there, I only had £10 on me which was enough for the usual big book of 6 tickets but we compromised on the 2 games; these were the Regional, which we got 3 tickets for and the final game that for some unknown reason was called the Manhattan which we got 2 tickets for.

It was around £21 for a full book that had 6 tickets on, if I remember rightly in the first big book there was around 8/9 games, then you got the regional game which was just 2 games but again 6 tickets and then the final book of the night which had 2 games. Time-wise it took around 2 hours from start to finish, which for me passed really quickly.

With this being my first time, I was rather clueless as to what to do and which order the games came in, soon one of the staff noticed the despair in my face and came over and told me what order the books went in and how the night ran, I often saw out of the corner of my eye that she kept looking over at us to make sure we were ok.

At first I found it hard checking and marking six tickets, I even had my partner helping me get numbers. After about 3 games I got the hang of running down the number column to check and mark numbers, but any slight break in concentration and you miss a number and it’s easily that game ruined, as you then check the big number board for the last number and then you miss your next number. I probably missed 5 numbers thought the entire night.

After a few games there was an interval and I needed to go outside for a breather and break from such a tense situation, whilst outside two of the regulars started talking to me and asking how I was finding it. When I asked which night was busiest, I was expecting them to say Friday night for some reason but they said Saturday, Sunday oh and Wednesday as you got a pasty pea supper.

I thought tonight was pretty busy it was only Monday and I would say there was at least 25 people in the bingo hall with maybe 25% of the seating bays occupied. When I asked how online bingo had affected them and replied with “this is now the only bingo hall in Harrogate and was nearly turned into 11 flats in December” you soon realise that a lot of people have abandoned their local hall.

The staff allowed us to split out tickets for the last few games, so that my partner could mark a few tickets and experience the thrill. For some reason this is normally forbidden, but i guess that because we where new the staff turned a blind eye. This left us both marking 3 tickets per game, which I found a doddle but I noticed straight away how my partner was left scrolling all over the place for numbers, and feel that she then sympathised with me for been edgy when I was attempting to mark 6 tickets .

The two Regional games where the highlight of the night, with winning stakes at £50 for one line, £100 for two lines and £400 for a full house. After a frantic 2 hours of bingo I think I am converted and found it so much more entertaining than playing online; I feel that I’ll be visiting my local bingo hall at least once a month.

Submitted by Chris Tender

It may be quite daunting when you are looking for your first online bingo site, but there are plenty of review sites that have customer comments as well; this means that you can compare various bingo sites before you register.

There are also many bingo sites that offer no deposit bonuses to new members, so you can try their sites out before depositing your own money; this is particularly helpful to get a feel for what the site has to offer and the games that they have.

Make the most of bingo promotions and bonuses; most online bingo sites have various promotions and bonuses to entice you to play on their site such as, welcome bonuses, first deposit bonuses and numerous daily and monthly promotions. Do a little bit of searching and find the deal to suit you and your playing style.

Whatever online bingo site you choose, the most important thing is to have fun and only spend what you can afford to lose. Good luck and enjoy joining the online bingo revolution!

As the name suggests, there are only 75 balls, each numbered 1 to 75. The 75 ball bingo card is different as well, consisting of five rows containing five numbers each; this makes a square card with 25 numbers on it.

Each 75 ball bingo game normally has two winners, like 90 ball bingo the first winner needs to complete a line, but it can either be across, up and down or diagonal. The main winner is the first to get all the numbers of a predetermined shape; this is normally a letter or number and is announced before the game starts.

90 ball bingo consists of ninety balls that are numbered between 1 and 90. The bingo card is set out in three rows or lines and each has five random numbers in it.

90 ball bingo usually has three chance to win, these are 1 line, 2 lines and bingo (also called full house). The game begins with random numbers being called out with each player marking that number off on their bingo card. The first winner is the person who gets all the numbers on one row. The second winner is the first person to match the numbers on two rows. The main prize goes to the first person to match all the numbers on their bingo card; this is called bingo or full house.

Once you are logged in and have money in your account you can start playing. Click on the play bingo button and you will be taken to another screen where you can purchase bingo cards for that game. Online bingo is similar to normal bingo in that each card has 3 rows of 5 numbers and offer 3 prizes per game; 1 line, 2 lines and house or bingo.

Once the timer hits zero the game will begin with the bingo caller calling the numbers. Don’t worry about crossing out or dabbing the numbers as they are called, the software will do this automatically and sorts your cards into order with the best chance of winning at the top. Most online bingo sites have a countdown where it tells you how many balls you need to win, this usually starts at 3 to go and works its way down to 1 to go where it flashes and tells you which number you need to win. All you have to do now is sit back and wait for your numbers to be called.

More than one bingo player can win the same prize; if they have the same ball called and in such circumstances the prize will be split equally between the winners. All winnings will be credited to your account instantly so you can either play some more or withdraw your winnings.

Online bingo sites also have chat rooms where players can speak to other participants and this provides an online community in which to meet new friends and enjoy playing bingo. Above all, enjoy yourself and only spend what you can afford.