Alberta approach to problem gambling not the answer

If there is one thing you cannot accuse the online bingo industry of doing, and that’s not recognizing its responsibility in limiting the effects of problem gambling. I would say that bingo online as an industry practices some of the most aware policies in trying to negate the effects of problem gambling and its social consequences.

A story out of Alberta, Canada, recently caught my eye in which an attempt has been made to get problem gamblers to sign onto a list of people who have voluntarily banned themselves from going to casinos. Guess what? The scheme has not worked.

The problem gamblers who signed on have subsequently found it all too easy to sneak past security who can’t be expected to remember the faces of all 1,500 people on the list. Oh well,… at least they tried.

I prefer the way in which UK online bingo halls are able to minimize problem gambling through being able to operate in a well regulated gaming environment. The UK leads the world in this regard and online bingo games have maintained their sociable nature as a result.

There are always going to be people who take things too far and problem gambling is a serious problem for those affected by it. However, the Alberta experiment has shown us the way not to deal with this problem – Online bingo seems to be doing a much better job,… at least here in the UK.

Written by Bingo Lady

More landbased bingo halls sold off

The rot in land-based bingo continues to set in with the sale of two more bingo halls by the Carlton Clubs bingo operation. My hat goes off to Carton Clubs in securing a sale for their old halls, but surely this is yet more evidence that free online bingo is where it is at in today’s online-savvy world.

The popularity of bingo is not what is at stake here. UK bingo players are as mad about the game as ever, but they are finding there are more alternatives out there to indulge in their favourite pastime without having to even leave their home. Online bingo halls are growing, land-based bingo halls are slowing.

For evidence as to how much online bingo games are booming, take a trip down Bingo Street where I’m sure you’ll be almost overwhelmed by the sheer choice of bingo online clubs to visit. It’s easy, it’s convenient – and that’s just the point!
Whether you’re making money by playing the game or by providing an online venue, it’s increasingly obvious that online bingo is the future trend in the bingo business.

Written by Bingo Lady

Anyone for celebrity TV bingo?

Over the last 6 months or so I’ve noticed a distinct trend in the marketing policies of various online bingo halls that is taking them away from celebrity endorsements. We’ve seen Foxy Bingo can its association with Katie Price, Sharon Osbourne no longer fronts Mecca Bingo and Kerry Katona’s ongoing real life troubles has seen her online bingo profile diminished.

There is now a debate amongst online bingo games operators as to the benefits of shelling out for a celebrity endorsement and, as things get tough in the real economy, some are content to simply market their services via more traditional service to customer models.

However, in the world of TV bingo celebrities such as Greg Scott, Jim Bowen and comedians Cannon and Ball have been signed up as presenters in the upcoming Celebrity TV Bingo program that will air daily on Sky Channel 847 in the UK as part of the www.bingos.com brand.

It will be interesting to see how this develops and if celebrity power will attract a significant proportion of the free online bingo playing market. It will be even more interesting to see if celebrities really know their bingo.

Written by Bingo Lady

UK mum claims the biggest bingo win

UK land-based bingo is all abuzz over what may be the world’s biggest bingo win after a Hamilton woman landed £1.2 million at her local club.

Hamilton mum Soraya Lowell called a full house while playing at the Club 3000 bingo hall in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, and won the National Bingo Game’s Platinum Jackpot.

Lowell immediately said she would be splitting her winnings with her bingo partner Agnes O’Neill. In a statement to the Daily Record she said: “We always share whatever either of us wins and this time will be no different.”

Soraya’s win of £1,167,795, tops the previous bingo record win of £1.1million by Christine Bradfield last January.

Despite a troubled time for land-based bingo clubs with many patrons turning to online bingo games and online bingo halls as an alternative, the latest huge win should provide a boost for an industry still reeling from a recently imposed smoking ban and double taxation.

Written by Bingo Lady

Should UK online bingo halls take payment in US$?

While it’s technically illegal to accept payment from US-based online bingo players in US$ thanks to UIGEA, it’s not illegal to accept US$ from other eligible players. But is the current massive slide in the value of the US$ a cause for concern amongst online bingo games operators?

Of course, the issue only applies to prices denominated in US$ and few UK online bingo halls outlay prices in that currency. However, there is still the issue of what it means for customers who have to pay in US$ - and there are still enough of them out there to warrant attention.

There is no doubting that the US$ is collapsing with little relief in sight and many currency analysts are projecting continued losses. It is therefore logical to assume that in order to minimize losses to their margins, online bingo operators are going to have to adjust their US$ denominated prices higher to compensate.

Unfortunately this means passing on the loss to those players having to make payment in US$ - so what’s an online bingo hall to do?

As a suggestion, it might be wise promoting ‘bulk’ buying by US dollar-based customers to hedge against the loss of their US$’s value. In the long run this would be better for the players and better for the operators if the US$ continues to slide. The player gets a store of bingo product wealth and the operator’s cash flow is enhanced. The key, it would seem, is in convincing the players that their bingo purchases will maintain value a lot longer than the sorry state of the US$.

Written by Bingo Lady

Budget a slap in the face for land-based bingo?

It’s all wailing and nashing of teeth for the teetering land-based bingo industry in the aftermath of the UK budget – they will not be getting a reprieve from paying a ‘double tax’. The land-based industry blames this tax, along with a smoking ban for its current travails. In the meantime online bingo halls continue to grow and thrive.

For the online bingo games operators in the UK, things remain largely unchanged, a fact most operators will be pleased about. If there is any cause for concern it will be the Chancellor’s projection that economic growth will slow. This will result in possible reduced spending by online bingo punters as the economy contracts.

It’s going to be tough for the land-based bingo industry to rebound from this – they had put a lot of hope in a tax change. Unfortunately they seem to have been hit by a double whammy in the form of an increase in amusement machine license duty. When all said and done, it seems a whole lot less complicated to be an online bingo operator.

Written by Bingo Lady

All eyes on Gala

It will be interesting to see how things develop at Gala Coral, the gaming company behind mainstay online bingo hall Gala Bingo, now that reports in the UK media are claiming that sources have revealed the company has lost half its value.

I think a word of caution needs to be added here considering that we don’t have the full story yet, but confirmation by the company that it is in talks to re-negotiate its lending agreements does not bode well.

The news, if it turns out to be true, is also a warning to the online bingo industry and free online bingo operators in general that complacency is to be avoided. While I do believe bingo online can see out a lot of the recessionary fears currently stalking the larger economy, it still remains crucial that we keep our wits about us and continue to provide the best online bingo games service we can.

Written by Bingo Lady

Why banks may be the key to ending UIGEA

A report by the American Banking Association (ABA) that is negative on the current Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) makes at least three key points on why UIGEA is unenforceable. Quoting from the report:

“(1) the definition of unlawful Internet gambling in the Prohibition leaves the vague definition of the Act uncured and therefore renders compliance virtually impossible;

“(2) the intractable problem of identifying or intercepting cross-border gambling activities and tainted correspondent relationships has not been adequately solved by the proposal; and

“(3) the uncertain standard for knowledge that triggers blocking is too indefinite to be practically operative.”

UK online bingo halls and operators of online bingo games in the US were badly hit by the arrival of UIGEA late in 2006 and, quite frankly, we would all like to see it go away as soon as possible. What the banks are saying through the ABA is that they are very dubious of having to become the virtual police force responsible for enforcing UIGEA. This is what the proposed UIGEA regulations imply will be the case.

For the bingo online industry, it’s quite significant that the financial sector may turn out to be our best bet for a return to the US market and the dismantling of UIGEA. Let’s hope they stick to their guns and continue to resist this destructive piece of legislation.

Written by Bingo Lady

Online bingo must adapt to economic downturn

With world economic headlines starting to paint a dreary picture of a global economy sliding into recession, many investors and online gaming operators may feel a little more optimistic than some secure in the knowledge that so-called ‘sin’ investments such as gambling are usually considered recession proof.

However, this should not alter the fact for many online bingo games operators and online bingo halls an economic downturn does not alter the fundamentals to running a successful online bingo game. Complacency is not the game to play when online bingo players may be contemplating cutting back on their online spending.

So what’s in it for your average UK online bingo player to play at your online bingo site? This I think is the fundamental question every online bingo operator should be asking at this time. A look at what the competition is doing is probably a good place to start and Bingo Street is an excellent resource to search this out.

On the upside, and in the face of a probable economic downturn, it’s still good to be one of the few industry blogs that can actually report on positive developments. Long may this continue.

Written by Bing Lady

Online bingo summit

A nod of thanks is due to the good kind people at Eyesdownbingo.com for their early notice on the upcoming Third Online Bingo Summit to be held in June. For those interested (and think this applies to any UK-based online bingo games operator) in attending this event, it will be held at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington on June 17th and 18th.

I noticed in the Eyesdownbingo announcement that a number of major online bingo halls will be addressing the summit on a range of subjects concerning the marketing and promotion of bingo online. I for one will be most interested to hear their views on strategies for entering into new markets as the current protectionist issues with many European Union nations are one of the bigger challenges facing online bingo today.

In the face of the considerable damage done by the loss of the US market thanks to UIGEA, it’s been obvious that the more enterprising online bingo halls have been pursuing a strategy of market diversification to compensate. Coupled with this is the growing trend towards industry consolidation in which a number of bingo games online operations have been bought and merged with some of the larger online gaming operators in the industry. I’m sure we will hear some interesting views on these issues at this summit.

Written by Bingo Lady

CryptoLogic to seek more European licensees

Online bingo games operators and UK online bingo halls who use software developed by former Canadian company CryptoLogic Inc may be interested in the recently revealed plans by the company to revamp its business model with even more emphasis on the European market and away from the legal issues plaguing the US market.

The continuing fallout from the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) has plagued CryptoLogic enough for it to concentrate on acquiring new licensees in Europe. The company moved from Canada to set up its headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, so as to be closer to the European market.

In comments reported by EGR, CryptoLogic’s Vice President of Product Management and Business Development Justin Thouin explained that the move has been prompted by a need to increase share values. “Cryptologic sees its share price as undervalued, and consequently it views an expansion strategy as vital in going forward," he told EGR. "Essentially, Cryptologic is undergoing a very big change.”

A number of online bingo software providers and operators have had to withdraw from the US market due to UIGEA. The US law prohibits US bingo online players from engaging in financial transactions with non-US gaming operators.

"If we want to grow, we need to change the business model," Thouin added. "We are going to go after new licensees in a way we have not done for years. We are going to look at acquisions; we already made some acquisitions in the past year with Parbet.”

Written by Bingo Lady

Antigua delegation to meet UK government over whitelist issue

I suppose one can understand the frustration Antigua must have in being omitted from the UK’s whitelist of jurisdictions that can advertise online gaming in the UK, especially since they are currently fighting the good fight against the US over that country’s restrictive online gaming policies.

Some might even say it constitutes a stab in the back for the Caribbean nation.

Dr. Cort, Antigua’s Finance Minister, called the omission particularly surprising since a delegation from his country is due to meet the UK’s Minister of Sport to discuss the issue. According to Dr. Cort, the delegation wants to come away from the meeting with a better understanding of what is hindering Antigua’s process onto the whitelist.

So far I have not been able too find a definitive reason why Antigua has failed to make the grade. Maybe there is someone out there in the online bingo community who can shed some light on this? In any case, online bingo operators and online bingo halls with an Antiguan connection must be really giving their current license status a second look.

Written by Bingo Lady

Whitelist causes a stir

The Mohawk nation is not happy about its Kahnawake outfit being excluded from the UK’s whitelist of acceptable gaming companies allowed to advertise in Britain. In fact, they are insinuating the exclusion may be an infringement of their indigenous rights under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

There are not that many online bingo halls or operators of online bingo games that operate in the UK under a Kahnawake license, but this exclusion will definitely lessen the amount of future sign-ups.

However, I’m not sure I agree with the Mohawks in their assertion that their rights have been infringed. My hope is that this issue does not become an ugly race issue. Maybe the Mohawks can take some solace in that the Antiguans have also been excluded.