An online portal has claimed that 90 percent of online bingo winners have recorded a cash win and 46 percent have recorded a win in excess of £100. Many such surveys do not reflect the reality of the situation and bingo should never been seen as an easy way to make money.

Online bingo as with other forms of gambling is there to be enjoyed and players should ensure that they are not gambling in the belief that they have a good chance of winning more money than they spend or looking at gambling to solve financial problems. These are common symptoms of problem gambling.

Don’t forget if you play bingo for long enough the probability is that you will win more than £100. But remember most regular players will spend a significant amount more than £100 to win that amount. If you are an occasional player there is a very good chance that you will never have a big win. If you play online bingo on average for every £100 you spend on bingo you will win just £70 back! Bingo is supposed to be a fun game and in a controlled environment it can be one players can enjoy without risk.

According to a survey conducted almost 90 percent of individuals who took part in the study claimed they had been a winner in a game of bingo. It was also suggested that this could be a reason that roomies are moving away from bingo clubs and playing bingo at home.

This is somewhat misleading as firstly players are not moving away from bingo clubs and preferring to play online. Bingo clubs did suffer as a result of the smoking ban however it should be noted that serious bingo players are safer playing in clubs than online. All bingo clubs are regulated by the Gambling Commission and have to adhere to a strict code of practice which protects players. It is no secret that online gambling is much riskier and associated with a significantly higher level of problem gamblers. Many charities associated with problem gambling continually report their concerns of this. Not only are online bingo sites not regulated but players do not physically see the money they are spending, it is simply a number transferred to their account. Another factor that has been ignored so far is that online bingo operators take around 30 percent out of the stakes monies on average. Bingo clubs are significantly lower than this and analysis of one company suggested that their bingo clubs take less than 10% out of staked money on average.

The beliefs therefore that online bingo sites have lower overheads and therefore take less out of staked money is somewhat untrue. It was also suggested in the survey that around 17 per cent of individuals had recorded an online win of £250 to £499, while the same figure had achieved a cash sum in excess of £500. I can tell you from experience of playing online bingo as part of research for Bingosupermarket that I have only once had a win over £50 and I have spent easily ten times that amount of money. You might think that I have been unlucky but in fairness most people will find themselves in the same boat.

Players should be weary of playing online bingo. Online bingo sites do not give out free money. Any winnings that are won in free bingo games are nearly always awarded as bingo credits that can never be withdrawn. It is essentially monopoly money.

There are some online bingo sites that take this subject seriously. For example, Bingo Britain, which is operated by Patrick Duffy (who also owns bingo clubs in the UK) is regulated by the Gambling Commission. His online bingo site is the only one that is based in the UK and has to adhere to the regulations associated with this. In addition, Tombola has some of the best software on the market to monitor customer spending and it has strict limits to stop players getting into trouble. Most online bingo sites couldn’t care less about the problems associated with online bingo and players should take extra precautions in terms of spending limits, withdrawal constraints and read the small print before depositing their own money.

Remember bingo is a game to be enjoyed. Be wary of the marketing material that you read and NEVER look at gambling as a source of free money. There is only one guaranteed winner that always wins when it comes to gambling and that is the operator!