“Really, You’ve Never Played Online Bingo Before?!”

One evening, over a few glasses of wine with my good friend Katie, we got to talking about our childhood memories of bingo. For me, my fondest memories are popping down to the local community centre with my granny, for my buddy, it was prize bingo in the amusement arcades at Skeggy. We’ve both played in the big bingo halls in town over our time, but to my absolute surprise, my bosom buddy told me she had never played online bingo. I don’t know about you, but I have been a dedicated follower of online bingo for longer than I dare admit. It’s been a long time since I experienced the thrill of picking up my virtual dauber for the first time. So a thought occurred to me, I insisted my buddy try out online bingo, and set her the challenge of recording her experience to share with my readers. I have my favourite sites, I’ve tried and tested the majority out there. My only advice was to pick reputable companies and to try out the no deposit and free bingo offers to get a feel for the sites. If she found she liked what she saw (and I was sure she would!) then she’d have a better idea where to invest her cash. So, without further ado, over to our newbie…..

A Day in the Life of an Online Bingo Newbie

I’m always up for a challenge, so I have agreed to dedicate my day off work to trying out what the world of online bingo has to offer. A google search of no deposit bingo reveals plenty of choice and advice to help me on my path….

My first choice of site offers a £15 no deposit sign up bonus. The registration process is simple and straightforward. Once signed in, I’m delighted to see the advertised offer is true to its word as my account has funds waiting to be used. I’m ready to play some bingo! Into the room I go, but it appears that I can only buy 6 tickets. The chat room seems very active here, and one of my fellow “roomies” promptly answers my question, explaining I can purchase a maximum of 6 tickets as I am using a no deposit offer. Might have known there would be a catch! But never mind, I don’t need to be greedy, let’s see what happens with my 6 cards. The games play out at a fast pace, and I am pleased to notice that my numbers are marked off automatically, and my cards move in order of strength. Quite a few 1TG’s here- see, I’m picking up the bingo lingo already! There’s a lively chat room and the friendly host is making sure we are all included. We are talking about our kids, the weather, what’s for dinner (take away at this rate!) and whether we have finished the housework yet! I’m liking this part of bingo, I’m having a laugh with like minded people. In fact, I get so engrossed in the chat that I don’t even notice I’ve won a prize, but low and behold, there’s £1.91 sitting in my cash balance, I’m a winner! This also means that I can now purchase more cards with my winnings, and at between 5p-10p a card, I’m finding a little money goes a long way. I’m impressed with what I’ve seen, and time has flown by playing here, I hope the next site is as enjoyable.

My next choice of site gives me £20 free to play with. I like this website instantly, it is very bright and girly, with cupcakes and shoes scattered about the page. I decide to try out some scratch cards before getting into a game of bingo. At 50p a card, I can see me spending my money much more quickly here than in a 5p or 10p a card game of bingo. There’s the option to click a reveal card button, to see if I have won instantly, but I prefer to scratch away each box, as you would with a real card, and feel the excitement build as I notice 2 matching symbols….. 2 cocktail glasses revealed…. will I find the third and win a 20x bonus? Not this time, but with so many instant win side games to chose from, there is chance for me yet. Time for a good old game of bingo. On checking today’s promotions, I see that there is a BOGOF offer in one room. With tickets at just 10p, this seems a good choice for me. As a newbie, I’m intrigued to know the best tactics to play online bingo. Do I invest in the maximum number of tickets per game, or stick with small numbers? FRANKIE15 seems to be winning a lot today, I wonder how many tickets she plays with? Lots more than me, or is Lady Luck on her side? I increase my purchase to 25 tickets, plus my 25 free tickets. Low and behold, I win my first full house of the day! I’m no mathematician, but logic tells me, the more cards I play with, the more chance I have of winning. Better be careful though, I don’t want to spend my money too quickly, I’m sure I won’t always be as lucky!

I can hardly believe the time, the day has flown by, and in a most enjoyable way! I’m going to try 1 more site before I call it a day. This time I opt for a site I feel very familiar with thanks to its extensive advertising presence. I have to enter my card details this time to sign up, however, it is with assurances that no money will be taken from my account without my authorisation. A £5 welcome bonus greets me at this site, and I waste no time in diving straight into a classic 90 ball game. Unlike some other sites where I had signed up for a no deposit bonus, there is no limit placed on the amount of cards I am able to buy with my bonus balance. The chat room is very vibrant, I really feel like I am making friends here in a way that I just wouldn’t be able to do in real life. The cheeky northern bingo caller is adding to the sense of fun. I notice there are more players here than previous games I’ve played, and this is reflected in the higher prizes. After several games, we arrive at the happy hour and there’s free bingo, and then games where it only costs 1p per card. This feels like a nice little bonus. My £5 sign-up money has been spent quickly at this site, but that’s because I have been enjoying the game and the company so much. Although I didn’t win big this time, I feel I will be back here!

Overall Impressions and Advice for Beginners

Having spent the day playing online bingo, my overall feeling is “why didn’t I do this sooner?!” It was great advice to look for free offers so I could have a taster of what was out there before deciding where to spend my money. I noticed that lots of sites offer a bonus when you deposit funds, so I will be looking out for these next time I play to make my cash stretch further. I made no secret in the chat rooms that this was the first time I had dipped my feet into the online bingo pool, and I could not have been made to feel more welcome. Regardless of the site I played on, I felt part of a community. I can see why so many people choose to spend their time in the cyber world of bingo, if only real life were as warm and inviting!

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• 1. Try a variety of sites to find the ones you like
  2. Take advantage of welcome bonuses
  3. Look out for promotions, such as BOGOF’s and free bingo
  4. Only play with reputable companies
  5. Set limits to avoid spending too much time or money
  6. Join in the chat room conversations, there’s more to bingo than the game