New to online bingo? Let me give you a few pointers to help you get the most fun out of your gaming.

Bingo statistics

Starting with the basics, the UK has seen a recent explosion in the number of online bingo websites. There currently are over 400 of them, offering more or less the same thing - real games of bingo played with real people on your computer. Some do this well, others not so well. So your first step is have a look at my Top Ten and pick a site that appeals to you.

Let's dispell the myth that bingo is a game for your granny and her friends. A survey by Mintel for Gala Bingo shows that Bingo is the most popular group leisure activity in the UK. The survey also shows that online bingo is the most popular leisure activity for UK women aged 20-25. In fact almost 90% of online bingo players are under the age of 50, and only 2% are over 65. Women make up 85% of bingo players, but personally I can say that the other 15% enjoy it too!

So in this connected internet age you could be playing with people from all corners of the UK, and possibly accross the world. Mostly your roomies in the chatroom will be under 50 and female. You might even be playing and chatting with your neighbour. One things for sure, you won't (and shouldn't) be playing against a computer.

Playing online bingo

Online bingo is fast and easy. The balls are not real, these are randomly computer generated. That is a good thing, because the same computer system can automatically mark off (daub or dab) your bingo card. It means you won't miss numbers or make mistakes. The system can also automatically highlight and arrange your cards so that you can keep an eye on your best ones. Typically the screen will highlight your 3 to go, 2 to go and 1 to go cards. Then when you win the computer automatically stops the game and announces you as the winner to everyone playing the game.

The traditional British game of bingo is played with 90 balls, numbered one to ninety. Your card or ticket has a grid of nine columns by three rows. In each row, five of the squares have random numbers in them, the rest are blank. These numbers are placed in their decimal columns - the first column can contain numbers 1 to 9, the next 10 to 19, the next column contains the twenties, then the thirties, forties, fifties, sixties, seventies, with the final column containing numbers 80 to 90. Here is a typical UK bingo card, with red circles showing the dabbed (called) numbers.

Online bingo games run every five to ten minutes. Some websites let you buy cards (also known as tickets) during a live game, others make you wait until the one or two minute window between games. Typical card prices are 10p to 25p. You can buy just one ticket, but often players buy a strip of six, or two strips. Your card numbers are random, and some bingo sites let you change tickets or strips, giving you a kind of choice. A countdown shows you the time to the next game, then it's eyes down and the game begins.

The bingo game

Bingo balls pop out randomly from a machine, although this is simulated by software. If you have that ball number on your card it gets marked off automatically (known as auto-daubbing). In the UK 90-ball game the first objective is to mark off a full Line (all five numbers) and win the first prize. The game will pause for the claim, and that winner(s) is announced. Then the game continues with your same partially marked off cards, the next goal is to mark off two full Lines. When someone achieves this, the game pauses again to announce the Two Line winner(s). Then everyone is back in the game again for the third and final part. This time you try to completely mark off your entire card, known as a Full House. The game ends when someone claims the Full House. The Full House prize is greater than the Line prizes.

Bingo jackpots

Typically prizes can be around £20 for one ot two lines, and about £40 for a full house. The prizes depend on how many players are in the game. You'll often see prizes grow during the time between games, as more people buy cards. Also usually on offer is a jackpot. This is usually progressive or accumulative, until someone wins it. The jackpot is won by completing marking off your 15 numbers with a low number of balls called. This could be around 40 to 42 balls. Jackpot prizes could be a few hundred pounds for the continual games throughout the day, or a few thousand pounds for the big daily games. Sites also have special weekly or monthly games, where the jackpot can reach tens of thousands of pounds, or even £100,000+ for the big networked websites.

The 75-Ball game

The American style game is played with balls numbered one to 75. The card is a grid of 5 by 5 numbers, 24 in total with the middle square being free or blank. To win the game you're often required to mark off all 24 numbers, known as a Coverall or Blackout game. Often though the requirement is to complete a pattern on the card. This could be as few as four numbers as in the 'corners' pattern, or up to 18 numbers in the 'dollar sign' pattern. Other popular patterns and shapes include arrows, letters, symbols, diagonals, straight lines, double lines and inside / outsides.

How to pay and withdraw cash

Bingo providers will give usually give you 'free cash' as a joining bonus. This money goes into your 'bingo bucks' (also known as 'bingo cash' or BB or BC) account, to be spent on playing games. In other words, free money cannot be withdrawn - bingo companies are not in the habit of just giving money away! Likewise you often cannot withdraw winnings made with the free cash bonus. You get to play and tryout sites with the free BB but if you want to withdraw your winnings you'll have to deposit some real money to play with. Almost all bingo websites give you a deposit bonus, usually by doubling your initial deposit, though some websites will give you 200% or even 300% extra on your first deposit. This encourages you to make a large first deposit. Some bingo sites will also give you an extra percentage of all subsequent deposits, possibly up to 50% more whenever you make a payment. Deposits can be made by all the usual credit and debit cards, and online pay services such as Neteller, Firepay, Ukash, Paysafecard, Click2pay, Moneybookers and others. Winnings are usually stored in the player's bingo account until a withdrawal is requested. Often there's a minimum amount that you can withdraw, or you may have to pay a withdrawal fee. Withdrawals are usually paid back to the banking method used to make deposits. Read each site's terms and conditions as these vary between bingo companies.

Loyalty Points

A lot of bingo websites give loyalty points of some sort. These are awarded for making deposits, playing lots of games, or sometimes won in prize points games. You can often buy games with your points. You are rewarded for staying loyal to a site, so it's worth doing so when you've found one you like. Some sites will give you a tiered deposit bonus system, which increases your bonus the longer you stick with that particular site.

Chatting

Chatting is a big aspect of playing online bingo. This is what makes bingo different to other online gambling sites. Within your game window there will be a chat window. All players can join in, by simply typing a word, or a sentence and hitting return. In busy rooms the pace of chat can get quite fast, with comments zooming up the scrolling chat field. Usually a Chat Master will be in the room to give encouragement, help, and to make announcements. As with a lot of internet chatrooms there'll be a lot of abreviations and emoticons (smilies), so it's a good idea read my guide to jargon to save yourself asking 'what does WDW mean?' , for example. Generally chat rooms are good humoured, friendly and fun, with a lot of congratulating each other on wins.

Network Bingo Sites

Often the online bingo websites with the biggest jackpots are part of a bingo network. This could mean you're playing in a game with one particular company, but other the players could be members of a different website. The advantage of this is that prizes are typically bigger because more people are playing each game. You wouldn't be able to play a game where you're the only player, and some small bingo sites wouldn't be able to exist without pooling their games and prizes. The downside could mean that a lot of companies have exactly the same games, bonuses, and the same look of their software. If you're trying a few sites out you'll begin to see the same thing on offer from these networked websites. Big networks include St Minver and 888.com