Bingo halls have faced challenge after challenge over the past few months, from crime waves to players attacking one another, bingo taxes and the smoking ban. A recent report said that the Sudbury Town Council in Suffolk has banned a local hall from using traditional calling slang, which is set to be yet another nail in the land-based bingo halls’ coffin. The ban is apparently due to concerns of sexist rhyming calls, such as Legs Eleven and Two Fat Ladies that the council felt could be offensive to some players. The irony is that since the ban, there have been a record number of complaints that the calls are now too boring, and many players are up in arms about the ban on these traditional and much-loved entertaining calls that have made UK bingo so famous. Thursday, 07 January 2010 16:18
She has just turned 100, but bingo caller Cecily Gaunson still calls bingo at her local hall three times a week. Born on New Year’s Day 1910, this vibrant centenarian is active and healthy, proving that longevity is possible with the right habits and mindset. Cecily is a regular feature at her club in New South Wales, and loves to entertain the crowd with jokes in between calls. It is this bubbly personality and constant positive attitude that have seen her through a number of trying times, including the death of her husband from radiation sickness, after serving in Maralinga during nuclear testing in the 1950s. 
With the recession still in effect, many online bingo sites have reported poor 3rd Quarter results this year. Experts have linked this to player loyalty, and have suggested that the current trend of throwing huge welcome offers and enticing bonuses at players to join may be weakening loyalty. This is largely due to the fact that once a player has taken advantage of the free games and welcome bonuses, they often move on to another site – especially if there is a better offer in store. Sites that do not have much to offer besides free games and an alluring bonus offer are finding that players seldom stick around longer than a few weeks. 
A lucky Sky Bingo player won a massive £15,000 online bingo jackpot on a 2p game recently, just in time for the holidays. Held every Friday evening, the £20k for 2p game is proving a huge success at Sky Bingo, offering players the chance to win up to £20,000 each week. Recently Claire M of Essex had her turn to see her name in lights, when she managed to scoop an astounding £15K by winning the Full House jackpot in 47 balls. 
An interesting survey done by Gala Bingo showed that the luckiest bingo game town is Harrogate. This small town has had the most bingo winners, with the most average wins over the past year. The town is well-known for its sulphur springs, and indeed – perhaps there is something in this water that has caused so many players to hit the big time with bingo wins! Whatever the case, many players living elsewhere in the UK are more than likely wishing that they lived in Harrogate. 
With an increasingly global range of bingo players, features such as multi-currency have never been more in demand. Multi-currency facilities make it possible for players to deposit or withdraw in the currency of their choice – with the most common currencies including Pound, Euro and Dollar all supported. Player currency preference is incorporated into the game software, allowing players to do all transactions in their desired currency. Previously, sites had a default currency – Dollars were the most accepted form until UK bingo took the world by storm, and for the past few years Pounds have been the default currency on most websites.