The largest international survey of online gambling will be launched on Wednesday 5th, with the findings due to be handed to the Government by the start of next year.

The research will question around 20,000 Internet players. Besides, it will interview 200 players face-to-face in focus groups in the US, UK, Japan, Canada, Germany and Sweden.

The Bingo Association informed that almost half of Scotland’s Bingo Clubs could close due to the effects of the smoking ban, which has been in force since March. “Adapting venues to the new smoke-free laws will take time and a considerable amount of investment”, Chairman Sir Peter Fry explained.

The Association recently announced that five clubs have already closed and three more are about to close for good. “The severity and speed of impact that the industry is currently experiencing in Scotland is alarming”, Sir Fry added.

MyBingo has had many years of success as the regular game. This game now introduces characteristics for teachers and students to have more fun in the classroom. It features a complete system for playing bingo in groups.

This version of the game incorporates a call Flash board to keep the call history, manual and automatic calling, card set generation and verification, printable cards and customizable game patterns. The introduction of computer projectors as educational tools serves perfectly for this purpose.

Linda Metcalfe and Karen Iles have been attending the Cheltenham Ace Bingo Club together for nine months. During that period, the two friends have split their winnings of £10 and £50 and Linda did not want to change that just because this time she hit the £100,000 jackpot.

“It doesn't matter whether it's a fiver or £100,000, we've always split it and that's not about to change”, said Linda. “She's my bingo partner, you can't cheat them. It would be like stabbing them in the back and you can't do that. Karen would do the same for me.”

Louisa Brock won £100,000 at bingo and plans to use the money to search for her sister, whom she last saw 55 years ago. "She will be around 58 years old and I think she may be living in the Aberdeenshire area”, Mrs. Brock said.

The 60-year-old retired barmaid explained that she grew up in children’s homes and foster care and has not seen her sister since she was adopted. Mrs. Brock has already found two of her sisters and is desperate to trace Helen.

Fountain Park Mecca Bingo Club in Scotland has just turned into the first completely electronic bingo club in Great Britain.

According to Rank Group, owners of Mecca Bingo, electronic bingo machines have gained increasing popularity since some of them were installed in Fountain Parlor, bringing about a significant growth in the amount of visitors.

The Australian bank interested in buying the London Stock Exchange, Macquarie, is now trying to buy the most profitable British chain of bingo clubs. They are offering £90 million for the company that owns and operates this bingo, but it is not the only offer placed to acquire Beacon Bingo as a part of Thomas Holdings.

Some other strong contenders are Hermes Private Equity and Barclays Private Equity, also short listed for the auction. Hermes are already part of the bingo industry, after their acquisition of Mayfair Bingo, formerly owned by Risk Capital Partners.

The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians submitted a proposal to put a gambling operation near Ocean Springs. If voters approve the project, Jackson Count may have a new bingo hall instead of a Vegas-style casino.

Native Americans are allowed to operate two types of gambling: Vegas-style casinos and bingo-based machines. More than a year ago, the Choctaws started seeking approval to turn their manufacturing plant near Interstate 10 into a bingo-based operation.

A new interconnected bingo system will allow people who play bingo game in Castilla and León bingo rooms, to obtain an additional prize of 30,000 euros if they can call “bingo!” before a specific number of balls fixed for that day, according to information published today by Internet portal SoloAzar.com.

The system is regulated by the local government, and it aims to “make the game more dynamic”, as “it was coming to a standstill” and needed to be adapted to the demands from users and companies.

A 60-year-old woman from Moray Park, Edinburgh, hit the £100,000 national bingo jackpot at the Gala Club in Meadowbank Retail Park. The lucky lady is a retired printer who has played bingo three times a week for 30 years.

“I couldn’t stop crying when they told me. I am just over the moon”, she said. The winner, who does not want to be named, explained that she plans to buy the council house where she lives with her husband and take her 27-year-old daughter to a holiday in Florida.