In general there are two types of bingo. There is the American style bingo game and the British style also known as Housie in some other countries. Lets look in a little more detail at the variants of bingo.

The type of bingo played in the UK is exactly the same variant as played in Australia and New Zealand although in these countries it is called housie This comprises of a bingo card with 15 numbers and there are usually 5 numbers in each of the 3 rows. These cards have 9 columns which mean 4 blank cells per row. The live game starts with the bingo caller announcing eyes down to indicate to all the players the game is starting. Bingo balls are then drawn one by one either using a mechanical bingo machine or even in some cases by drawing small tokens from a bag. Online the number are drawn using software known as a random number generator. In the UK game every number is assigned a nickname such as two fat ladies for the number 88 however this is a practise that is not that popular in Australia and New Zealand. This game always uses 90 balls and each game lasts no longer than 5 minutes. Players purchase multiple cards and it takes skill to play a dozen or more cards although online the drawn balls are marked off the cards automatically.

In America and Canada the cards are different as cards are 5 rows by 5 rows and there are no blank entries so that each card comprises of 25 numbers. The American game only has 75 numbers rather than 90 used in the UK game. The numbers are drawn out in the same way as the UK game. In America most bingo games are organised by churches or charities although there are many commercial bingo halls throughout America.

Online you can play all variants of the game and as already stated the skill in marking the cards is negated as each number is automatically marked off every card meaning you can play as many cards as you wish without ever missing a number. Each online bingo site also has chat rooms which have made online bingo a very social game compared to other gambling games such as blackjack and roulette. Many relationships have blossomed from the online bingo chat rooms and many marriages have been reported online from meetings from online bingo chat rooms.

As the online bingo games can attract players from all around the world in general the prize pools are much higher than those offered in bingo halls. Playing costs are also reduced as you dont have the expense of travelling to the venue or even buying refreshments. The rise of online bingo is heavily blamed for the demise of bingo halls throughout the UK as hundreds if not thousands have closed during the last few years. The UK smoking ban which forbids smoking indoors in public areas has also played a major part in the demise of UK bingo halls.

RTE had an interesting program on the other night called The Gambling Gene. It looked at the Irish people’s liking for a bet, to see if we were more inclined to bet than our European neighbours. Overall I thought it was pretty balanced. The presenter Joe O’Shea looked at both the problem side of gambling, but also acknowledged that gambling provides entertainment to so many. If you haven’t seen it check it out on RTE Player.

Most people I know that like a bet, will admit that in the long run they will lose. They may aspire to turn from a losing punter into a winning one, or they may hope for the big win, that will cancel out all their loses and more. Both of these can happen, but in reality most people that bet, will end up as losing punters. Why then do they bet? That’s easy. Gambling provides entertainment and should be treated as an expense, the same as going to the cinema. We know the cost of going to the cinema but how much does gambling cost us?

Because luck plays such a short term part of betting, it can be hard to put an expense on it. If we go to the cinema we know the cost of the ticket, popcorn etc… but in gambling we may win 100 one week and lose 120 the next, lose 400 one month but win 350 the next. If you keep records of all your bets, after a period of a year, you’ll have a rough, but not exact measure of the cost. Most fun bettors don’t want the hassle of adding up every penny they’ve bet though. Where’s the fun in that?

Rather than the time consuming process of adding up everything over an extended period, why not use some averages to ascertain the entertainment cost of gambling. If you have an idea of the sport your betting on, and aren’t betting at any crazy over rounds, than I suggest a 10% loss on investment would be about right for most people. It may be slightly higher if your betting at big prices with bookmakers, but you should place those bets on Betfair or Betdaq for better prices anyway.

So if 10% is a reasonable estimate of most punters loses, how does that help us measure the entertainment cost of each bet? Its quite simple really. If your betting 10 the cost is 10% of that, which is 1, and if your betting 100 the entertainment cost of the bet is 10. yes sometimes you’ll win, and sometimes you’ll lose, but overall your loses will level out at roughly 10% of what you stake. Some people will do better, especially if their reasonably selective, while punters that will bet on two flies going up a wall, will probably lose more.

Your average punter probably bets maybe 50-100 on a weekend. So his entertainment cost would be 5 to 10 per week on gambling. One trip to the cinema with his girlfriend will set him back more than that. That goes vice versa for girls, before I get any sexist accusations! The 100 a weekend punter could still lose all his bets for a few weeks in a row, so although it may only cost them 10 a week long term, you have to ensure you can afford to lose your full stake every time you bet.

In Betting Discipline – Fun bets and the inevitable Losing Runs I state you shouldn’t have fun bets if you want to win money gambling. You shouldn’t, or at least you shouldn’t count them as part of your normal bets, which you treat as a profession. You should count them as an entertainment expense, just as you would a nice meal out with your loved one. I have fun bets. I seemingly think Pod is going to win another major, I like opposing Andy Murray in Grand Slam finals, and I’ve been known to have an interest bet at the races while having a few drinks with friends.

Once you ensure you can afford to lose, the money you gamble with, there’s no reason not to use the 10% figure to decide if the entertainment is worth it. Would you rather a 10 bottle of wine, or a stake of 100 spread over the matches on a Saturday? Will the high’s and low’s, the excitement when you win, the despair, when your team ships a late equalizer, compensate for missing that bottle of wine? For many it will, and society shouldn’t frown on us for getting a kick out of having a bet. After all us gamblers don’t go out of our way to belittle people who spend money on flowers, but we all know whose wasting their money now, don’t we?

Deal or No Deal is a popular TV game show which has devoted fans in many countries around the globe. America is one country that has fallen in love with the show which has a blend of pure luck, calculating skill, and gambling excitement. And to that the 26 lovely young women who hold the money cases and a funny and loveable host in the form of Howie Mandel, and you have a game show where millions of viewers stay glued to watch another average person struggle with the chance of winning a million dollars.

There is no denying the fact that it is fun to watch people as they agonize over choosing cases and accepting the bank’s offer. People react in all kinds of different ways and that is what makes Deal or No Deal fun, especially when the unexpected happens. It is interesting to note though that most people generally play the game the same way and use very little strategy or calculation and instead get swept up in the excitement of gambling.

Of course everyone is hoping for the big win, but it seems like many people don’t have a plan or a limit set for when to stop. If they do, they get caught up in the greed and excitement of gambling and often make silly decisions that leave them with a lot less to walk off with than they would have otherwise. It is a reflection of the way many of us love to gamble.

It isn’t a bad thing; it is just interesting to see people pass up guaranteed sums of money which sometimes are fairly large in themselves, for the off chance of winning a bigger pot. It is fun to imagine what we would do in that exact same position. The decision might not be an easy one depending on the dollar amounts left in play and the number of cases left; especially if the big prizes are still up for grabs.

By just watching the show, we can experience the same emotions as the contestants. We want them to win and go for the big prize. And if they lose, we console ourselves with the thought that at least they tried! We hold our breath and wait anxiously for the bank’s offer and then mutter our advice from our armchairs. Deal or No Deal has become one of the most popular game shows of all time and it just might be because it appeals to the fascination many of us have with gambling and going for the big payout against all odds. Being an actual contestant on the show would be the experience of a lifetime, but you don’t have to be on the set to love the show as millions of loyal fans already know.