Bingo in the UK is no longer the game of choice for the blue rinse brigade. Gone are the days when bingo was confined to smoky town halls filled with grandmothers armed with special bingo pens. Prizes ranged from a tin of mushy peas to a few quid, but changing technology and slick marketing means online bingo is now big business.

Online bingo sites contribute to the UK's internet gambling industry which is now worth more than £7 billion a year, with increasing numbers of people playing every day.

Bingo is a game of complete chance. A bit like doing the lottery, it is unlike any other form of gambling. You hear the numbers, you mark them down, if you get a line or a full house, then you win a prize.

However, gone are the days when players had to venture out to their nearest bingo hall to play a few games - it can be done from their own home.

Like many forms of gambling, bingo has plunged into the realms of cyber space. It is now easier, and faster to play then ever before. The old 'bingo lingo' has been phased out so there are no more fat ladies, legs eleven or little ducks to get to grips with.

Players can create their very own cyber bingo halls and play online with friends and fellow bingo enthusiasts. Players can chat online.

Some online bingo halls offer players the opportunity to post member profiles with pictures, so that players can see eachother. This means the site can build up a community of players who all know each other and communicate through bingo forums and chat functions that are integrated into the online software.

Players can also download bingo gaming software from many of the sites. Downloads are becoming popular because players are given access to many real bingo games, along with realistic sound and enhanced graphics.

Although people think of online gambling as an American phenomenon, UK sites are quickly gaining popularity.

UK Bingo History

Bingo has come along way since its humble beginnings in Italy as far back as 1530. The game started in small country fairs and was something of a quaint game. The caller would draw numbered discs from a cigar box and players would cover their corresponding numbers with a bean. This led to the game originally being called "beano". It was soon a favourite among the French aristocracy but did not hit America until 1929.

Popular at county fairs and parties, Americans were soon going nuts about bingo. It eventually came to be known as its present day name when a confused caller shouted "Bingo!" instead of "Beano!" when his numbers came up. Now, in the modern world, it has turned into a massive online craze, with enthusiasts clamouring for a taste of the online bingo bonanza.

Please remember to play responsibly and that only over 18s are allowed to play online bingo.