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Brett Hyrjak - Image Courtesy of the NBGAWelcome! You've found your way to Brett Hyrjak's corner of Playing Bingo. Get yourself comfy and pull up a web page - share a few minutes with the Bingo Caller Of The Year 2006 and GalaTV caller.

Brett will be dropping by monthly with his own personal column, exclusive to Playing Bingo. Brett will be writing about his experiences as a Bingo caller and an ambassador for the game. Funny experiences, calling tips and lots of Bingo related anecdotes are expected!

If you'd like to find out more about Brett and his background and how he prepared for the 2006 Bingo Caller Of The Year competition, you can read a full interview with him in the Playing Bingo Articles And Interviews section. Subscribe (Atom) to Brett's Corner.

Thursday, 5 November 2009

My very last Brett's Corner!!!!!!!

me and the missus in vegas


Yes, you have read correctly, this will be the very last post on 'Brett's corner'!!!! After 2 and a half years of comment and criticism on everything bingo I have decided to pack away the laptop and switch off the wireless (metaphorically speaking, of course-I can't possibly cope without Facebook and TV on demand!!)

I have thoroughly enjoyed writing for this site over the course of the 'corner' and hope that all of you, both bingo staff and players alike have enjoyed the articles too. Some of my conflabs about the bingo world have generated laughter and joy: Lucky seat bust ups; staff parties/panto's and my encounter with the Eggheads!!!! Other articles have generated a completely different kind of reaction and have encouraged debate and discussion.

When I look back over the time spent in 'Brett's corner' I have seen many changes happen not only in bingo, but in my career as well. When I started this article I had just been given the honour of being the Nations best bingo caller and was calling in a small club on a holiday resort. Electronic bingo was just starting in the larger halls and the smoking ban hadn't even hit England yet!
bingo caller of the year!!!!! AHHHHHH YEAH!!!!!!!

Since then I have experienced bingo calling in Vegas, have met countless celebrities and conducted interviews in National papers, radio and TV. My life now is vastly different from when I first started writing for this site to the point where the vast majority of my work is away from the bingo halls where I have spent most of my career.
just some of the celebs that I have met in my time as a caller


And that is the predominant reason why I have decided to call time on 'Brett's corner'. My job in bingo has now taken me away from the 'bricks and mortar' side of the bingo world and into a completely new direction: one that is exciting and fantastic for me, but means that my opinions on all things bingo are being relayed from a distant memory of the clubs rather than from being on the 'front line' so to speak. Even playing the game, which I used to do at least a couple of times a month has been reduced to only a couple of times THIS YEAR, (I still love playing bingo; just that the commute away doing my work means that any time off is quality time spent with my wonderful fiancee!!!!


me 'working'!!!!!!

Do you know I am closely coming up to spending 10 years in the world of bingo!!!! And to think that when I first went to the interview for the job of a bingo steward in Bognor Regis I thought that bingo was only played a few evenings a week and was only played for a few quid and some cuddly toys?!!?!? I can safely say that since then I have personally given away MILLIONS of pounds in cash and luxurious prizes to thousands of players up and down the land, and I hope to continue doing the same for years to come.

>

fun as a bingo caller!!!!!!

So, in the words of the late Michael Jackson: THIS IS IT!!!!!
Keep the bingo faith and no matter whether you play bingo, are curious about the game, or even work in bingo then keep on supporting this great British game. I never like saying goodbye because you never know what is around the corner...especially in this game. The amount of people I have met working in bingo who I have said goodbye to when they have announced that they are leaving the job......only to come back months or even weeks later makes me especially dubious to ever say cheerio for good. So instead I will say.......see ya later people!!!!!!!! and if I ever meet any of you in the flesh then................


Mines a pint!!!!!!

(the views expressed throughout every blog and article in Brett's corner are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer)


Posted by Brett at 14:26 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

Thursday, 15 October 2009

Wait until your'e 18 people!!

Here's a story in the Kent area about a bingo hall in Maidstone that was victim to an attempted break in by two teenagers aged 16 and 17........

.....Dressed in camoflague they first tried to break into an upper entrance before giving up and scaling the rooftops to try to find access that way........with no success as one of them became trapped and had to be rescued by the authorities!

What makes this more unbelievable is that this was attempted in broad daylight and people were even queuing outside the premises to get in for the first session of the day!!!!

Apparantley the youths were just wanting to 'take pictures' of the bingo hall.......yeah right!!!!!!!

The only thing they ended up taking though at the end of it was the precious time of the police and fire services........

Posted by Brett at 23:18 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

Sunday, 4 October 2009

Calling on Mount Everest.....it's SNOW joke!!!!!!

Not so long ago we had the most people ever playing a game of bingo......how do we better that? By having the Worlds HIGHEST game of bingo ever played!!!!!

A bingo manager has set themselves the challenge of reaching the highest point in the World (which is Mount Everest and not Blackpool tower as some people think!) and calling a game of bingo with some nutty players, and all in the name of charity!!!

Apparently he has been in training for this task by calling at the top of Canary Wharf in London! Although I do think the smog filled city of London is slightly more pleasing than the oxygen starved summit of the globe!!!!!

My best wishes to all involved in this worthwhile event and if you want to find out more and maybe sponsor the expedition then just follow the link:





Posted by Brett at 11:12 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

Sunday, 27 September 2009

Slice of bingo life down the theatre.

A few months ago we heard about a play in the north of England that depicted life in the bingo halls. You were even given a bingo ticket as an audience member and could win a 'fantastic prize' during the show!

Well this weekend there was a performance of another bingo related play at London's Hackney Empire called 'Strictly bingo' a clip of which you can see here:



As you can see it details the bingo world in a pretty animated way (I can even forgive the actor calling the bingo numbers announcing 91 and 92!!!!!) . But I deny any player or bingo worker to say that they haven't seen a similar situation in there local club!!!

The play centres around a player winning £20,000 and refusing to share her winnings with her playing partner (a familiar tale if ever I heard one!) whilst all this is going on other relationships are formed and broken both from the players and the bingo staff.

It sounds like a really good show,and something I would have loved to see. Let's hope it returns again by popular demand.

Posted by Brett at 15:15 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

Tuesday, 15 September 2009

Did she deal or no deal on £5,000 or £1,000?

We have another tale here of disgruntled customer vs the bingo hall's. This time it involves a situation where the prize board had the incorrect amount displayed on it and the customer receives a lesser amount.

This raises a potential minefield of questions to prove who is right and who is wrong in this instance:

If the prize board displayed £5,000 and not £1,000 then why did nobody notice the discrepancy during the course of the game?

Should the caller or even more so the booksales department question the increased prize money on offer?

Did the caller announce the real prize money or the prize money displayed on the board? If so did they question the increase there and then?

Where was the manager in all this? Didn't they hear or see the prize money on offer and react accordingly?

Would the regular players have seen the huge jump in prize money and made a member of staff aware of it?

The thing is....from reading the article the club do not seem to have a leg to stand on. They have admitted that the prize board was showing the larger amount on the game in question and when the customer signed for her prize, she signed a receipt with the prize stating £5,000 on it. The manager of the club also seems to be keeping quiet and not responding to the media's request for a statement or an explanation. The only grey area is the woman in question states that she 'thinks' that the money was announced on stage by the caller as £5,000, although the Regional manager of the company disputes this.

As a caller I am surprised that the discrepancy was not spotted the moment the prizes were displayed on the board. If it was me on that stage that night I would have questioned the prizes straight away. A caller can see the audience in front of him......they know the price of the session and if they have worked in the club for some time then they will know the average prize board depending on how many people are in. To get a jump from a house prize of £1,000 one week to £5,000 the next means that the hall needs to have 5 times as many people in it to justify that leap in cash! Unless of course the tickets cost 5 times as much!!!

I remember a session in Bognor Regis a few years back when I noticed that the prize money on the board seemed to be less than half of what it normally was for a similar session the week before. I stopped the game and actually phoned the booksales team to check it. When they confirmed to me that it was correct I carried on calling for the lesser prizes. The customers were incensed and some stayed afterwards to vent there anger. It was only when the figures were checked again by the manager the next day that an error was spotted and we had actually taken too much money off the prize board! After sending letters to every player that session apologising for the mistake and awarding the actual amount to the winning players it was too late....the masses had voted with there feet and decided to play somewhere else. Even though it was bad for the club, I had felt good because as a caller my experience had proved that something was up with the prizes. And that should have been the same here with this story.

I have a funny feeling that you had either a new, inexperienced or demoralised caller up on the stage on the session in question. They couldn't be bothered with even saying what the prizes were and were probably just thinking 'this is the last game before I finish and get off down the pub to try to pull that new staff member working in the diner!'

I hate to say this but bingo calling is becoming a dying art. As more clubs cut back on staff and more new technology comes in, the caller is fast becoming someone who 'just calls the numbers'. In my day (I can't believe I just said that!) the caller was one of the most important aspects of the bingo. They ensured a smooth, fun and enjoyable night for all, whilst maintaining a professional and above board gaming session. I wonder how many callers in the clubs today actually know the rules and regulations of the bingo that they are residing over? Also in defence of the callers; how many of them have to now also multi-task and take on responsibility's elsewhere because there company is maximising there workforce potential whilst sacrificing the expertise of specialist personnel?

In any case my feelings are that the bingo club in question are obligated to award the full amount to the player, no matter what the normal prize money is for that session, and no matter whether the player was aware of the true value of the game that they were playing. The evidence suggests that there are too many variables to confirm that the prize money was the lesser amount.

Case dismissed!!!!!!

Posted by Brett at 23:01 | Add your comments [2] | Links |

Tuesday, 8 September 2009

What's your favourite four letter word beginning with 'f'?

Did you say 'Free'? I hope you did! If you thought of any other four letter word then you are just naughty!! 'Free' is always a word that fills us with joy: from the promoters in the street who give you free samples of products, to the little known websites that offer free mobile ring tones and games....when you get something for nothing it really brightens up your day.

The bingo industry knows how much there players love the 'F' word and have been offering there customers, new and old alike, free bingo for many years in the club's and more recently on the web as well. But, you may wonder, how can they do it? Free bingo? Money for nothing? Surely there is a catch? Well, there's not............really! For those of you that want to know, here are my views on the positives and negatives of the FREE game of from a web and a real bingo club perspective:

My first experience of the Free bingo phenomenon was within the first few days of me working for my first club. We had two Free sessions of bingo every week: on a Tuesday night and a Sunday Afternoon. I later found out that the reason for this is that in this particular company; which consisted of 5 clubs on the south coast, every club had an allocation of 1 afternoon and 1 evening of free bingo and they could not clash on there free promotions. Therefore the more 'bargain hunting' bingo player could visit a club in Portsmouth for free bingo on a Wednesday afternoon and then go to nearby Gosport for there free bingo session on the Thursday Afternoon.

No matter what club I have worked for though, Free bingo has always guaranteed a bumper hall full of bingo players; from young and old, bingo virgins and the hardcore alike-everyone loves a free game of bingo! Even the manager is happy because more players are in the hall which means greater returns at the diner, bar and party games area's. But is Free bingo really free?

Well, yes it is.....as long as all you play are the Free tickets that are on offer. This generally refers to the main session books only. If you want to take part in any link games, or the National game and in some cases even the early and the late sessions; you still have to pay. So if you have never played bingo you could opt into the free games knowing that if you messed up or missed a claim, it didn't cost you anything.

Free bingo sessions in club are also a big plus because all of the winnings are truly free and real and should you win a free game you get the cash there and then!!!!! And, as we are about to explore, in club Free bingo trumps the online version as in most cases your free session lasts for at least 10 games over the course of a 2hour session whereas online you might only get one free game an hour.

Online bingo is a different beast and is played for different reasons. Whereas in the real clubs a free session ensures a full hall of players who have to stay and play for the entire session to get there free fix; the online version has to try a lot harder to keep there players playing on there site.

Online bingo is truly a players paradise and any bingo companies potential nightmare. People playing in clubs generally only have one or two options in there towns (and in the last couple of years the choice of clubs have reduced dramatically for them!) Playing in the comfort of your own home online though and your options are practically limitless!!! A shrewd online player can browse numerous sites and dip in and out of games when it is most beneficial for them. I suppose the only bugbear being that you have to register and give your credit/debit details for every site you wish to play on. Therefore free bingo on the web can be nothing really more than a tool to bring more people to the site, hoping that they stay to play the following 10p game or pop a pound into a mini game during the course of the Free one.

And the big companies are really cursed because once one big one does it than the others really have to follow suit for fear that the more loyal players will 'defect' to the other 'freetastic' site.

Winability in the online games is an issue as well and one that could deter some players if they become saturated with 'free this' and 'free that' offers. My experience of playing free games online have always been losing ones. Check the players involved box and generally the numbers are in the 4 figures.....then check the prize money and see that you are playing for £20 in total? That's OK if you win, but wouldn't you be better off spending a £1 in an adjoining room at the same time when there are only 40 players and your playing for £50? Silly question really, because as I mentioned earlier, the shrewd online player would sign in for the free game (sometimes even using other family members accounts as well.......you know who you are!) minimise that game and play in the other room as well. It would be interesting to see how many players actually sit and play the free games or just confirm there tickets and get up and make a cup of tea or go outside for a fag?

So, Online or bricks and mortar......I suppose it's preference at the end of the day...online is easier to accommodate and quicker than actually investing a whole afternoon or evening in club....whereas for the more socially minded and value driven visiting and supporting your local bingo club could be more rewarding. My personal choice....in club bingo all the way....the online version is just too busy and after playing along without winning for the umpteenth time I just get the urge to get the tickets, ignore the game and go back to bejewelled blitz on facebook!!!! A free game of bingo down your local hall though is a much more interactive and rewarding experience. It gets you out of the house, most bingo clubs are generally less busy than a popular online free bingo site, and if you are lucky enough to win then you get the cash in your hand straight away!!!!

Feel free to post your own views on which you prefer.....it is FREE to do so don't you know!!!



Posted by Brett at 23:00 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

Tuesday, 18 August 2009

NO DEPOSIT FREE £100 bonus at Britains fastest growing online bingo site

One of my pet hates about bingo advertising......actually ALL advertising........is when the adverts deliberately cloud the promotion....making the consumer think that they are getting something when in fact they are not.

Do you remember when you were a kid at the funfair and you went on one of those stalls where you would have to get a certain score on a dart board to win a prize? Dotted around the stall were HUGE cuddly toys that were bigger than you. You'd try and fail several times to get the score required and then eventually you'd achieve it and you would be chuffed to bits.....until the vendor put his hands under the stall to reveal a small teddy-bear shaped key-ring......"but hey, I want the big cuddly dog?" you would say......."sorry kid...those are for when you win 10 times in a row" or some other such newly realised rule that was not written in the small print!!!

Well this bingo site have recently done a similar thing with there online promotion.....£15 free
is what they are offering......After a complaint from a customer however who found that they could not recoup any winnings that they had gained from this 'free play' they have now had to amend the wording of there promotion.

I am not a fan of this misleading form of advertising, although I can see why so many online companies offer this to new players: the more people that click and play with you the more likely that they will stay and play for real.

To the online bingo regulars I would say that the vast majority of them are fully aware of these promotions and choose there bingo sites on other strengths...however it is the few novice bingo players who are enticed initially by the offer of 'FREE MONEY' who will shout the loudest and vow never to play bingo again: and these new customers are what the online industry needs as the market becomes more and more saturated with bingo web sites.

Like with everything in this world....if something seems too good to be true, then it probably is! I'll talk about this more next week when I discuss the merits of the FREE game of bingo.

(OH and by the way...if you were reading this to find out more about the £100 online offer then you obviously haven't gotten the gist of what I am trying to say!!!!!)

Posted by Brett at 21:16 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

Monday, 10 August 2009

Another week.....another bingo closure

Another club shut down this week, this time in Scotland; one of the most bingo loving parts of the United Kingdom. It's pleasing to know though that the club was packed out for it's final night making sure that it would close down with a bang rather than a whimper.

The other good thing is that once again a club in nearby Glenrothes is offering a coach service from Leven to there club....or should I say clubs: as TWO are offering seperate buses to each venue! Competiton is always good for the players and gives the Leven regulars the chance to try out both clubs and cherry pick the best promotions.

Even though this is a little silver lining, the fact remains that once again another town is deprived of a valuable venue for the community.

Posted by Brett at 23:31 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

Monday, 3 August 2009

As one hall closes.....a coach door opens!!!!!

When another bingo club closes in the country (which seems to be on a weekly basis at the moment) you not only lose out on your bingo playing fun; you also lose out on a valuable resource for the community. I'm not talking to the young players who visit the club once or twice a month who will simply drive to the nearest rival club...I am talking about the O.A.P's and others who visit the the club 3 or more times a week to meet up with friend's, have a win; and most importantly get themselves out of the house. Without this outlet, these people have no choice but to stay in and watch the telly.....not a happy life to have in your twilight years.

So it is pleasing to know that when a club in Pitsea closed it's doors last weekend another club in nearby Canvey stepped in to offer the community a way to keep there bingo spirits up. They are offering a bus which transports the Pitsea bingo players from the site of the old club to the Canvey club for just £1 each way. Of course this is not just a friendly gesture, but a way of maybe getting some more admissions through the Canvey club's door; but the sentiment remains and it is a great move from the club and the manager. This now offers the players of Pitsea the chance to still get some bingo and more importantly to get out and about.

My one concern though is with the Pitsea players themselves. This whole story of a club putting on a coach to offer customers the chance to play some games reminds me of my old place back in Bognor Regis (Before they knocked it down to build a hotel: the scummers!!!)

When we first opened we were pitted against the only other club in town which had been established for over 20 years. We were not only situated on the outskirts of town, but players also had to go through security gates to enter the holiday camp that we were part of so we were finding it very hard to 'poach' players. Speaking to the customers that were choosing the central club over ours the general consensus was that because we were too far away from the station/bus stop it was easier to go to the rival club. After we did a questionnaire and a survey we decided to provide a free minibus to ferry the players from Bognor Station and the surrounding villages. We advertised it well and received positive feedback from the customers when we said what we were doing.

However when the bus service started the uptake was practically non-existent. Every session the bus would be off on its regular 15 minute journey around the whole of Bognor town and beyond and we would be lucky if we had 1 or 2 people waiting to be picked up. Most of the time the coach would return empty. It was disappointing because we really felt that the customers would give us a try. Every day it would cost us £200 to run this free service; £200 that was being offset on other things, namely other promotions and the prize board. After two weeks we cancelled the service.....we just could not afford to pay someone to drive around Bognor for no reason every day!!

This happened to us for lot's of reasons, the main one being that at the end of the day the other club was so established and was in the most central part of town where players could dash out and do there shopping in between games that we could never truly compete no matter what we did. So we decided to concentrate on the 'die hard' players that we had and the visitors who had never played bingo before. The money saved on the coach idea instead went on to loyalty schemes and the prize board to keep our regulars assured that they were are primary priority.

Now the situation in Pitsea is very different; mainly the players have no club to go to now in town!!!! Hopefully the offer of the bus will be taken up by a large majority of the players. But it is interesting to read in the article that they are running the twice weekly service for a trial period of 4 weeks to start off with, just in case they come into the same problems that we had. I just hope that this kind gesture by a neighbouring town is taken up and becomes more established. Maybe if that works you might see other bingo operators doing the same thing and helping other bingo players who have seen there beloved halls shut in recent times to still get there bingo buzz!!!!

Posted by Brett at 13:38 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

Tuesday, 28 July 2009

Hello Again.

Hello again,

Sorry folk's about not posting for a while.....it's been a busy time with me as I have been moving house and visiting the family back in Bognor Regis: I am now away from the rather weird sounding Fishponds area of Bristol and am living in the more Regal sounding 'Kingswood'. After rearranging rooms, unpacking boxes and setting up my new Internet connection, I am now raring to go with some more bingo goss!!!!!

So it has been a while since I have scoured the sites for recent information but the general consensus is that the doom and gloom is still about........even the good news about a player winning a brand new car is soured with the news that she has been diagnosed with swine flu and has to remain at home in quarantine 'car-less' (for the time being!!!)

There is more news out there about the new 21st century swanky club in Nottingham that is attracting a lot of attention. Reading through the article makes me think that this type of club could be the way to go for the future of the bingo.....having a venue that mixes the old style of playing alongside the new fast paced online element, is maximising the potential for new customers. And also with the nightclub/casino feel in other parts of the hall you could open up the doors for a whole new clientele. When I visited a club in Las Vegas a couple of years ago this type of hall was the norm and maybe the clubs in this country will follow suit soon.

Controversial news about a club in Cambridge that has been closed and has now been taken over by squatters. At first I was 'outraged and disgusted' but as I read on I discovered that they are going to be planning to make it into a 'social centre' and offering free games of bingo and cinema events into the bargain. Good on them if they can pull it off but I really think that from prior experience of squatters a lot of this talk about 'fighting the system' and 'helping the community' is firmly tongue in cheek and harks back to the hippy day's.....if they are reading this then prove me wrong!!!!!!

In the world of the bingo advertsier we have been inundated with commercials of happy females, dancing foxes and elderly customers on adverts recently with little or no male representation.......now after another 'fantastic brainstorming session' by people who have never visited a bingo club or met a bingo player we have...........'BINGO WINGS IDOL!!' That's right!! Adverts have been placed online and in local job centres asking for 'obese young women' between the ages of 18 and 50. I don't know what is infuriating me more......the fact that they are saying that everyone that plays bingo is a woman...or that the fact that everyone that plays bingo is fat!!! Obviously the fact that the name of the 'contest' contains the word 'bingo wings' implies that only a certain type of person can apply....but even so I cannot see that an advertising promotion involving this improves the opinion of bingo in this country. However if you are a lady with a 'bubbly personality' then the £100,000 prize and the promise of appearing in a 'Worldwide' advert could compensate for the offence!!!!! Hell if I was a woman I would be saying 'bring me the pies!!!!'

Anyway keep the bingo faith and see ya soon folks!!!!!

Posted by Brett at 20:58 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

Thursday, 2 July 2009

hands off our balls!!! Players storm the capital

The bingo industry have finally joined forces, along with customers and have stormed parliament to urge the government to reduce the bingo tax laws: Well, when I say storm; I really mean that on one of the hottest days of the year around three hundred players and staff visited the capital to stage a peaceful demonstration on an open top bus whilst waving placards and chanting slogans such as '1 and 5 keeps bingo alive'

It's pleasing to see that the bingo playing public are willing to stand up for the clubs and try to make a concerted effort to ge the people that matter to listen and amend these unfair taxation laws.

Although in a flipside to this, after an announcement that a club in Pitsea is to close at the end of the month some customers were reported to say that they were not surprised about the news: a bit defeatest some may say; but unfortunately maybe these people are realists?

It's the players that use the clubs as a social event though that I feel most sorry for: the shutting of smaller non-profit making hall's means another place lost where people can meet friends and feel welcome.

Hopefully the government will not wait much longer to amend this law: and not wait until the next general election to throw the bingo tax into the pot as 'bait' to tempt voters to tick there parties box!!!

check this link out for more on the protest....including an audio clip about the demonstration.

Posted by Brett at 22:27 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

Monday, 22 June 2009

stop the bullying players...No matter how old they are!

You would think in today's climate that there would be plenty of seats available in the bingo hall to accommodate everyone. Well not for a 96 year old pensioner from Scotland who has now been banned from every club in the country after punching a manager in the face!!!!

After finding out that her regular seat had been taken, the OAP decided to have a shouting match demanding her table back. Apparently when the assistant manager came to calm down proceedings he was rewarded with a left hook from the pensioner! She now has been banned from every one of the companies clubs for life!

Reading between the lines on this it seems to me that this player has been a constant menace for a while: Every club seems to have one such member (most clubs have at least a dozen!!!) and reports suggested that this was not the first time that the player had acted out of order. It's just a shame that they could only take action on the disruptive member after a physical altercation had taken place. And kudos to the assistant manager for not reacting to being smacked one. I don't think I would have shown the same restraint.....imagine if they had reacted....the pensioner would have sued and the papers would be going on about how an adult had smacked a poor old defenceless 96 year old lady!!! Will the assistant manager get justice for being whacked in the face....I doubt it!!!


Posted by Brett at 15:00 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

Sunday, 14 June 2009

I like very much,,,,,,,,,its nice

Remember a couple of years ago when Sacha Baron Cohen's 'Borat' invaded America causing mayhem, not to mention several lawsuits. Well his new alter-ego 'Bruno' has started where Borat left off; only this time he has upset the US bingo community!!

A woman who ran a charity bingo game in America is suing the former Ali G star after she claims she was 'offensively touched, pushed and battered' which caused her to fall to the floor (sometime later apparently) and hit her head on concrete: confining her to a wheelchair ever since!

Now, this could be clever PR for the movie. All the hype from the Borat movie mainly came from Americans filing damage's claims left, right and centre (or should that be center!?!?!) and maybe they are doing the same sort of stuff for this film. Or it could be a genuine claim for what could have been a very distressing situation?

It's funny though that this suit has been filed after the victim realised that this was a motion picture film and not just a small Austrian documentary crew. America, it seems, hates to be the butt of any sort of jokes; especially when it makes them look stupid, un-educated, homophobic or racist.

I have a funny feeling though that when Bruno is released worldwide then we shall see what actually happened in the incident and realise that the law suit is being filed out of embarrassment rather than victimisation.

Now can I get a free ticket for the premier Sacha? hmmmmmmmmm?

Posted by Brett at 04:16 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

Tuesday, 9 June 2009

Where's my hair??

Just a selfish little thing. I searched for my name on Youtube and this little gem popped up!!!!! Me on the automated bingo TV service. Thanks to the person that uploaded it (I think I know who you are!!)
Click and watch it and maybe I'll get a million hits!!!


Posted by Brett at 04:18 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

Watch out taxman.........bingo wants it's money back!!!!

Yeah!!!!!!! Gordon Brown might have been perplexed the other day when the bingo player ranted at him about the unfair taxation on the bingo industry, but he will be fully aware of the game now as the bingo companies will be seeking to reclaim around £500 million for being overcharged on tax on ancilliary games.

This story has been around for the last 18 months or so and it is pleasing to see that the judgement has been upheld (One of the few advantages of being in the European Union!)

Although this might be another headache for our countries economic security, at least it could save the jobs of a lot of people in the bingo halls and ensure that the remaining operating clubs in the country stay open and in business. Although I do agree with this site that the government are sure to make the bingo industry pay for 'doing them over' with some other inventive tax on the game!

Nice one!!!!!!!

Posted by Brett at 03:58 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

Tuesday, 2 June 2009

You don't need to see to play bingo!!!!!

Here is a story about a blind woman in the states who has won a battle to make electronic tickets audible when a claim is found so that she can stop the game. Apparently in the US, up until this judgement the consoles played on in bingo clubs there had to be silent. Over in this country the sound on these machines vary from club to club and from each different brand of electronic gaming machine.

I know that I have been rather technologically minded in my last few post's, but I think the bingo industry is missing out on something here. Believe it or not, in my time working in the halls I had several players that came in and played who were either visually impaired or totally blind. They played the game either by bringing in a carer to assist in the game, or in the case of one of my old regulars in Bognor Regis we photocopied the tickets to A4 size so that they could see them. If we could make these electronic terminals more user friendly for the visually impaired in the community then we could open up the bingo clubs to a whole new breed of player.

And to solve the problem of customers complaining about the beeps and whistles of these terminals then there is this great invention that can combat this.......something that could also be used by the ignorant kids on buses and trains when they play there tinny music constantly on there mobile phones.......an invention called the EARPHONE!!!!!

Most modern clubs now have hearing loops installed so that people with compatible hearing aids can play along and listen to the caller clearly.....so why not do something to assist the blind to play the game?


Posted by Brett at 14:27 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

Tuesday, 26 May 2009

Ton up your bad selves!!!!!

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned about bingo's oldest player at 102. Well, another centenarian has now entered the 'record' mix as perhaps being the player who has travelled the furthest to take part in a session of bingo!!!!!

Jean is a former Scot who is now based in Canada, who, for her 100Th birthday travelled over 3,000 miles to play bingo in a club in Dundee.........because it has a better atmosphere than her local club in Canada!!!!!

Her sprightly nature and her determined attitude just goes to show that bingo can keep you active and young..........so grab a dabber and join in!!!!!!

Posted by Brett at 12:14 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

Wednesday, 13 May 2009

you'll never get rid of the dabbers....part 2.......the debate!!!!

My main piece this month is a follow up to last months discussion over modern technology coming into the bingo clubs today. I ended the blog by stating that you can never get rid of the paper bingo but after reading articles this month I am not so sure. A woman was reported to have missed out on £1000 in winnings because the caller did not stop the game when she shouted and instead carried on. Now, missed claims are not an unusual story in the world of bingo, in actual fact it happens all the time. In this instance the customer has kicked up a fuss and taken her story to the local press. I just hope that the club involved hold steadfast in keeping to the rules of the game (unless of course it is proven that the caller did indeed make an error and 'missed' the claim) instead of bowing down to media pressure. But could modern technology get rid of missed claims for good; or would it interfere with the 'skill' aspect of the game?

For as long as I can remember, the way to play bingo was to buy your books, listen and dab off the numbers on your cards, and scream like a banshee when the last number completes the line/2 lines/house. Over the last couple of years though more and more technology has been brought into place which has made this process easier for the player. Handheld electronic tickets which keep an eye on your best tickets as you dab them off and alert you to when you have won are now commonplace in most modern clubs. And now the computer terminals are popping up where: via a touchscreen/swipe card method you can now purchase, play and win without even leaving your seat. The winning is automatic and the prizes are instantly put back onto your card. I have even heard reports from players in some clubs that the shouting aspect has gone from the terminal players as all the player has to do is to press a button on the touchscreen to alert the caller to the claim; and as long as the caller is being stopped by the player (no matter whether it is through a shout/a button press that pops up on the callers monitor/ or by somebody sounding a klaxon and throwing there knickers on the stage!) then they are playing according to the club rules, which everyone accepts when they become a club member.

But is this fair though? I remember when playing bingo was all about the skill of it. You would learn how to play by your mother or friend or whoever dragged you down to the club. Invariably you would miss your first claim because you never realised you had a line, or that you never knew you had to shout the moment the number came out, and quite quickly you would make sure that you would never make the same mistake again. I have to say that I am one of the fortunate few who have never missed out on a claim whilst playing (although there was one instance where my two lines came out of nowhere and the next number came out, but fortunately me shouting down the house stopped the caller from starting it!) and this has mostly to do with the fact that I have seen literally tens of dozens of people miss out by either being too slow, too quiet, or even too shy to stop the claim. In these people's cases maybe the computerised way of playing might be more beneficial to them? How many new players I wonder visit a club for the first time only to become overwhelmed by the variety and pace of the game, miss a claim, then never come back because it was all too complicated for them? Die hard old-school bingo players might say 'tough' if a new player misses out. At the end of the day a player missing out means another chance for them to win. I bet the player who won the full house from the disabled pensioner in the article didn't forgo the prize because it wasn't fair that the caller hadn't heard the earlier claim. You BET they didn't! They were probably cursing when they heard the commotion beforehand and then went 'goodie' when the caller refused the complaint and carried on with the game. This is just the nature of the game......But would totally automated bingo be the solution to the 'missed claim' forever?

Play bingo at any site on your computer and the game is played in front of you. Whilst you are talking in the chat rooms.....or making a cup of tea.....your tickets are being dabbed off automatically and your winnings are claimed for straight away. If online gaming operated in the same way as the bricks and mortar business then I think that bingo online would have ended a long time ago. The amount of lawsuits would be astronomical; not to mention that the gaming commission would be shutting sites left, right and centre for cheating the players out of winnings that were meant to be theirs. It shouldn't take a lot of effort to make all bingo clubs run in a similar way, and wouldn't this be easier for everyone? Totally automated bingo whereby the players could dab without fear of missing out on a prize? Or would that take away the whole point of playing and winning at bingo? What's the point of dabbing if the winnings are automatically credited to you?

To be totally honest with you I have no definitive opinion on this matter: Do we keep the old methods whereby if you miss the last number you miss the prize, or do we go the online route and automatically stop the claims? Discuss...........

Posted by Brett at 00:09 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

Saturday, 9 May 2009

how low can you go?

What sort of lowlife would go to a social club to steal a pensioners handbag? THIS sort of man would and did. The good news is that he got caught: The bad news is that he got let off with just a community order. Bingo has always been known for being a friendly place where people can relax and enjoy themselves and even get to meet new friends. This pensioner was only being nice to a new face in her social club and was showing him how to play bingo: and she gets repaid by getting ripped off at the first opportunity. The sad thing is that she is going to think twice before trying to help anyone out again......and that's tragic.

Posted by Brett at 19:50 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

Thursday, 30 April 2009

Happy 102nd birthday to the 'oldest bingo player?'

what is the secret to a long and healthy life? A report a few years ago suggested that bingo kept the mind active and improved the brains functions, which could explain how this lady is celebrating her 102nd birthday!!!!!
Anne from Bradford celebrated this momentous occasion by going down to her local bingo to have a game. She has been doing this for decades and frequents the club around five days a week!! Before the club was opened she would travel for miles around on the bus to get her bingo fix.....much to the worry of her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren!!!!!!

Congratulations to you Anne.....and keep on winning. You are putting us 'young-uns' to shame!!

Posted by Brett at 21:12 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

Friday, 24 April 2009

justice in the bingo!!!

A man has been jailed for 4 years after trying to guarantee themselves a win in bingo.....by robbing the place. After an attempt to rob a social club, Shaun Grooby then moved on to his local bingo club in Aylesbury where he managed to gain access to the clubs safe and £25,000 in cash. Fortunately justice has been served swiftly and this thief is now behind bars.

Posted by Brett at 23:36 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

A journalist who has actually been to a club for longer than five minutes!!!!

Check out this meaty article from the local press recently about modern day bingo. The thing I like about this is that the journalist writing the article has actually made the effort to get away from the 'easy' stereotypical view of the bingo industry. It actually portrays a truer view of the industry and also highlights the more positive aspects of the clubs-including the new technology and the new younger players that are visiting the halls. A couple of things in the article stick out a bit though.......the chance to win £3.25million on a link game is a slight exaggeration (maybe the complementary drinks had taken there toll by then!!) but I am just nitpicking really on an article that can only be positive for the industry. Nice one Ingrid!!!!!

Posted by Brett at 23:20 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

Monday, 13 April 2009

you'll never get rid of the dabbers!!!!!

A story has grabbed me this month about a club that has decided to turn it's back on the 21st century bingo.....and is giving the traditional game another chance.

For those of you that are not in the know the bingo world has changed in club in the last couple of years. Go to your local hall now and you will find electronic gaming sections where players can take portable consoles to there seats instead of the 'old fashioned' paper tickets and mark there numbers off with a stylus instead of a dabber. There are even terminals where you can swipe your membership card and play via a touch screen interface, which can even claim for you via a press of a button!

The technology in club is moving so fast in fact that even I don't know the precise details of the latest developments in the playing of the game! Handheld consoles were only just introduced when I left the clubs to join the windswept and exciting world of TV, so this high-tech style of play is something that I am not overly familiar with. I have played in clubs though over the last few months and have become accustomed with the beeps and shouts from people who have won on the these new contraptions and have a certain affinity with what older generations of customers have to say about the new style of playing. Whether I agree with them however is another matter:

When handheld consoles were first introduced in our small club in Bognor Regis, the general consensus was that they would never work (including from myself). Why would you want to tap a screen instead of dabbing the numbers off yourself? Wouldn't it take the fun away from the game? However after a few weeks of them being in the club we were finding that more and more people were opting into this new style of playing: our newer players were finding it easier to keep up with the bingo, especially as the computers kept them informed of when they were waiting for one number, and our regular players were beginning to see the positive sides of playing via this method (you can play more than 6 tickets on these consoles which means more chance of winning)

In today's climate, the bingo world is looking for more and more ways to keep there heads above the water. This new technology not only opens the possibility to generate much needed revenue; but it also captures the minds of the younger breed of players and gets us ever closer to a possible union between the online market and the bricks and mortar halls: Just think about the possibility of playing one EPIC game between players in the hall's, online and on the TV at the same time......now that's a game that I would LOVE to call!!!!!!!

No matter what side of the bingo coin you look upon.......the advances in the bingo world are here to stay......but perhaps the paper bingo is here to stay also?.........As long as there's still a job for me in the long run then I am happy!!!!!!!!

Posted by Brett at 22:57 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

Monday, 6 April 2009

All the 999's, lifesaving time!!!!!!

Nice sweet story in the press this week regarding a woman who's life was saved by an off-duty paramedic whilst down at the bingo. Luckily the paramedic was at the right place at the right time because he was only dropping off his wife at the club and not playing himself.

Heart attacks, unfortunately are rather more common occurrences in the bingo than anyone would like. I think in my career it has happened in club about half a dozen times: There was even a time in a club in Brighton where someone had actually passed away quietly during the session and was not discovered until someone realised that they hadn't come up to get there main session tickets like they normally did!

The weird thing is though, in every situation that I have had with someone falling ill during the session; the bingo still has to be played!!!! I have had to call bingo when the paramedics have arrived and are tending to the stricken customer....which I thought was odd the first time.....until I thought about it and realised that it is better to keep on playing rather than stopping the session and drawing all of the attention onto a very personal situation.

Don't worry though: in all bingo clubs that I know, a first-aider has to be on site at all times; which means that if the worst was to happen you are never far away from help and assistance.

Posted by Brett at 21:00 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

Friday, 27 March 2009

another club closes......

Well, another week, another bingo hall closes........as the recession hits the country big style, a flagship club in Preston has to shut its doors just 2 short years after a big grand opening!!!!!!

What makes it more poignant for me is that one of my bingo buddies and north-west bingo caller of the year Allen is the caller there! (you can read more about him here)

Brownie points to the company involved though as they have tried there best to redeploy the staff to other clubs on it's books, however there are still redundancies for around half of the employees. I know that Allen is going to another club so good luck with that mate.

It just goes to show that no club is safe from this current climate at the moment, lets hope it doesn't happen near you or in your club.

Posted by Brett at 03:27 | Add your comments [1] | Links |

Monday, 23 March 2009

The boy's are back in bingo.

the lads are back in the bingo!!!!.......although in a strictly online sense of the word as this article shows. Apparently there study has found that nearly 1 in 5 players in the online bingo world are now male.....

Now, regular readers of this website will know that we support the bingo playing men of this country; I'm a man myself (last time I checked) and it is pleasing to see that some of the media are beginning to realise that this bingo lark is not 'just for the ladies'. Maybe now, the advertising executives will start aiming there commercials towards a more 'general' audience......and I don't mean getting bleeding Vic Reeves to wear another dress again!!!!!!!!!

Posted by Brett at 12:51 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

Sunday, 15 March 2009

Prize and Party

Was browsing through one of the groups on a well known networking site and stumbled across a topic about Prize and Party and how to generate more income from these ancillary games. It's a topic that is potentially crucial to the survival of the bingo industry; especially when you have to factor into it the governments meddling in the bingo market; increasing taxes and limiting profit making ventures.

For those of you that are unaware, Prize and Party are the games that are played in between sessions of bingo and are faster and quicker than the traditional bingo games. In actual fact, the party bingo style of playing where you are looking for coloured lines/corners/etc is probably most peoples first experience of bingo; as this is the game that is played in almost every seaside resort in the country. You remember? The ones where you played for vouchers and the more you won the bigger the prize that you could claim. (you needed about 1,000 wins for a toaster....etc, etc!!)


Well, Prize and Party bingo is the main source of income for the clubs.......well it was......until the smoking ban came into effect.

Before the ban, it was easy to persuade people to pop a few 10p's into the slot's on there tables and the government had helped out the industry a couple of years prior and made certain P+P games exempt from tax (wow, the government helping us out.......I know!!!) A lot of clubs (especially the smaller independents) were dependent on the profits raised from these games (as the majority of the stakes from the main sessions of bingo would go straight onto the prize board)

When the smoking ban came into effect-first in Scotland, then Wales and finally England the impact was dramatic and immediate. Instead of people popping there coins in for the first full-house game on there boards, there was instead a mass exodus out of the building as 3/4 of the players got there nicotine fix!!!!! Calling Party bingo on that first night was a bit of shock for me I can tell you!!!!! Companies in the first few weeks were throwing money at the prize boards on the party games.....looking to keep the players in and to pop there coins in but with little effect......it seemed the demon weed had beaten the bingo bug for the players!!!!!!

So, any idea's to change the fortunes for Prize and Party bingo? Well some clubs are thinking positively about this to the point that if bingo players are outside then we must bring the games to them. A club in Fenton are one of the latest clubs to provide outdoor P+P gaming for there smoking players. A great idea, but one that can only be limited to certain bigger companies and certain club locations.

One of the great things about working in a club on a holiday camp like I had to do for over 2 years is that we would have to be inventive to persuade the players to part with there holiday cash. We were dealing with BRAND NEW BINGO players every week who would only pop there coins in if they knew what they were playing for and how to win it. So we introduced a spate of free prize games at the start of the night....This would encourage our regular players to come in earlier and the other new players would learn the ropes of the game at no cost to them. We would then award the winners of the free games vouchers to redeem at the bar or off the cost of there books.......clever eh? Also we introduced budget games of Party bingo whereby they would get 6 games for a £1 (5x10p and one 50p game) instead of the usual 2 or 3. The prizes were smaller but getting 6 chances to win a prize instead of just a couple, would tempt the players in.

A lot of clubs now have dual boards on the tables. This means that one player can play on two boards at one unit instead of the usual one. What you are finding now is a lot of clubs offer the 'b' board free, once again giving the player an extra incentive to play along as there chances to win will be 'doubled'. With the spate of new technology coming into the bingo clubs in the 21st century you can also play on high-tec units that offer you the chance to play on 2/4/6/or even 8 electronic boards at a time, which claim automatically for you so you never miss out on your prize.

However I tell you what I would like to see though....and that is the return to simpler times in the P+P world. Back in the 70's and 80's the Party games were huge and the prizes on offer were not just cash prizes but also other goods such as food or teddies or electronic items (just like down the seaside) An old manager of mine in the 70's had an entire department of the bingo club dedicated to this where the players would play for there vouchers and collect them so they could win that teasmade that they were after for there mum for Xmas, for example! It was a system that rewarded not only the regular players, but also the company. Some nights nobody would claim anything so monies earned were pure profit....and also the goods on offer were bought at wholesale rate, so when the time came to give some prizes away, they were usually cost price only. This is a way of playing P+P bingo that has been fading away over the past few years...although some clubs still give away prizes of choccies over Xmas and Easter time (which I have a bugbear about; but save that for another blog!!!!)

Also there is a way where a £1 game of P+P can be played for a premium prize (such as a laptop, or a mountain bike) which is underused in a lot of clubs......infact it is something that I was aware of in my club but never did. The fact of the matter is that if I was a smoker in today's bingo halls, maybe the incentive of spending a quid and winning a PS3 or a new TV would out-way my bodies demands to inflict it with toxic chemicals.........

To cut a long and wondering story short, as an old hand at Prize and Party, you have to think inventively to keep your audiences attention. Whereas as a bingo caller all ears are on you....to be a P+P caller you have to be more of a character and a salesperson to stop these players leaving there tables. A lot of companies are looking to the future to keep the players in the building.....maybe they should look at bingo past to try and find alternatives to keeping the players popping there coins in.................

Posted by Brett at 14:48 | Add your comments [3] | Links |

Monday, 9 March 2009

Bleeding eck!!!!!!

ark at this article about a pensioner being booted out of her local bingo club because she was smoking a 'pretend cigarette'!!!!!! Has the country gone well and truly mad; or is it just the bingo manager at this particular club. Apparently the pensioner was removed because it was 'in the best interests of the club.'

Was there a threat of 'pretend secondary smoke', or were the other players envious that they hadn't thought of doing the same thing and complained to the manager.

What next? Somebody is kicked out for wearing a nicorette patch? Someone tells off a vegetarian because they are eating a quorn sausage and 'cheating the system' Bleeding nora!!!!!!!

ADDITIONAL: trust me for not checking out this sites home page first as i have now found out that this topic has already been mentioned. After reading what has been said about the situation it seems that it is another case of the media 'bending' the truth. Although I still cannot see the difference between someone 'smoking' an electronic cigarette to having a nicorette patch or gum or otherwise. The whole thing about the smoking ban was not about the individual, but more about the secondary smoke that impacts on the surrounding area, especially in public places. These new forms of nicotine consumption do not affect anybody but the person involved: If they want to contaminate there own bodies then it is there choice. maybe these new E-cigarettes can be marketed so it is obvious that the customer is inhaling a 'fake' cigarette.....make them blue, put logo's on them.....I don't know!!!!! As the article stated, most smokers prefer the more natural method of fulfilling there habit anyway and will wait until a suitable time to satisfy there needs.

This example however shows that slowly but surely the act of smoking is fast becoming a negative trait in public behaviour................whether it be a real or fake sneaky drag!!!!!!!

Posted by Brett at 01:37 | Add your comments [1] | Links |

Thursday, 26 February 2009

still holding back on VAT cuts

You would think that in a recession the government would be doing everything that they can to maintain the economy and keep people in work. However this still does not apply to the bingo industry who are still being unfairly taxed; with the ultimate result being club closures and job losses. Over 100 clubs have shut in the last couple of years; an average of around 1 a week!!!! It has been announced today that the double-taxation on the industry will continue with the exchequers secretary saying that the woes in the clubs are not to be blamed on the government alone.

Well.................Thanks very much.........

Posted by Brett at 15:47 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

Sunday, 22 February 2009

THE bingo industry magazine has been suspended

Another story that has sneaked up on me is the suspension of the bingo link magazine. For those of you who are not in the know the bingo link is THE industry quarterly magazine. For years it has informed the bingo world of all things 'numbery' (is that a word?.................it is now!) including providing all news on the bingo caller of the year competition. I have appeared in it numerous times and it was one of the first things that I would read when I was preparing for my competitons. The information found in there was a barometer for the bingo industry as a whole. I hope that it's suspension is not another barometer of where the industry is going.....................................................................

Posted by Brett at 03:13 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

Saturday, 21 February 2009

Are you feeling good?????!!!!!!!!

I must admit....with my windswept and interesting life I don't have the time to watch a lot of television. My priorities lie with my new fiancee whenever I get back from London working (Why am I working in London? I shall tell more soon) and my other girls Keely and Kelly (my computer and PS3 respectiviley!!)

However, apparently there is a TV show called the feel good factor which is all about losing weight or something, and some of the bingo world have decided to join in the 'weight-loss' fun!!!!!!

Good luck to them is all I can say. Looking at the article and watching the clip I wish all the 'bingo lovers' great success in getting to there target weight's.

It reminds me of the last great bingo weight loser a couple of years ago.

Charlie Walduck was a bingo caller who was around 40 stone and lost over 25 stone in just 20 months!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Unfortunately he has left the bingo in recent times, but you can catch up on his story here.

Posted by Brett at 02:59 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

Tuesday, 10 February 2009

even more tales of the president's step-mother!!!!

I know I have been harping on about this over my last few blogs but this is another story about the presidents bingo-playing step-mother. (The USA secret service must be getting really peeved looking at this blog again and again!!!)

Anyway, I was flicking through my most favourite of newspapers last Saturday and fell across yet another story about Kezia Obama. This time the journalist involved actually made the effort to go to a bingo club to conduct a section of the interview.

Although I liked the piece as a whole; the one thing that annoys me once again is the tired view of bingo through the eyes of the lazy journalist and I have come up with a theory: These journalists are 'dayworkers'. They get up at 6:30am, travel to there office and work until 5pm. Therefore any story has to be told within this time-frame; which generally means that they visit a bingo hall for a news's story on a midweek morning/afternoon where they experience only 'one side' of the bingo world. It is a valid side and one that is an essential part of the industry.

 However, the more 'vibrant' side of the business is generally the night-time trade where the prizes are bigger and the crowds are more diverse. Why don't the journalist's visit then when they could garner a 'different' opinion of the bingo world? 

I await the time when a journalist actually ventures out after dark and experiences another side of the bingo industry.....one that I have seen on a regular basis: and one that keeps me coming back to this great game!!!!!!!!!!


Posted by Brett at 02:28 | Add your comments [1] | Links |

Tuesday, 3 February 2009

....it's like four seasons in one day.....as crowded house once sang!!!!

Crikey! Have you looked out of the window recently! Its like the north pole out there. What I can't seem to fathom though is how come on Monday the transport system ground to a halt and increased my journey time from London to Bristol from just over 2and a half hours to just over 4 hours; and yet today when the weather is just as bad that they are running a fantastic service!? I suppose I'm just disgruntled as I could have done with a day off work to spend with the missus!

Anyway, the train journey has given me the opportunity to write this and I'm going to talk about the weather and bingo!

I'm going to start with a story about a tornado that ripped through the heart of Bognor Regis about ten years ago (yes seriously! Although when I say 'ripped through' it was really more like 'sauntered through') This was one of those rare occasions where the bingo club actually closed its doors because who in there right mind would risk torrential storms (and tornado's!) to have a game of bingo???........................................................................

....................................................................I think you can guess the answer to that......that's right, bingo bonkers players. The club had to turn away about 50 people that night who had driven, or even worse, walked the distance to the club to get there number fix. From the married couple who always argued throughout the whole session, to the 85 year old who walked the 25 minutes from her rest home to the bingo because the buses had all been canceled (due to the tornado 'ripping' sorry 'sauntering' through the town) This is endearing, if not a little potty, and perfectly defines my impression of the bingo bonkers players that visit every club across the land.

The floods a couple of years ago meant that a club in Gloucester had to shut there doors. But that didn't stop the players as they travelled around 40 miles just to play in my 'drier' club in Bristol!

Even the hot summers, where the clubs lacking air conditioning would reach desert-like temperatures, you would still get the regulars coming, fans in hand!

And now I'm sure that with snow affecting most of the land, players young and old alike will be trudging and slipping to there nearest bingo club to grab a win. Who knows they might even think that with the adverse weather conditions there would be more chance of winning, due to less people being able to make it! And hopefully they will be rewarded for there effort!!! Maybe with a nice hot mug of tea....that is, if the tea urn hasn't broken down again!!!!

Anyway take care guys and see you soon.

Posted by Brett at 13:07 | Add your comments [0] | Links |

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