It seems there is no stopping the decline of UK online bingo as yet another bingo hall will close. The Camberwell Bingo Club in Camberwell Road will close on February 21, operators Gala Bingo announced on Friday. The club will be sold to a private bidder and will not be used as a bingo hall in the future, a spokeswoman for Gala Bingo told the South London Press.

She said Government taxes of 20 per cent on bingo hall profits had contributed to its closure.

Dozens of staff could be forced to look elsewhere for work once the hall closes.

We have a great offer for all JLS fans! How would you like to win tickers to see your idols?  Tickets are hard to get hold of, so Sun Bingo is giving their players a chance to win JLS tickets and have 25 pairs to give away.

The JLS gig presented by Bizarre takes place on the 7th of March. And, Sun Bingo have been giving away five pairs of tickets every day since the 16th of Feb. That means you still have two days left to try to win a pair of JLS tickets.

Playtech have have purchased  gaming software firm, Virtue Fashion for a fee belileved to be 36 million pounds to strengthen their position  in online international bingo markets.

Collins Stewart says it sees the deal as “strategically compelling.”

The broker, which repeats its “buy” rating, says the deal makes Playtech a leading provider of bingo liquidity and provides the firm with an “important plank in any regulated markets strategy” and “significant cross-selling opportunities”.

Collins Stewart adds: “Playtech is now trading on 12 times 2010 estimated earnings, which do not capture the SciGames partnership or the benefit of new licensees and regulated markets. We see significant upside to earnings.”

Rueters are reporting that Beacon Bingo clubs and Showboat amusement arcades could be on the brink of being sold. Beacon is currently owned by the banks under an appointed CEO Brian Mattingley.

The Rueter’s report suggests that the banks are looking to release the cash they have in the company and have had firm interest from  Praesepe. Praespe is  an established gaming company with high street arcades and are looking to complete a deal worth around £45 million.

Last week Nick Harding CEO of Praesepe stated “We are considering several potential acquisition opportunities, both in the UK and Europe, and the proceeds of this Placing will assist us to continue our acquisitive strategy.” A report in the IBTimes confirmed that the group was in advanced discussions with a private UK company and the potential aqusition would constitute a reverse takeover.

If you are a fan of the X Factor then you will love Bet 365’s latested promotion. They are offerinf 10 pairs of tickets to the X Factor Live Tour 2010 as prizes  when you play bingo and the X Factor Steps to Stardom Game between now and 14th March.

Each week there are 2 pairs of tickets up for grabs!  To give yourself a chance of bagging the tickets all you need to do to  is wager £10 on bingo and £25 on the Steps to Stardom Game and you will be entered into that week’s prize draw. So play your usual bingo games and have a go at the X Factor themed Steps to Stardom and you could be sitting in the audience of this year’s tour, how exciting!

Gambling addict  Sujata Chaudhry was so addicted to online  bingo that she ended up owing a thousands on her credit cards. In an attempt  to clear her debts she stole £12,000 from her employer.   Sujata Chaudhry worked  in the admin department of NETA  which is a  a training charity based in Middlesborough at the time of the crime.  Teeside Crown Court has been hearing the case against Ms Chaudhry.  The accused woman pleaded guilty to the three fraud charges which resulted in an 8 months prison sentence suspended for 12 months.

Virgin Bingo Promotions

FREE BINGO For Two Weeks!
Remember last Virgin’s 3 hours of free bingo every day promo? Well it’s back. Starting on Monday 22nd March for 2 whole weeks you can play free bingo for cash prizes 100% FREE. Also watch out of Virgin Bingo’s TV ad which will be broadcast all over the UK!

Pick Your Own Prize:
Virgin Bingo are  giving away cash prizes of either £2, £5, £25, £50 this coming week on Bingo tickets!!  Buy tickets to qualify for each prize! (Between 22nd Feb, and 28th Feb)

Online Bingo Sleuth

Online Bingo Sleuth is a British site that promotes the best British online bingo sites. Unlike many other bingo affiliate sites they only promote the best of the best. OBS was launched during late 2008 and has seen a steady rise in traffic and popularity which has helped thousands of bingo player’s sign up to tried and trusted sites.

Readers of the site will be aware that Virgin Bingo is heavily promoted on OBS. The owner of OBS stated that he believes that Virgin Bingo is not only a great site to play, but also the cash back scheme that Virgin run (VPoints), makes playing on the site great value. OBS have a special deal with Virgin Bingo that offers all those who use sign up using the sleuth bonus code 500 VPoints absolutely free. Another great feature of Virgin Bingo is that once you have an account you can use your login details to play Virgin’s other sites such as Virgin Casino or even Virgin Poker. Of course OBS promote other leading online bingo sites such as Jackpotjoy, 888 and Ladbrokes. Each site promoted has a spec sheet page which gives full details of what the site has to offer. We love the fact that OBS only promotes the leading trusted brands plus we like their bingo articles and winners stories.

Online Bingo Sleuth sure does get the thumbs up from us!

After a great  fourth quarter, reports suggest  Party Gaming are optimistic about the economy and its ability to raise cash for acquisitions.

Jim Ryan, chief executive, said the owner of PartyPoker and PartyCasino was in talks with a number of companies, but added that “in spite of the rumours there is nothing at a developed stage”.