Netmums Blogging Network Post - Netmums Bingo

Before writing this blogpost, I was a total bingo virgin (!) so when the possibility came up to try out the special Netmums Bingo Room (which is part of the Sky Bingo website) and write a review about it, I thought it sounded like fun. They explain : "The Netmums Bingo Room is open Monday and Tuesday evenings from 8pm - 10pm so pop in and see what you think! Throughout the week, Sky Bingo offers other great value bingo rooms including daily free bingo, penny bingo and bigger money games in the daily triple from 9pm."

First of all, I needed to create an account. Now, the first thing that leapt out at me was all the great deals they throw at you. "Register with Sky Bingo during July and the first 1,000 Netmums will each receive a FREE pamper voucher." "Get your FREE £5 casino bonus to play on Sky Vegas, enter promo code WELCOME on step 2." "Register Now and get a FREE £20 bonus when you deposit £5 (using the code BINGO)!" Wow, they really really want you to sign up ! This is where you realise that bingo is a form of gambling and they're hoping to make lots of money out of you - but I do like the fact that they encourage you (or at least tell you that it's possible) to set responsible gambling restraints such as a deposit limit. (See the Netmums "Play Safe" section for other good advice to stop you spending too much.)

Netmums give you a step-by-step guide to getting registered but it's all very simple. You fill in your basic details (date of birth, email, address, phone number), then you have to choose a PIN number and give answers for a couple of security questions, and the final step is choosing a payment option - debit or credit card or you can opt for an ewallet, such as paypal. If you choose the former, you don't have to make a deposit at this stage but if you go with paypal, you do need to make a minimum £5 deposit. There's a help box that keeps popping up offering to go to a live chat if you're having problems registering, which is a bit annoying but would be useful if you experience problems.

Now, this is where I ran into a slight problem. My paypal account is registered to our French address and I got the message that my payment was refused because payments to this company are not authorised from non-UK accounts. Sky Bingo took me back to the registration process but said "welcome" as if I'd now joined. I went to add a UK debit card, convinced that I'd have lost my £20 sign up bonus due to the faffing around but no, it was automatically added no problem. Phew !

Right, scary time now - off to see how to play a game ! One thing that I spotted and that immediately put me at ease was the "Boss ! Look busy!" link in the top right corner that you can click on to bring up a page of official looking charts and graphs to look like you're working rather than playing online bingo ! Hilarious !

I clicked on "play Bingo" which brought up a new browser window but it stayed on a white screen. Off to download the latest flash player and success ! Now - eeeek ! - time to buy some cards. Cards cost 2p each so I bought 12 for a grand total of 24p !! The last of the big spenders ! They actually cost various prices depending on the game and how much you can win so check the price carefully because they go from 1p to 20p. That doesn't sound much but as you can buy anywhere up to 120 cards per game, that can soon mount up.

I love the fact that the cards are marked automatically for you and they move your cards closest to winning up to the top. They also change colour depending on how many numbers you need to win and indicate the number on the side of the card so it's all very easy to follow. They start flashing when you only need one number to win, just to make it even more exciting. You can have fun marking off the numbers yourself, if you can keep up with the rapid pace, safe in the knowledge than even if you miss a few, the computer still knows when all your numbers have been called.

I played for an hour and a half and won £1.92 for one line on one of the games but I also won a "1tg" token (not quite sure what it was or how I won it !) worth £5 on one of the games. I can't see myself getting addicted but it was a fun way to while away a couple of hours and it's certainly much more fun than paying £5 for playing the lottery. As there are only about 20-40 players per game, the odds of winning are much higher too but the chances are you'll only win a few pounds, if that. (There are other rooms where you can win bigger payouts but the Netmums room is the place to go if you don't want to spend too much.)

As this was my first time playing, I didn't know any of the other players but there's a friendly, lively chat continually going on in the chatbox to the left of the game cards which creates a nice convivial atmosphere. I actually went back last night to a special Netmums Bloggers Bingo Night so I knew some of the players and the chat was lively and fun. I didn't actually get much bingo played though as I was too busy chatting and I couldn't handle the multitasking !

 I have to say, I was slightly disppointed that there were none of the "legs 11", "two fat ladies 88", "66 clickety click" and other cheesy bingo callouts that I was half expecting ! It was all a much simpler, friendlier, cheaper and on the whole more enjoyable experience than I expected.

(sponsored - but nevertheless totally honest ! - post)


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Bloggers Disclosure

By joining the Netmums Blogging Network, the bloggers have agreed to the following:


I am a member of the Netmums Blogging Network, a unique community of parent bloggers from around the UK who have been handpicked by the Netmums team to review products and brands on their behalf. I am paid an expenses fee to cover my time (and childcare if the fee is big enough!) but Netmums have no editorial control whatsoever about what I blog about. Being a member of the Netmums Blogging Network means that I get to try out products and brands and get my expenses covered but that I retain full editorial integrity.


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