Burned by Bingo

I'm on a bingo kick. I woke up today with bingo on the brain. I used to refuse to play because I thought the game was typical of housewives and typical of women. My husband and I get in a fight and he says "why don't you go play some bingo". I make a comment about gambling and men automatically assume "oh she plays bingo". I gave in to the cliché eventually. With all the great online casinos out there that feature bingo, how could I resist? I've learned a few things along the way. Get burned as many times as I have and you'll learn real quick like.

Just like online casinos, online bingo sites may be owned and operated by the same company but as a player you don't necessarily realize it. At least I never did. After checking out the terms and conditions for a no deposit bonus or welcome bonus I figured I was good to go. Boy was I wrong. Many online bingo sites will not allow you to redeem bonuses if you have an account at one of their other sites. Many times I have found an awesome bonus, registered at the bingo site and received nothing only to realize that they were owned by the same company as another site I played at. I had to sit through fifteen minutes of online chat to find that out and you all know what that’s like. Most of the time the reps don’t even know what bonuses they offer much less why you aren’t eligible for it. In some instances they've even closed my account on the spot. How was I to know?

If you happen to know that one site is affiliated with another then you can generally use the same user id and password to login. Your balance will carry over and it’s as easy as that. How do you tell if sites are related? Well, you’d have to do a little research. Many times you can look at the affiliate link on the bingo home page. The brands listed are not always owned by the same company but in many cases they are. Use your online communities. There’s a plethora of information available to you including who’s related to who.

Little Mary Sunshine Don’t Live Here!

Trying to remain sunshine and smiles when it comes to gambling can be quite a feat when you’re losing at the online casino. I lose more often than not and there are a few things that are working my last nerve. I belong to several forums because I’m always on the hunt for bonuses. I continuously see winning screen shots posted by the same old people. They post their winnings every week and it’s getting a little….well, sickening.  Have you seen these things out there on the forums? One week its 500 bucks and the next they’re up 300 more. There are some aspects of gambling that make me feel like I’m being taunted. Let’s discuss.

Now this sends me to the moon!  When you’re playing slots online and the slot machine tries to comfort you. You know what I mean. You spin and your loss is followed by a sweet little phrase like “Better Luck Next Time” or better yet, the coaxing. Take Parlay Entertainment slots for example.  They display things like “Go for It”, “Spinning is the Beginning” and my favorite “One More Spin”? I’m a gambler through and through. You don’t have to tell me twice to spin. My husband is asking where his shorts are and the slot is asking me to take one more spin.

I realize that maintaining a positive mental state is actually very important for a gambler and believe it or not I do have one. Gambling is meant to be fun blah blah blah. I’m feeling a bit like that crabby old lady on the greeting cards, Maxine. Releasing my frustration clears my head though and maybe tomorrow I’ll laugh at these irritants. Actually, I’m laughing now.

It is important to keep a positive mentality when you’re gambling but Little Mary Sunshine don’t live here!

Kids & Gambling: A Friendly Discussion

Do your kids know you gamble? Do they witness you gambling at online casinos or do you save it for when they're at school?

This was the topic of discussion amongst my friends. The opinions were split and very strong. Some argued that gambling is meant to be done when kids are not around. They should never see you spinning on slots or being dealt a poker hand. Some felt that there was nothing to hide. As long as it's done in moderation and children are not neglected, there's no reason to shelter them from your innocent fun.

The fathers involved in the discussion felt that mothers should be more discreet. 

For me, it's scary if a child says "mommy or daddy gambled all day" when asked how the weekend was but I stay out of these discussions. They always turn into arguments and the couples end up storming off. I just pull out my laptop and play a game of bingo while they discuss.

A Gambling Day Out

Cabin fever had taken over and I needed to get out. I love gambling on the online casinos but the land casino seemed like a nice day out.

I was calm and relaxed. Ready to have a fun day, I sat down at WMS's Golden Hammer. Almost immediately I got the bonus round. I adjust myself in my chair excited to see what my 8 free spins would bring. The first 5 spins award nothing. At the end of it I had won 40P but all was not lost. I was still positive.

I continued to play and the bonus came up again. Only this time I didn't win a single penny from the free spins. At this point I'm fuming. There's a video on the internet that shows a man beating and throwing a computer monitor off the desk at work. I felt like that. I wanted to kick the heck out of the machine, beat it with its golden hammer and with superhuman strength throw it through the window. 

Ah, it was a nice relaxing day at the casino.

Have I Created a Monster?

I asked my husband to watch my poker hand while I went to pull dinner out of the over. Within minutes I'm yelling for him to come and eat. No response. I call for him again. No response. I run back to the living room figuring he's deep into some episode of Family Guy and he's shhh'ing me.

To my surprise he had hijacked my poker game. He was on to a new hand of Texas Hold'em and showed no signs of quitting. I thought he had no interest in gambling. He doesn't belong to any online casinos nor go to the land casino without being dragged. The least I could do was be supportive of his new found love. I cleaned up, put dinner in the fridge and returned with two glasses of wine ready to cheer on his beginners luck.

I sat back and wondered, have I created a monster?

Online Casino Marketing

Do you pay attention to online casino marketing materials? They are meant to sway us in their direction as if to say "hey look at me". So what draws us to gamble online?

For me, the convenience is very appealing. I can run my household and stimulate my mind all from the comfort of my home. I can click a button and know it will be there whenever the mood strikes me. Online gambling can also be like a mini vacation, an escape, from the day to day hum drum.

The marketing factor doesn't effect me much anymore. I used to glance at almost everything I received from the online casinos. I found it so annoying to receive the same offers with different pictures slapped on it as if I'm not smart enough to realize it's the same email. Now I delete most of the information that floods my inbox on a daily basis. I do keep my eye out for correspondence from my favorite casino. I like to know if there are deposit specials or tournaments. This is valuable marketing material to me.