Ann Davis and her husband Joe have been regular players at their local Gala Bingo club at the Galleries Leisure Park for years, along with their close friends Nancy and Peter Stevenson. When Ann won the £60,000 jackpot, Peter was in his house holding a barbecue in celebration of his 60th birthday.

As promised years ago, the Davis’ have kept their word and will share the great bingo win with the Stevensons. This is the second big win that Ann has had, as last year the lucky lady won £10,000, which was also shared by her and her husband with their friends.

In spite of the smoking ban, the recently approved gambling laws and the double tax burden the bingo industry is facing, Rank Bingo has informed that it has experienced a modest improvement in trading at its Mecca halls.

"We have achieved a degree of success in adjusting to the smoking ban and the new gaming regulations and have taken timely action to protect profits. Nevertheless we are conscious that the difficult consumer climate is likely to make 2008 a challenging year for the gaming sector," a spokesperson for the company explained in a statement.

A very lucky grandmother and bingo fan, who lives in London, recently took home a £34,000 National Bingo Game jackpot, which will allow her to visit her daughter in France. The winner was playing at the Mecca Bingo Hall in Eltham Hill, London, when she called bingo.

“It’s really going to change my life and I couldn’t thank bingo enough if I tried. Now we’ve got the money we can say, Yes, I can have this’ or ‘Yes, I can do that’ without even thinking about it. It’s lovely,” the lady said in tears. She scooped the National Bingo Game, plus the regional prize and the Mecca Bingo in house prize.

Alistair Darling, the announcer of the Bingo Budget, announced that VAT will not be removed from the budget and that their taxes will be doubled. Neither Casinos nor Betting Shops have to pay 17.5%; Bingos are the only ones who will now need to pay this and a gross profit Tax of 15%.

The chief executive of the Bingo Association, Paul Talboys, speaks in reference to this: “This is a slap in the face for bingo players across the country. There is no reason why they should continue to be penalized by double taxation when other gambling products pay only a single tax.

A woman from Chester, who has requested not to be named, took home a £23,000 bingo jackpot from a Mecca Bingo Club in Brook Dale Place. The 43-year-old mom won the National Bingo Game prize of £20,000, plus the regional prize of £3,301 and the house prize of £169.

“I couldn't believe it when I found out how much I had won. I thought I might be in with a chance for the regional prize but never thought I'd scoop the national,” the lucky winner commented. “Everyone in the club was congratulating me and there was a great atmosphere.”

Thirty-six years ago, Gill Barton started working as a bingo caller in Solihull, West Midlands. The job suited her since it gave her time to raise her five children while contributing to the economy of her house. Gill was a dedicated worker and in a few years she was promoted to staff training, a position she kept for twelve years.

However, Gill wanted more and when she turned 50 she told her husband about her new project: opening her own training and recruitment company. “My husband Frank thought I was starting the menopause and being irrational when I said I wanted to start my own business at the age of 50,” she recalls.

A not so frequent experience and an opportunity that regular players of online bingo won’t want to miss will take place this January in England, where an online gambling company will offer its costumers the possibility to play free online bingo just for this month.

To be part of the promotion, players will only have to log on to the site or watch the exclusive TV channel of this online bingo company. The promotion will be available just for four days in January, so players will have to keep an eye on the dates in order not to miss this chance. The announced dates are January 10th, 17th, 24th and 31st.

After several months of campaign and petition letters, bingo giants Rank and Gala Coral finally obtained the necessary backup for a tax reform. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport of the United Kingdom has informed that it will start to pressure chancellor Alistair Darling for a bingo tax reduction before this year’s budget is released.

Currently, bingo companies have to pay two different taxes: VAT, 17.5 percent, and Gaming Duty, 15 percent. This heavy taxation plus the falling in admissions due to the smoking ban and the Gambling Act, has caused several bingo venues to close and many are experiencing financial problems.

Mecca Bingo is offering its costumers a unique chance to win a pair of VIP tickets to see the big comeback of the Spice Girls next December 15th plus £250 to cover hotel and travel costs. The opportunity will be open from November 19th to 25th.

The two lucky winners will have the chance to see the London presentation of the Spice Girls tour programmed for December 15th at the 02 Arena in London. To have the chance of winning this prize, players must enter into Mecca Bingo chat rooms and play there the Spice Girls-themed chat games.

A lucky 37-year-old mom from Paisley won a £55,000 bingo prize while playing at the Mecca Club in Lonend on Sunday night. The woman, who requested not to be named, said she had only spent £2 on a bingo card when her numbers came up and she was able to shout Bingo!

“It was absolutely fantastic when she won. She jumped out of her seat and screamed the house down,” Alistair Steele, general manager of the club, said. “She is a regular at our club and has been playing here since we opened. Everybody knows her.”