The day has finally arrived: Neteller has begun the process of paying back the funds it froze to its US customers.

However, (and there’s always a but) despite having access to the funds for nearly six months (millions of dollars), Neteller will not be forwarding any of the interest they may have earned to those US customers who have had to make do.

In a blunt statement bordering on the glib, Neteller has acquiesced to wave handling charges (small mercies indeed), but not interest will be paid – end of story – period!

Hopefully this Neteller thing is near its end because, since the day when its former founders were arrested by US authorities prompting Neteller the withdraw from the US market to the freezing of its US customers’ funds, the whole saga has been a detriment to the online gaming industry, including the online bingo industry.

I wish all the best for Neteller and the people dependant on it for an income, but I hope the e-wallet industry as a whole learns some important things in observing Neteller’s heavy-handed approach to this mess of their own doing.

For those of us in the bingo online industry, both free online bingo players and operators of online bingo halls, this has been a testing time regards our confidence in the system.  A trustworthy and transparent payment system is so important to online gaming that I hope Neteller’s story serves as marker for how to handle things differently and better.

Written by John Witherspoon - Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read bingo news.

So, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown is ‘very happy’ to talk with land-based bingo concerns over the detrimental effect a so-called double tax is having on the land-based industry.

He has even gone so far as to ensure the new Chancellor of the Exchequer will ‘look into the issue’.

According to a Bingo street report last Firday: UK land-based bingo halls have claimed they are under pressure from the government’s ‘double taxation’ policy which they say threatens to put them out of business in the form of a double tax.

Free bingo online and online bingo halls in general have no need to ask the PM for similar attention since they don’t have to pass on to their customers the cost of VAT on both bingo fees and winnings.  I know which one I would rather spend my money at while Gordon Brown ‘talks’ and the new Chancellor ‘looks into things’.

Should the online bingo community be concerned over the land-based bingo industry’s problems?  What say you?

Written by John Witherspoon - Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read celebrity gossip.

Some call it the biggest gambling den in the world, a place where billions of dollars exchange hands every day and fortunes can be won and lost in seconds.

No, I’m not talking about Bingo Street’s list of the best online bingo halls in the UK – I’m referring to Wall Street, and in particular the New York Stock Exchange.

And then there’s all that shouting.  Rude men in suits screaming at each other while gesticulating wildly.  Not one of these guys would get a job as a caller at any self-respecting online bingo hall – though, judging by the recent losses some may be looking for a new job.

Given the volatility of the stock market situation this last 24 hours, I would say your average stock broker should think about a spot of bingo online as welcome relief from the carnage making headlines in today’s financial news.

Maybe I have a simplistic view of the world, but herein we see the beauty of free online bingo games:  The jackpots and bonuses are always going to be there for those who want to have fun risking their money on a flutter.  I’ll take Bingo Street over Wall Street any day!

Written by John Witherspoon - Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read bingo news.

Continuing ón the theme of Europes march to a monopoly - free online bingo environment comes the news that Sweden’s horse racing monopoly AB Travoch Galopp (ATG) has brought litigation against Unibet online gambling group over supposed wrongdoing in the Swedish horse racing industry.

The ins and outs of this latest legal spat over horses between a national gambling monopoly and a foreign gambling operator are not really that relevant to us online bingo types, but it does illustrate a growing trend in how government bodies may fight anti-monopolisation – any way they can!

It must, however, be an indication that the old-style system of state-run monopolies in Europe is seeing its final days when it has to resort to common litigation to maintain its privileged position.  Sweden is one of the EU member countries still trying to hang on to such an arrangement, but it’s good to see that the current European Commission stance is to push for change.

Written by John Witherspoon - Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read celebrity gossip.

Two lovely ladies from the world of UK bingo online have been making the news this last week for two very different reasons.  Kerry Katona, who UK online bingo players will know as the face of Bingos.co.uk, has spoken out about her ordeal at the hands of masked robbers who invaded her home and held her and her daughter hostage while forcing her husband to lead them to the family’s valuables.

On a much brighter note, Katie Price of Foxy Bingo has been christening her newly born daughter with the interesting name of Princess Tiaamii, the latter name being a combination of the names of both the child’s grandmothers.

Ms Katona, a sufferer of bipolar disorder, has said: “I don’t mind telling you - I thought that our life in Wilmslow was the start of a new life for us away from all the trouble in Warrington and we were so happy until this happened.â€?

She added: “I’m sick of hearing that it’s the end of the bad times for me because something worse is always around the corner.”

Mmmm. . . Seems the help she’s been given at the Priory clinic hasn’t quite kicked in yet.

Not much has been heard lately from our other free online bingo hall lady Sharon Osbourne, the popular face of Gala Bingo.  No doubt she’s busy building her business empire while still occasionally dropping in for a spot of online bingo fun.  Let’s hope any news coming from her direction is more in keeping with Katie Price’s positive turn in the headlines.

Written by John Witherspoon - Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read bingo news.

China’s Xinhua has reported that Macau is undergoing a boom in its gambling industry with gaming revenues experiencing a 46.1 percent rise over the first six months of 2007.

The statistic largely reflects the land-based casino operations that make Macau the La Vegas of the East, a figure that equates to US$4.75 billion.

So, why is this happening?  And are there any lessons to be learned from this by the UK online bingo industry?

A key ingredient to the Macau success story is to understand that Macau recently dropped its long-running monopoly system which had been run by Chinese tycoon Stanley Ho.  As soon as the monopoly was dropped, huge amounts of investment flooded into the former Portuguese colony and things started to take off.

In my opinion Macau’s willingness to drop a monopoly-based model for a more open market model is central to their success, something those European countries that still employ outmoded state-run gambling monopolies might take note of.

As far as the bingo online industry and players of online bingo games go, Macua’s policy of freeing up its gaming industry should serve as ammunition in the fight to achieve a similar level of openness here in Europe.  Lobbying to this end will benefit free online bingo games operators and players alike. 

This entry is written by John Witherspoon.  Play online bingo at BingoStreet.com

The liberalization of the Italian online gambling industry last year was considered good news for all online gaming operators, including those offering bingo online.  Now a new report has confirmed Italy as one of the most promising markets in Europe for the burgeoning online gaming industry.

Research and Markets’ “The Italian Gambling Market - A Forerunner in the Liberalisation of European Gambling Markets” report should make for excellent reading in the online bingo industry’s operators of online bingo halls and serve as further proof that well regulated, yet free markets are the way to go.

Of particular note in the report is the expectation that another bout of market liberalisation is expected in Italy in the near future.  Let’s hope that countries like France, Greece and Sweden take note of the success Italy is having in providing a level playing field.

This entry is written by John Witherspoon.  Online free bingo is one click away. Come and play online bingo at BingoStreet.com

Separate to its agreement with US authorities to pay a US$136 million forfeiture and enter into a period of probation, Neteller has announced it will no longer be processing payments for online gambling sites for Israeli customers.

The company’s ongoing legal problems have been a saga closely watched by online bingo industry observers since January this year when US authorities began an investigation into allegations of financial wrongdoing by the Isle of Man-based e-wallet.  While bingo online is not a major part of the online gaming landscape in Israel, operators of free online bingo halls could be affected by Neteller’s decision.

To be fair to Neteller, there now exists a fair amount of legal uncertainty in the Israeli online gambling market, enough to make a company like Neteller very wary given its recent problems.  However, It’s likely that Neteller, if it really does survive its brush with US law, will have learned a few lessons about how to handle its Israeli withdrawal.

Neteller says it will stop processing transfers to online gambling merchants for Israel-resident customers starting as of yesterday, Thursday 19 July 2007.  It will then cease processing transfers from online gambling merchants to Israel-resident customers within two weeks, as of Tuesday 31 July 2007.

Written by John Witherspoon - Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read celebrity gossip.

A new online bingo service called Bingo Alerts has been launched to help online bingo players keep track of the latest online bingo promotions and news. Having downloaded the software, which is designed to give you bulletin-style announcements while online, I’ve found the service to be somewhat selective.

A visit to Bingo Alerts’ home website reveals that: “BingoAlerts.co.uk is a revolutionary new tool for online bingo players. BingoAlerts provides you with a guide to the best UK online bingo sites, in-depth reviews and the latest bingo sign-up bonuses directly to your desktop!�

Yes, there are links to some of Bingo Street’s rated online bingo sites, such as Foxy Bingo and Gala Bingo, but generally speaking Bingo Street has more to offer in this department. One useful service offered by Bingo Alerts for online bingo players with a tendency to explore other forms of online gaming are the related alerts: Casino Alerts, Bookie Alerts and Poker Alerts.

Though the site claims no affiliation with any casino, bingo, poker or sportsbetting site, I find it curiously thin on information on some of my favourite online bingo halls. I’ll leave it to you to guess which ones…
All in all, worth a visit for dedicated online bingo players, but I’m happy sticking to Bingo Street.

Written by John Witherspoon - Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read bingo news.

Kerry Katona, the face greeting online bingo players at the popular Bingos.co.uk online bingo hall, recently had to go through what no mother should ever have to experience:  The threat of violence to herself and her child.

I think I can speak for all of us when I say the online bingo community are happy that Ms Katona and her family at least escaped physical harm when burglars invaded the privacy of their home and forced her husband to hand over valuables while they held Ms Katona and her 5-month old daughter hostage in a downstairs room.

However, the psychological harm she and her family must now be going through may prove to be just as costly as what was stolen by the robbers.  I hope Ms Katona and family are able to return to a normal life soon and that they receive all the support they can from family and friends.

Written by John Witherspoon - Play bingo online at http://bingostreet.com/ and read bingo news.