Online bingo: Full house

 Online bingo: An extremely full house

Anita Heffernan is 50 and spends two or three hours each night playing online bingo.

It's not just for the money. Her largest win was approximately PS400. Because it's a game based on chance, players usually spend more than they win.

Heffernan states, "It is a hobby." "I'd rather do that than spend the night out in town."

The number of bingo sites has increased rapidly. According to portal site Whichbingo.co.uk there were less than 20 of these sites in 2004. Now, about 350 are operating in the UK.

Operators could include Mecca and Gala, owners of bingo halls, as well as newspapers like The Sun (The Daily Mail), which are all associated with the game's camaraderie and socializing with friends.

While many of the massive concrete and neon bingo rooms on High Streets across the nation are beginning to look old, they still attract millions of people every year.

Bingo is a game that's all about chance. You don't need any skill other than the ability keep up. The UK version of bingo requires players to listen carefully for random numbers between one to 90 printed on their card.

Each one is crossed until someone has all left.

Even though it's a little out of date, the caller at the centre of all the action - who is now somewhat dated - has always announced each number in a language so familiar that it has become almost cliché: "Two fat girls -88", "clickety Click -66".

It is easy to spot the target audience for online gambling and addiction when the ads are displayed and played against a background that is typically in purples or pinks.

You can see an example of this in the purple-suited, suave Fox leading a bus filled with women for a big day at Foxy Bingo's TV ads.

"They want to appeal to people they like and get them to sign up for online bingo. That's women."

There are younger players. Anni Nevison is 21 years old and plays at least two to three times per week. She also spends five hours on Sundays.

Nevison says she enjoys excitement and friendship. She has been playing bingo since she was 18. Nevison describes her experience with bingo sites as "a little family," referring to the players she chats in the chatrooms.

She would love the opportunity to meet the people she speaks to, but it is difficult because they are scattered across the UK.

Online bingo is popular because of the chatroom element. Talking during the game is not permitted in traditional bingo halls. Instead, the social element occurs between and after games to keep players from being distracted by the number calling. However, online users are free to talk as much or as little as they want.

Many bingo sites automatically fill in the players' bingo cards so that they can chat instead. Online bingo terms such as BLNG ("better luck next time") and HABO ("have a better one") have emerged. Online Bingo