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With the recession biting hard, people are looking for better value from their leisure time, and although gambling might not jump to mind when you think of great value, online bingo sites like Jackpotjoy.com are offering people a great way to spend an evening for as little as a penny a game...

Over the past ten years, Bingo's been going through a major resurgence. At first, admittedly, it was with a respect for kitsch that can only really be enjoyed with your tongue placed firmly placed in your cheek. But thanks to some real benefits and the fact that the game is actually really very enjoying, its resurgence has continued and now millions of people across the country are shamelessly becoming Bingo lovers from the comfort of their living rooms.

Amongst the most dramatic changes to the face of Bingo over the past ten years has been its movement from the dusty hall to the comfort of your home. Now, instead of having to brave the elements to catch a bus for a night of silence that's all set against a backdrop of bleeping arcade machines and cheap beer, you can settle back, in your home – dinner on the go, your favourite soap on the tv, and enjoy a game of bingo whenever you want.

But, in this move, two other crucial areas of the game have changed.

The first major shift was in the way jackpots are awarded. Although Progressive Jackpots have always been a part of the game, the move online has meant they've been getting bigger than ever before.

For those who don't know, a Progressive Jackpot is a jackpot that takes a small portion of every bingo ticket you buy and it's then won by anyone who completes their card within a set number of calls. In this way, the Progressive Jackpot can be won at any time, by anyone – on any game – which makes it very exciting. But also, because of the nature of numbers related games there'll be times when it hasn't been won for weeks on end, and it can climb to some genuinely staggering amounts.

At Jackpotjoy, one of the nation's most popular online bingo sites – who are currently running a major advertising campaign featuring the Queen of Bingo – they've awarded some staggering Progressive Jackpots in their Bingo rooms over the years, including over £200,000 that was won with a 50p ticket not long ago!

But there are two determining factors that control how often a jackpot will be won. The first is the number of calls that are needed to win the Progressive. The fewer the calls, the less likely it is to be won and the higher it will get before it is won. The other one is the number of tickets bought for the game – because the more tickets get bought, the more likely the jackpot is to go. This means that the lower value rooms will tend to have jackpots that are won more often, and what's wonderful about this is that it really does offer you options. You can chase a big jackpot that you're less likely to win or track a smaller win that's more likely to have your name on it.

The other big change that's taken place with Bingo is probably one of the real reasons why it's now cool to play and not just an exciting way to win money. The fact is that back in the day, when the blue rinse brigade were all powerful, you had to be silent in the hall or you could be asked to leave. These days the idea of going somewhere where you have to sit silently for a couple of hours while someone reads numbers to you is probably not far from most people's idea of hell.

Socialising in online Bingo is a completely different experience though. First off, because the computer will automatically mark your cards, there's no need to remain silent for fear you miss your winning number. And secondly, the site's provide online spaces which allow members to chat to each other while they play.

The Chat Rooms, which are all looked after by friendly hosts, are where the players can meet each other, make friends and even fall in love!

Chat Rooms are really the beating heart of online bingo – and chatting in them in an experience itself! Although your messages can be as long as you like, people tend to talk in short, punchy sentences that are heavily laden with text speak and can make difficult reading at first. But, as is often the case, those who chat the most know what's best and you'll very quickly pick up on what they're saying and then understand why all the abbreviations.

Chatting in this way is actually an incredibly energising experience. It's fantastic fun – you have to be quick, but not necessarily on the ball as gaffs are all a part of the fun.

With over 3,000,000 members you'll meet all kinds of folk in Jackpotjoy's chat rooms, from single mums to businessmen to old ladies who may or may not have blue rinse on. There's also that old adage that anyone can be anyone in a chat room - you could join the site and proclaim yourself as Superman himself if the mood took you, as long as it's all in the name of a good time.

So between the £200,000 jackpots, the new friends and the chance to enjoy it all from the comfort of your living room, it's not surprise that online bingo has become one of the nation's favourite pastimes, and with most sites offering a Welcome Bonus – and Jackpotjoy.com Bingo is rewarding new players with a very generous deposit £10 and get £20 free – so for £10 you'll get £30 worth of Bingo – there's never been a better time to try out something new and take a gamble on online bingo...