Recreation Center

The Bingo Renaissance

Little old ladies in slippers, playing for pennies and cents in a converted community hall is no longer the reality of bingo. The game has in recent years and now more than ever undergone a rebirth in its popularity and status and now looks set to boom in the coming years.

In the UK alone, bingo comprises a total annual stake of around £1.1 billion. It’s now big business and not just for the bingo halls. Customs and Excise collect around £115 million in duty incurred by bingo each year.

However, the sun has not always shone on the bingo industry. In 1974, the game seemed to hit its peak in popularity. It was widely seen as a cheap and cheerful way to provide mass entertainment. However, the advent of television seemed to cripple the game and its popularity fell dramatically until the end of the 90s. Yet for all the doom and gloom, the trend seems to be rising again. Numbers are holding and profits are increasing.

This new surge of popularity has been partly due to the vigorous marketing campaigns as executed by the bingo companies. Television and literature campaigns for bingo are now being promoted in Europe and companies are attempting to reinvigorate the game buy adapting and modernising some of the antiquated lingo that seemed to keep it stuck to its past – 21, the Key to the door, lucky legs 11, etc.

Bill Clinton, Elle MacPherson, Damon Hill and Jade Jagger are all regular players of the game and no doubt have contributed to its popularity and rebirth. Many however disagree. To avid players, it is not the glitz and glamour of the game that is so appealing; it is rather the warm, social aspect that seems to fire the hearts of bingo players around the world. For regular players, it is a safe opportunity to socialise, have fun and experience the thrill of gambling whilst being surrounded and protected by a friendly atmosphere and a hopefully humorous bingo caller prevailing over all.

The UK’s Chancellor Gordon Brown’s recent proposition to cut the duty on bingo and replace it with a tax on the operator’s income has proved popular with players and investors alike. The investment bank Lehman Brothers claim that this duty removal would increase bingo profits by 30%.
However, for all the celebrity icons and national edicts proclaimed on the game, what is undeniable is that worldwide the appeal of bingo does seem to be most prevalent amongst working class, single females. What is also interesting to note is that the bingo promoters themselves are not too interested in marketing the game to those who fall out of this category.

Quality and not quantity seems to be the name of the game as far as they are concerned. They see it as more likely and realistic to entice existing players into spending a little more on their visits. The fact that so many bingo players are single females is certainly advantageous to the industry, seeing as this social group is becoming more and more populous as well as wealthier and liberated.

Of course it is not just the bingo halls that are profiting. The internet revolution has not failed to leave its mark on the bingo industry. Now, at the switch of a button and the click of a mouse, prospective bingo players are able to play from their own living room. What is interesting to note is that even with the social aspect of the game being removed, the majority of the players are still female. There is an argument to suggest that the advent of online bingo is in fact nothing to be jumping for joy over. After all, many of the positive attributes to bingo are removed. Players do not even have to check off their cards themselves, it is automatically checked off for them.

Not only does this remove some of the fun, but it also reduces the mental agility benefits to virtually nil. The social aspects of the game are also missing, although some would argue that the online forums and chat rooms are simply a new pseudo form of socialising. The secondary business that surrounds the bingo halls also suffers under the concept of online bingo. Food, auxiliary games, drink and entertainment all become irrelevant when playing from home and the concern that players are now playing purely for the money as opposed to the warmth of the social atmosphere is much more real. Having said that, in terms of bolstering bingo popularity, the internet has certainly played its part and in many cases has provided an easy access option to those who either are not fond of the socialising aspects of the game or for whatever reasons are unable to attend the bingo halls, themselves.

To say that bingo will ever become the craze of the gambling world or an industry propagated by the modern casinos is perhaps a little ambitious. In fact, that may not even be what the game is about or where it would be happy to lie. However, what can be fairly certain (if anything can be in this business) is that the popularity of bingo as its own entity is holding well and looks set to stay the course of time. At least for the time being anyway!

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The Bingo Renaissance / Online Bingo

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Company Christmas party or holiday event planning made easy – Useful Tips

“Holiday entertainment planning is a serious business – a lot happens behind the scenes, long before the CEO says thanks for a job well-done”, says Incredible BORIS (Boris Cherniak).

Around this time of the year, human resources managers and company CEOs are asking the age-old question – How do we make our holiday event an affair to remember? After all, we are simply trying to thank the employees, suppliers and their families for a job well done throughout the year. We also want this event to motivate the group to be happy and productive in the future. This is a more difficult task that may appear from outside.

“The people planning functions have an enormous task of fitting into the ever-shrinking budgets while keeping party-goers satisfied,” says Boris Cherniak, corporate event planning professional, comedy hypnotist entertainer and motivational speaker.

Here is a helpful checklist of planning an affair for the holidays (as provided by Boris Cherniak):

1. Budget. Break down all the amounts allocated to each task then you can have a clear view of how much room you have to play. Spend it wisely and know what your limitations are. The old rule of thumb is you get what you pay for. If it appears too inexpensive, it may be the inexperience or you will not be getting what you expected. Get the best value possible with the resources you have available. It is easy to spend ANY budget. You may have to make a few sacrifices. What gets eliminated first and what should be kept at any cost? Always keep in mind of what the overall impression by the attendees will be. Leave a lasting impression.

2. Number of people in attendance – estimate the number of people expected at the party. Keep in mind that a small percentage may not attend due to lack of babysitters, illness or vacation.

3. Book banquet hall facilities, venue location. Pick a location that is convenient for your group with amenities like transportation, parking, etc.

4. Food and catering – dinner / lunch, drinks or buffet – most halls will offer you different choices of meal options, hors d’oerves, desserts and per person amounts. Make sure there are enough choices for all tastes.

5. Schedule and timing. It is easy to under-estimate the amount of time a function will take due to many unforeseen circumstances. Factors such as how long the speeches will take, time to bring out the food or attendees arriving late due to a freak snowstorm or traffic. This can change the dynamic of your event – plan accordingly and have a contingency plan.

6. Entertainment – comedian, hypnotist, juggler, psychic, magician, DJ and dancing, party games. Entertainment is a wonderful way to make your event memorable. Entertainment comes in many budgets and styles. Pick a solution that will not only make the company and event planner look good, but will leave a lasting impression on the attendees. Explore different options best suited to your group. Local or national performers can be considered. Many are available on the web and could be your first place of inquiry. Many agencies have a roster of people they can suggest. Never forget to look within your company for entertainment suggestions and talent (in every company there is a band or a disk jockey that would be more than happy to accommodate your budget and show off their talents). Keep in mind that entertainers are extremely busy during the holiday season – leaving booking your entertainment until the last minute is not a good idea as your date may no longer be available.

7. Sound, lighting, projection equipment and audio visual materials – Have a run-through and make sure everything is in place before your audience arrives so that you don’t have to deal with “technical difficulties”.

8. Accommodations for any out of town guests and transportation to and from the airport.

9. Taxi cabs for anyone that over-indulges in the open bar concept and to avoid liability.
10. Registration – name cards for your guests, open seating or pre-arranged seating plan.

11. Awards, door prizes and giveaways. Many of these can be donated by your suppliers or provided to you at their cost for your holiday event. It shows good faith, and don’t be surprised if the suppliers return the favor.

12. Party theme and décor – color scheme, chair covers, centerpieces, flowers, ice sculptures. One of the more unique ideas I saw recently was a sports theme, where instead of elegant centerpieces, sports memorabilia was placed in the center of the tables, which was available for the guests to take home – these included running shoes and football helmets.

13. Dress and attire. Let the attendees know what to expect to wear – formal, casual or business attire. We all heard a story of a prank where a person is invited to a pajama party when it’s a formal affair.

14. Invitations or a simple announcement in the company newsletter and bulletin board.

15. Contracts. Commit to the people you will be doing business with, since it usually is done on a first come basis. Halls, performers and caterers have limited availability. Be decisive and direct. Most people will give you a price range that would depend on your choice of options. Many event suppliers will require deposits to commit.

16. Presentations – keep the speeches brief and to the point. Number of speakers should be kept down to a minimum. After all, people are there to be social and not to be lectured.

17. Everyone wants to have a party on a Saturday. You may find that having an alternate day of the week may greatly reduce your expenses and make it easier to hire entertainment and book your venue. Also, consider having your function early afternoon. A lunch is less expensive than a seven-course dinner.

18. Include a table for the crew, entertainment and other behind-the-scenes people. They, at times forget to eat to make sure your event runs smoothly. Show them the spirit of the holiday season and include them in your celebrations.

19. If your business is busy during the holiday season, consider having your event earlier or later. It should not make a difference if your function is held in November or January instead of December.

20. Have a cell phone handy for any last-minute emergencies the day of your event. If a cell phone is not an option (no signal or simply unavailable), make sure your suppliers have the venue address and phone number. Your function will be attended by people from many walks of life and backgrounds – politically correct term is Holiday Party. Make it chic, memorable and fun. Have people walk away saying – I had a great time, that was incredible.”

He is a wordsmith comedian, observer and commentator on society quirks, obsessions and stereotypes. Incredible Boris is not just a stage name, but also a way to describe a positive attitude and a constant state of mind.
The Incredible Boris is an expert in psychology, hypnosis, body language, power of suggestion and human behavior. He authors a popular ezine “power words and phrases” through his web sites www.comedywood.com or www.IncredibleBORIS.com or www.HypnotistShow.com
Boris has been featured on numerous television programs, including MontelFind Article, Howie Mandel Show and the prestigious Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal.

Boris’ self-hypnosis Relaxation and Motivation CD is available through his web site or as a giveaway to complement his performance at your company’s function during this holiday season.
Happy Holidays.

Company Christmas party or holiday event planning made easy – Useful Tips / Boris Cherniak

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The Incredible Boris is a comedy stage hypnotist that appears in almost 300 live performances yearly at functions for most fortune 500 companies and their competitors. He is a frequent talk show guest and delivers a comical point of view to an otherwise serious subject of human behavior and expression.

Lottery, more than just Gambling

A lottery is a popular form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize. There are some states where lottery is forbidden but others endorse it to the extend of organizing a national lottery. Lotteries date back to the period of Romans. And it was common for emperors to give their dinner party guests gifts like slaves to lavish villas after drawings.

Two common lottery myths
� Lottery is tax
� Lottery take advantage of the poor economic strata of our society

Lottery facts
� In China lottery was first played to fund the Great Wall
� U.S. lotteries helped fund the Colonial Army in the Revolutionary War
� At one point of time many churches and universities such as Harvard, Yale and Princeton were funded in part by lotteries

Where does the Lottery revenue expenditure go?

� A good amount of lottery earnings is spend on economic development of the country
� Steps are taken to improve job opportunities
� Educational purposes
� Human resources
� Natural resources[environmental protection]
� Transportation
� Public health finance
� Keeping apart money to improve the economic development of a country, lottery gains also go to cancer organizations, child care canters and places where it is needed
Today, many religious and social organizations condemn lotteries saying that it’s a one way ticket to accumulating lots of wealth. Since lotteries
lottery tempt people to play with money and gain huge amounts back if they got lucky, it can easily become an addiction. Many individuals waste much money over lotteries and other gambling games without taking care of their families properly. This is unethical to a population of today’s society. Of course, it is not right to spend all the money you earn on lotteries. But by taking part in lotteries you contribute a little to the development of your own country. That’s why we say lotteries are not just about gambling. It’s a lot about winning and giving.

Author: Charlesjones
Profession: Article Writer
website: www.egoldchips.com

Lottery, more than just Gambling / Author: charles jones