It has been confirmed that the French gambling market is about to be opened allowing EU-based companies to operate.

The French Budget Minister Eric Woerth, speaking to a French newspaper said the government is aiming for a “controlled opening” of the market by 2009 or 2010.

He went on to further say that future private gambling operators will be licensed under French regulations and subject to the same regulations that govern the current gambling monopoly Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU).

This is welcome news to the online bingo industry which has been denied access to the French market under the current regime.  Online bingo halls and online bingo operators can now look forward to building a market in what was once a closed industry.

There has been much talk in the gaming news recently about new ways to pay for your on-line bingo games.

 UKash is a new way to pay, similar to that of mobile top up cards.

All you do is pay cash for a Ukash voucher in your local shop, where you see the PayPoint, payzone or e-pay signs, or direct to your mobile, then use the unique 19 digit Ukash number to pay for goods and services online.

Ukash is instant – there’s no waiting for cards or registration. Ukash is as easy to use as cash itself. You:

• don’t need a card or financial details
• can be any age
• avoid fraud or identity theft
• have no statements, charges or fees
• are in control of your spending

Many bingo websites are signing up to use this, so wherever you see the UKash sign you can be assured of a quick transaction, giving you the ability to control your spending.

There are ever increasing bingo adverts on UK television screens at the moment.

Due to the relaxation of advertising rules, gambling can now be promoted on TV and on the radio. So it was inevitable that online bingo would take to the airwaves to promote its message.

Think Bingo had the first online bingo ad in September 2005, but since then we’ve seen the likes of Jackpotjoy, the Sun bingo and of course Foxy bingo all promoting their own bingo site.

More and more bingo sites are also using celebrities to endorse their sites. Who could forget the recent 888 ladies bing, featuring Vic Reeves’ getting dressed as a lady in order to play on-line bingo.

What this all shows is that online bingo is on the rise, as are TV bingo games. Lets just hope that it is not overcooked, and remains around for years to come.

CryptoLogic, the Online gambling software developer and popular choice of many UK online bingo operators and online bingo halls, has received a huge boost from a UK financial publication.

The “Motley Fool” is predicting up to 30% growth over the next five years following the companies posted fourth quarter earnings that have tripled to 36 cents a share.

CryptoLogic’s steady cash flow is the main reason stated that the company should see growth, with the US legal situation also said to be of benefit to them. Currently, non-US online bingo operators are restricted from taking payments from US-based bingo online players.

Motley Fool also believes CryptoLogic’s pursual of a diversification strategy, focusing on developing Asian and European markets will contribute to CryptoLogic’s future growth.

It has been reported in the last hour that the GTECH Corporation has acquired 90% of St Minver Limited, which is part of the Gibraltar-based St Enodoc Holdings Limited, subject to regulatory conditions but it is thought to be completed by the end of this quarter.

St Minver are a major player in providing white label gaming services including online bingo games and online bingo solutions. They offer services for blue-chip media brands and integrated gaming solutions for European sportsbooks and are a popular choice for many UK-based online bingo halls.

GTECH is reportedly putting up 28 million Euros with up to 13.6 million more depending on the performance of the company during the next 2 years.

 Recently data has been released from BingoPort.co.uk, showing that there has been a significant increase in Internet bingo use in the United Kingdom.

The data shows that the average daily player numbers have increased by around 19% since September 2007.

BingoPort.co.uk Managing Director and co-founder, Scott Logan stated that this increase has not been a surprise stating “As the only company here in the UK collecting industry wide data, we’ve seen this coming for quite a while.”

Logan puts this increase down to the fact that since the UK authorities relaxed TV advertising policies for gambling, many bingo operators have taken their message into mainstream media, with extensive marketing campaigns, with no signs of slowing down.

Logan goes on to say “With such a large community of bingo players, we’re able to get feedback from them on a daily basis about which bingo sites they play at and why. We’re seeing a trend for these players to be members of multiple bingo sites, with a tendency to follow the best promotions and jackpots.”