Gran Scoop £50,000 Bucky Bingo Win!
350 friends win £50 each as well!

A great grandmother scooped £50,000 at the Buckingham Bingo Club in Bootle, Liverpool on Saturday afternoon, 7th March 2009. In addition 350 fellow players in the club each won £50 as well.

The 70 year old from Formby won the money on the Bucky Bullseye ticket by calling the full house on the number 50. The unnamed winner plays twice a week with her daughter at the Bootle club, and while her daughter wasn’t with her on the Saturday afternoon session her generous mum will still be sharing the cash.

“I have eighteen grand children who will all get a little something from me too”, said the grandmother. “My daughter and I will be going on a little holiday as well. I didn’t sleep on Saturday night because I was so excited.”

The now very popular grandma, is also the best friend of everyone at the club on Saturday afternoon, as 350 customers each scooped £50.00 free cash because of her win.

The Bucky Bullseye jackpot is the second biggest jackpot on offer in retail bingo in the UK after Gala’s High 5 game.

I’ve got a fair bit of news from JackpotCity this month, which will hopefully give you a some nice content for your sites. If you have any questions about any of the upcoming features (or about the program as a whole), feel free to drop me an email or give me a ring.

March Player promotion:
First up, we have a new player promotion launching on 1st March. This month will see £60 Marks and Spencer vouchers being given out on daily basis in Bob’s Room between 7pm and 9pm.
At the end of the month, all of the previous winners will then be invited to a final playoff in the Mystery Room where the grand champion will receive a gym membership for a year and their telephone and internet bill paid. Creative is now live in the system in a variety of sizes.

But that’s not all …

Dream holiday (or up to £2,000 in cash) Promotion
On 9th, 19th and 29th March, all players will be invited to participate in a special game held just before 9pm. The FH winners of each of these games will then go head to head in a special playoff to be held in the Mystery Room with the ultimate victor being given a Dream Holiday, or a £2,000 cash equivalent.

New Rooms, games and features:
March will also see the launch of a great number of new features, which will all help to improve your conversion rates and player values.

From 3rd March, JackpotCity will be launching:
• 24 Hour Swedish Bingo
• 24 Hour Spanish Bingo (Both are great for generating revenue from new markets)
• New room in the UK version hosting a 5 reel, 5 line multiplayer slot
• Side games including:
o Big Bounty (variable stake Scratch Card)
o Hollywood Boulevard (5 Reel, 20 Line Slot with Free Spins and Wild Symbols)
o BarX Classic games as played in the traditional pubs (to arrive mid-March)
• Bonus Code functionality (please email me if you would like to use a Bonus Code in your promotions)
• The new Mystery Room which will include Free Bingo

Bingo Jackpots:
The current jackpot levels are as follows:

• Abso-Blingo-Lutely Jackpot in Bella’s Ball Room is a progressive jackpot at £13,514. This will be paid out if a full house bingo is won in 33 calls.
• Super Sonic Jackpot in Bella’s Accelerator Room is currently at £13,045 if you claim the full house in 34 numbers called or less.
• A+ Jackpot in the School Room is currently at £9,142 which can be won if you claim full house in 42 numbers called or less.
• Let it Ride Jackpot in the Elbo Room is currently at £4,292 which can be won if you claim full house in 42 numbers called or less.

Offline promotions:
• Jackpot City’s offline advertising has again increased, cementing it’s brand within the top 10 bingo advertisers on UK television. Having become a regular presence on various satellite channels such as UK Living, E4 and 5US, JackpotCity has now introduced itself to terrestrial channels too with adverts targeting the north of England appearing on ITV, Channel4 and Channel5.

Good news for Online Bingo Affiliates who are struggling to rank high in organic search listings – Gamingalerts.co.uk reports that Google recently announced they will now allow UK affiliates to bid on Adwords. The move comes only a few months after Google allowed gambling operators to buy Adwords.

Pay-per-click advertising remains a very popular online advertising tool due to its quick results, and now UK Online Bingo Affiliates will also be able to pay for popular search terms in a bid to increase their traffic figures.

Affiliates however will not be able to bid on operator terms such as, William Hill Bingo or Sky Bingo.

So with that in mind, what are the advantages of Google Adwords for Online Bingo Affiliates?

· AdWords gives you 24/7 access to detailed performance reports that help you track the effectiveness of your ad campaigns.

· Reach people looking for your product or service

• Fully control your ad budget
• Easily create and edit your ads
• See your ads on Google within minutes of creating them
• There is no monthly minimum spending limit or time commitment and only a minimal fee to set up your account.

So if you’ve got the budget to bid on keywords on Google Adwords, and the proper technique and knowledge to run it, you should be able to see the benefits on your Online Bingo Affiliate site almost immediately.

If you don’t, it’s back to Search Engine Optimization – a much more time and labour intensive method, but just as successful in the end.

In their latest effort to make the funding of all Online Bingo play even more simple and convenient, online e-wallet provider NETeller have reportedly announced the release of brand new Net+ cards for members.

Online Bingo players have long since discovered the safety and ease of depositing and receiving payments from Online Bingo and Online Gambling websites through this popular online payment method.

According to BingoStreet.com, the new Net+ card from NETeller will be offered in conjunction with MasterCard, and it will be provided as an upgrade option for existing customers as both an online and offline option.

This versatile, pre-paid Net+ card’s Virtual version is designed for use on the internet, which is ideal for Online Bingo players to top up their accounts and take advantage of the many fantastic Online Bingo deposit bonuses available in the Virtue Affiliates brand stable.

The Net+ virtual card works by generating a unique 16-digit card number, and can be used by any online website that accepts MasterCard.

And if you’d like to get your hands on some of your Online Bingo winnings, the standard Net+ prepaid card can be used to access funds within your NETeller account from millions of cash-points or ATM machines.

So with Online Bingo funding and withdrawals becoming increasingly easy and convenient, there are no more excuses to keep you away from your favourite Online Bingo site!

The end of July, through to August and the beginning of September is traditionally rather quiet in the Online Bingo Affiliate world. It seems that most people are either enjoying some good weather, or gone away on holiday.

And with less people spending time on the Net, your Bingo acquisitions and conversions are also likely to suffer until things get busy again around Christmas. So what can an Online Bingo Affiliate do during these quiet times to keep the commission rolling in?

How about:

A little spring cleaning – You can use this quiet time to freshen up your website with new content, adding more interesting links, fixing broken links and checking that everything is working as it should be.

Get into the Christmas spirit – People generally go way overboard with Christmas presents, decorations and celebrations, which mean they’re generally also more broke than usual. Create Festive Season banners, promotions and prizes and capitalize on their Christmas cheer and need for some extra money.

Content is king – Take advantage of this quiet time by stocking up your content and article library that you can publish on your Online Bingo Affiliate site later. You won’t always have time to write fresh content, so it’s a great idea to get writing and saving it away for later.

Play around a bit – This is a great time to play lots of Online Bingo, become part of  an online community and really get into the heads of your target market. Play with them, talk to them, ask them questions and most of all - listen to them.

Try something new – Is there some idea, concept or method you’ve been dying to try out? What about that project or revolutionary innovation you just haven’t had the time to do? Now’s the time, and who knows – maybe it’ll be the Next Big Thing!

Get out there and network – Use this time to attend some Affiliate conventions or roadshows, and get to attend seminars, participate in Q & A’s and meet other Online Bingo Affiliates.

Work on your email lists – Clean up your email database for more effective use later in the year. And if you don’t have any email lists – you better get one in place!

Get social – Join as many social networking sites and forums as you’re comfortable with, subscribe to blogs and join in discussions. Once you get your name or your website’s name known on the Net, you can easily build your brand and your reputation online.

If you can’t beat them – join then! This might be a good time to also take some time off to relax, clear you head and get ready for the busy Online Bingo Affiliate season ahead.

So you worked like crazy to get your Online Bingo Affiliate site up and running, and looking just right. You’ve got the right wording, the best banners and greatest offers. You’ve targeted the right audience and kept on working on and refining your site.

And all of a sudden it just falls into place. Players come in fast and furious, and your first Affiliate paycheck is more than you ever dreamed of.

Before you know it, you’re dreaming about all the wonderful things you’re going to buy with all that money. And why not? If every month is as successful as that one, then you can already see yourself in your new boat, launching from the dock at your new holiday house…

Reality bites

Yes, there’s a big ‘but’ coming. The fact is that the Internet is one of the most volatile of beasts. One day you’re up there, and the next, literally overnight, your site has practically disappeared. This is especially true for Search Engine rankings, or organic search. While your Online Bingo Affiliate site might remain at the top of the listings for months on end, it could also drop down into the trenches in the blink of an eye. So bear that in mind before buying that boat (or holiday house!)

Keeping it real – Survival strategies

If there’s only one survival tip you remember, it’s this: Save while you can.

If your Online Bingo Affiliate site is bringing in the cash, then you pat yourself on the back, put the money away and continue working like crazy.

Save up an emergency fund of at least 3 months of living expenses (you might have to calculate your expenses first), before going on a mindless spending spree. You’ll thank me later.

Buckle down

During this time of saving and non-indulgence, work on your site even more. Turn it into a site that people will come back to daily – if you can. Create a newsletter, write a blog, host a forum, hold a competition – do what you can to make your site ‘sticky’.

Think long-term

When you look at Online Bingo Affiliate commission structures, you generally get a choice between a large, once-off commission, or residual (ongoing) commission. The residual option is a good one if you’re thinking long-term, as it is a passive income that could carry you through tough times.

If you generate income through affiliate programs and you’re offered a choice of large one-time commissions or residual (ongoing commissions), if the company is solid; go for the residual commission option - this revenue may be what keeps your mortgage paid if things go wrong and buy you a little breathing space.

Don’t go cold turkey too quickly

There are many people out there who make a very comfortable living solely by being Online Bingo Affiliates. But before you quit your job and jump head-first into this, get a feel for the industry, get settled, make a good name for yourself and think it through thoroughly.

Chasing your dreams is great, but life happens, and it’s worth keeping in mind what you stand to lose should things go wrong.

Happy networking and saving!

Earlier we focused on some vital ways for Online Bingo Affiliates to stop messing about and start making some serious money. One of the most important suggestions was to make sure that you don’t lose focus. It is vitally important to keep your mind on matters at hand, and not allow yourself to lose sight of what’s most important – bringing in players.

The next tip was to make sure you eliminate all distractions like phone calls, emails, instant messages and even RSS feeds. These eat up valuable time and it could take a while for you to get back into the swing of things after having to deal with them.

The last suggestion was to not let ideas float around aimlessly, but to write it down as soon as it pops into your head. This way, you effectively deal with it without having to do something right away, which allows you to put it out of your head and deal with it later.
So what else can you do, as a Virtue Affiliate, to make sure you’re a lean, mean money making machine?

Create deadlines
If you’re anything like me, you probably work a lot better under pressure. It’s a fact – the less you have to do, the longer it takes you to do it. Add a little pressure into the mix, and you get a lot more done, a lot quicker.

So stop the mental procrastination by setting yourself deadlines to complete certain tasks. When working on those 3 critical aspects you identified (see previous post for more details), give yourself a time limit and make sure you stick to it. By working against the clock, you effectively force yourself to focus and finish the job at hand.
Need some more motivation? Promise yourself a reward for completing a particularly tedious task – and then don’t cheat!

Create an email folder system
Although we’ve already discussed managing your email time more effectively, it’s worth taking a more in-depth look at how to deal with this necessary, but time consuming practice.
Another way of dealing with emails more effectively is by creating folders in your inbox. A cluttered inbox creates distractions, so it is a good idea to keep it as clean and clear as possible. Create folders for less urgent emails, emails from friends and family, newsletters and more urgent correspondence that can’t wait. Once you receive mail, put it in the respective folder immediately, and deal with it later. That way, you don’t have to sift through piles of junk mail to get to the urgent matters.

Stay informed
It is vital to keep on top of the Online Bingo Affiliate industry. Although this can be potentially tedious and time-consuming, it is a necessary evil. The good news is that there are many tools to help you stay on your toes.

Install an RSS feeder like Google Reader, or set up Google Email Alerts when Online Bingo is discussed. This is a great way to stay up to date without spending a lot of time browsing around, and it’s quick and easy to install.

At the end of the day, it’s all about what works for you. Being a Virtue Affiliate should be a rewarding experience, and with the right tools and support – it can be a breeze.

Being a successful Online Bingo Affiliate is not just about making lots of money. (although it is one of the great perks!) It’s also about living the Affiliate lifestyle. In other words, working from home, choosing your own hours, etc. So what can you do if you’re a Virtue Affiliate but you find yourself slaving away for hours on end, without getting the results and the rewards you know you should be getting?

Don’t despair – help is at hand! Follow these suggestions and ensure that being an Online Bingo Affiliate works for you, and not the other way around…

Don’t lose focus

There are a hundred-and-one distractions when working online all day. Friends and family continuously sending you instant messages on MSN or Skype, phone calls, your email alert box popping up with new messages every couple of minutes, and RSS feeds updating you with the latest news / sport / gossip almost every second…

Get rid of all the distraction and focus on what’s really important – bringing in players. Checking your inbox every couple of minutes is not going to make you money, so make a rule that you only check emails at certain times of the day. Also, tell family and friends not to chat with you online whenever they feel like it. Set boundaries, and tell them that they’re only allowed to bug you after normal office hours, or whenever would suit your schedule.

Les Hewitt suggests that another way of improving your productivity is by writing down everything you do every day in your business. Start at the very first thing you do, and write down everything. Then, look at your list and highlight 3 things that is critical to your business, and that will help your business grow.
Then make sure that you focus on these three things every day, and spend at least 80% of your time doing it.

Don’t get waylaid by distractions

Thanks to today’s mobile and online lifestyle, we’ve gotten it into our heads that we need to be at other people’s beck and call 24 hours a day. People are no longer prepared to wait more than a couple of minutes for a response, but instead demand your attention right there and then. The good news is, other people will survive without an immediate response. The bad news is that you will have to fight the urge to respond without blinking and get used to doing things on your own time.

So switch off your phone, set your instant messaging to ‘unavailable’, put an auto responder message on your email telling people that you only check mails at a certain time, and get down to the business of making money – without all those distractions.

Besides, not being available all the time gives the impression that your time is valuable, and that you’re way too busy to be bugged with trivial stuff.

Don’t let your ideas float around aimlessly…

Our brains are filled with random thoughts and ideas all days long. Generally, this is a good thing as it is those ideas that make us good at what we do. However, when those thoughts distract us from what we’re supposed to do (and they inevitably do), it becomes a time waster.

So what should you do if you suddenly remember that you need to phone your mother-in-law for her birthday? Or that you forgot to buy bread? Or worse – that you haven’t replied to a potential client?

Write it down. As soon as the thought pops into your head, write it down so you will remember about it later, and be able to deal with it when you’ve got time. This way, you won’t have to keep mulling over it in your head, and you can focus on what it is you should be doing.

Plus, when you get to it, you’ll also have the satisfaction of ticking the items off your list!

These are just a couple of suggestions on how to increase your productivity, and help you focus on what’s really important as an Online Bingo Affiliate. For any other advice or assistance, don’t hesitate to contact Virtue Affiliates now!

Security remains a worry for 81% of Online gamblers

Many years ago, when banks transported big bags of money via steam trains, outlaw cowboys rode alongside the trains, hijacked the loot and rode away shooting and whooping it up. Nowadays there is no horse riding involved, but the principle stays the same:

As long as there is money being exchanged, there will be people trying to get their hands on it.

It is therefore no great surprise that a whopping 81% of Online Gamblers worry about security. According to an independent UK consumer research commissioned by PayPoint.net, the majority of online gamers worry about the security risks they’re taking, and almost two thirds (61%) worry about what to do if they encounter a problem gambling online. In particular, the study points out those customers need reassurance that their personal information and bank details are safe.

Putting their minds at ease

Allaying safety and security fears is a big part of being a successful Online Gambling Affiliate. As a Virtue Affiliates you are able to offer prospective and existing players total peace of mind on the security of their personal details. All online gambling transactions are thoroughly checked and secured with the latest in encryption software. And although there are no guarantees in life, it is a whole lot safer to transfer money online than carry the winnings around in your pocket after hitting a big Bingo jackpot. 

Payout security

The study also highlighted players’ security concerns on how winnings are returned to them. 40 percent of respondents expressed concern over the security around the payment of winnings.

This is where web wallets are of great value. Besides the fact that players’ money is handled by well known and respected brands in the payments world, payouts are a lot more quick and easy than it would be using credit cards.

According to Alessandro Hatami, managing director of PayPoint.net, “Sometimes, even the mere presence of a web wallet logo gives players the confidence that their sensitive personal information will be safe, and their winnings returned to them quickly and securely”.

The moral of the story is that as much as it is an Online Bingo Affiliate’s job to get players to play at their Online Bingo Hall, it is also their job to reassure and reaffirm safety concerns and queries.

After all, a happy and secure player is likely to be a big spending player…

Life is full of terribly complicated decisions. Should you really have that last piece of chocolate cake? Should you take a sick day to go to the beach? Should you just wear that horrible old washed-out t-shirt in the back of your closet, instead of doing the laundry?

That’s why it’s so refreshing that the decision to become a Bingo Affiliate is such an easy one. It’s very popular. It’s the fastest growing sector in online gaming. And if done properly, it can be extremely profitable.

See, a total no-brainer.