What a whirlwind the last month has been. First to Gibraltar and Malta for customer meetings. Then to London for the terrific Bingo Summit and eGaming Awards. Next to Argentina, exploring Latin American market opportunities. And finally Spain for the biggest EiG ever. It's not easy keeping up with the momentum of online bingo these days.

Of all the events, the second annual Bingo Summit in London was the most rewarding. Close to 200 delegates attended, and the agenda was chock full of panel discussions, round tables and presentations from the top players in the online bingo industry. Hats off to the gang a Bullet Business who pulled it all off.

Common themes over the two days were European market growth (Italy and Spain were singled out as having the greatest potential); attracting and retaining new audiences; the importance of affiliates; and (our favourite) the importance of selecting the right software provider.

Here are ten random things we learned at the Online Bingo Summit:

• There are currently nearly 200 online bingo sites targeting the UK market. And the number continues to grow rapidly. Yet many felt there is room for more if they target niche audiences. Most agreed there is massive potential for growth.
• One figure stated that more than 250,000 people have tried the game online. The core audience is in the 2o to 45 age range. Much younger than land-based bingo.
• St. Minver's study found that 68% of bingo players smoke. That's in comparison to the national average of 28%. No wonder land-based bingo halls have been hit hard in the wake of the no-public-smoking laws.
• Bingo Tarts is the name given to the preponderance of people who troll a variety of bingo sites looking for the best offers. It's a bigger phenomenon than you might think. These Tarts aren't loyal to a particular site or brand, they just look for the best deposit bonus offers. Some frequent up to nine sites at a time.
• Internet penetration is the main factor driving the growth of online bingo across Europe. As countries become more connected with broadband service, more people will be able to enjoy online bingo.
• GBGC projects that the UK, Spain, Italy and Sweden are the top four markets with 57% combined market share. They project online bingo will be worth $1.16billion by 2012.
• Technology challenges for mobile bingo are considerable, including screen geography, real-time chat ability and overall playability. The immediate future for mobile bingo may be limited to pre-buying cards for future games.
• In Spain, more men play bingo than women.
• Bingo operators are increasingly using viral and social marketing techniques through applications like Facebook and YouTube. This trend is expected to continue and amplify.
• Parlay's BingoBets heralded the arrival of integrated bingo side games and bingo bonus games. Most development houses have followed Parlay's lead and are rushing similar products to market.