We all used to have those times in life when we had ten or fifteen minutes to wait – for a friend, a bus or a doctor’s appointment – and nothing to do. Fortunately, with the invention and uptake of smartphones and tablets, it would appear that there’s never a dull moment these days – there are so many different games you can get apps for. And if you don’t feel like playing, you can always browse through some social networking sites to see what all your mates are up to.

One traditional game that really owes its comeback to centre stage because of the internet and smartphone apps is bingo. Although it always used to be seen as the domain of old ladies with blue rinses, bingo is now cool whatever age or sex you are. And with the numbers of people who play online bingo increasing every day, the prizes just keep growing in value. People can have spectacular, life-changing wins on a game of bingo, and what’s more, you don’t even need to concentrate on it like you used to do in the traditional game.

It’s no longer necessary to have eyes down and concentrate on the numbers being called, in order to be the first to call ‘house.’ The software does that all for you, so you can’t miss out on a win, even if you pre-buy tickets and don’t actually have the site open during the game, you can still win! Instead you’re free to spend that time playing other games on the same site, chatting to other players you meet in the chat rooms or doing something offline.

The great thing about playing bingo online is that you can play for tiny stakes – with many sites offering game cards that start at 1p or 5p. And even though the games are cheap to play, you can still stand to win significant prizes. What better way to spend five minutes if you happen to end up landing a decent cash prize?