Sometimes you can invest a lot in a bet. Not in the cash sense of investment – that?s a different story – but in the sense of how you go about determining exactly who to back. Laborious research can involve endlessly checking the stats, tracing the form lines, monitoring the fitness reports and – of course – checking the state of the market, comparing the odds and weighing just how much to put down given the risk and reward equation. Sometimes it can almost start to feel like hard work.

But other times, you just want a bit of a buzz. No great science, no deep insight, no conviction or insight or calculation or strategic intention – just a bit of fun. Of course it goes against the grain to just back a horse blind just for the sake of it – although all of us have been there at one point or another. And a direct, competitive game such as poker is the very opposite of what we?re describing here – It?s just so intense. But there is another way.

There is in fact a distinction made amongst students of the gambling world that cuts a line between gaming, wagering and lotteries. Poker would be in the category of gaming – because it?s a directly competitive game – whilst sports betting would fall under the heading of ?wagering? for equally obvious reasons.

Since there are times when, as we have seen, gaming and wagering may be too much trouble to bother with that leaves the lottery leg of the triangle as the most casual and laid back of the gaming options out there. It is one worth taking more seriously than some people have done in the past.

Anything that has stood the test of time as well as a lottery is not to be sniffed at. But of course, the old formula has been brought up to date and providers such as meccabingo.com, skybingo.com, ladbrokesbingo.com and mirrorbingo.com are all rolling out their versions to already well defined demographic constituencies. Bingo is, in effect, a lottery with added excitement.

Whilst it might be easy to be sniffy about games like these, they are worth taking seriously. By and large they are simple, straightforward and easy to use. They tend to involve pocket money stakes, even though their jackpots frequently run into four figures. What?s more they are invariably marketed with the usual sign-up promotions – so once you?re in you can hardly lose? at least for the first few games. At the aforementioned Mirror Bingo for example, you can benefit from ?40 worth of play just from depositing ?10. Other sites offer similar deals so it?s worth taking advantage of the best ones.

But the point about these games is their absolute simplicity. No effort is required, no energy need be expended, but the gambler?s innate love of chance is catered for in abundance. There is something to be said for a thousand to one shot that you absolutely know that someone is going to walk away with at the end of the game. In 2008 a Welsh woman became the world?s first ever bingo millionaire. That old ad man?s phrase is as true for bingo as it was when the national Lottery launched back in 1994: ?It could be you!?

In many respects it?s the simplest form of gambling there is. But when you?re blown out, run down and just downright tired, it certainly is not the worst. More hands-on than a straight lottery, less stressful than a card game and less effort than a sports bet; there is still a place for bingo.