Oct 5

People keep on saying that loyalty in online bingo pays. Apparently, this should be one of the reasons why many people are going online to play their favorite card game. You can loyal to your beloved bingo hall but it wouldn’t be able to match the perks that online bingo websites give, they say. But what does this really mean? And why does loyalty in online pays?

Players who remain members of a particular online bingo website or service provider get incentives and bonuses. These are different from the incentives you get when you sign up for the service. Obviously, this means that you get a lot of value from your money when you sign up for the services of a particular company. However, it’s not enough for them that you sign up. They need you to stay within their service. With the incentives that they give their members, it is not hard to do this.

But why do online bingo service providers do this?

One word: competition.

The online bingo industry is saturated with several companies, all of them offering and promising the same topnotch service that you want. And since most of them would merely require you to fill out their sign up forms in order to become a member of their service (of course, you will have to pay for the tickets by loading your account), it’s not really hard to jump and change ship, so to speak.

In fact, this isn’t exactly uncommon. Many players would rather try as many service providers as possible instead of sticking with just one service provider. This is especially true of the player finds a service that is more satisfactory than the ones they are getting from their own provider. With the current set up, it’s not difficult to change from one service provider to another. And with the free games and trials most of them have, changing service providers is very easy and very efficient.

Hence, the companies are really trying to best to entice their members to stay put. Some offer a membership bonus (free credits on the player’s account every month) or compensation bonus (players get points when they load their accounts—points that can be redeemed as account credits or actual cash). The forms of the compensation are different, but the idea is the same. Simply put, it pays to be loyal because the service provider will give you more value for your money.

However, being loyal is not always worth it, especially when you are under a very bad online bingo service provider. Needless to say, you really need to choose. If your service provider does not even provide decent basic services, then what’s the point? The incentives cannot compensate for the poor service you are getting. But this is actually among the beauties of these incentives: because it is so appealing to change providers, many companies improve their services in order to make more customers stay. In the end, of course, incentives can be nice, but you should not forget the basic services.

Sep 11

Look at all the online bingo rooms existing on the Internet and you wouldn’t see one that has no online chatting feature. Previously, the chat option of online bingo rooms only served as a compromise for those who miss the atmosphere of traditional bingo halls. After all, in the old bingo games done in bingo halls, this classic card game is never a solitary activity. In fact, it is perhaps the most communal of all card games. Of course, it also helps that other online game rooms offer the chat functions as well. The chat function is now commonplace in online bingo that not offering such service is considered as a detriment to the business.

However, as the years go by, online chatting in bingo games has turned into something more than just a way to communicate with other players. Now, players can use chat in order to turn the tides into their favor. How can this be done? In many ways—as long as the player does not violate any rules stated in the rules of the online bingo game provider. Generally, chat in online bingo games add flavor and character to the game—a character different from the one accustomed to the usual bingo games in brick and mortar games halls.

Chat can also be used to make friends.

Although most game rooms do not allow the posting of personal contact details such as e-mail and instant messaging handles (this can be done through the private messaging function of the program), the in-game chat function still allows for interaction. The chat conversations are not restricted; players can discuss various bingo ideas, or they can talk about personal issues and topics. Bingo simply serves as the people’s common ground in chat.

Of course, with all these benefits, the responsibilities aren’t far behind. Online bingo game providers set rules regarding chat etiquette. Although this usually varies from provider to provider, the general rules are often standard. For instance, chatters cannot converse using all caps since this is considered rude in general Internet chatting. Complaining and plain rude behavior are also frowned upon. Very often, some players complain about not winning despite constant games. This is considered as rude and uncalled for. Needless to say, players should be good losers and good winners—and this should reflect in a player’s chatting practice.

Game providers also do not allow players to promote other bingo websites, naturally. Harassing other players and the use of vulgar language is also not allowed. There are chat masters checking out chat activity to see any violations. Other players, too, can complain if a particular player has violated the rules. Those who do not follow will face the subsequent sanctions. In general, players should be respectful to the chat masters and other players to avoid facing any sanctions.

Even with these rules, chatting in online bingo rooms is surely an advantage. Follow the rules and you will enjoy the benefits of online chatting!

Aug 25

In the United Kingdom, bingo is huge. Men and women of all ages play bingo, whether online and offline. They even have an extremely popular bingo cable show where people can play the game by watching the show where the numbers are announced. In any case, it may surprise a lot of people that the bingo played in America is very different from the bingo played in the United Kingdom. In the United States, bingo has 75 balls. In United Kingdom, it involves 90 balls, and the game is called Housie. This version of bingo is also played in European countries, as well as in New Zealand and in Australia.

So how is Housie different from the American bingo?

As mentioned earlier, Housie has 90 balls/numbers, as supposed to the American bingo that only has 75 balls. But beyond the number of balls involved there are even more differences between the UK and the American bingo. First difference: the card used. Housie has 27 boxes or tiles in a 9 x 3 card. This means that it is longer than the American card. However, the Housie card actually has far fewer numbers in the cards, since not call cards actually have numbers inside them. Each row has five numbers each, leaving four tiles blank. Each column has a set of numbers specifically set for them. The first column is for one to nine, the second for 10 to 18, so forth. However, the last row is set for the last 18 numbers. Usually, a row has one number, usually two numbers, but rarely three. But in the end, the number positions do not really matter. What matters in Housie are the numbers in your card, not where they are located (which is often the case with American bingo).

This is because the game of Housie is like a variant of the black out game in American bingo. However, there are very slight variations in the game—because the game does not require the player to have a full black out immediately. Often times, the one who marks the first two rows in their card wins a prize, but a bigger prize is actually reserved for the player who marks every row in his or her card (this is the full house). Although some play the full house immediately, most game providers (online and offline) play the two lines game (as mentioned above). The advantage of this over American bingo? House allows multiply players. Since two patterns are usually asked per game, those who did not get the first formation are given the chance to complete the rest of the card. And since there are more numbers being called in a Housie game, the chance that the first winner can win the succeeding game is not at all bigger, giving everyone a fighting chance until the end.

Housie does not offer the same variety as the 75 ball bingo, but the chance for multiple players and the fact that Housie games are generally longer make up for that fact.

Aug 12

One of the most effective incentives for online bingo players is the deposit bonus. As its name implies, it is a bonus that is being given away every time you make a deposit.

A lot of players are interested to know more about online bingo deposit bonuses, and luckily, you have answers to all your questions below:

What are the different kinds of deposit bonuses?

You have three types. The first one is called the initial deposit bonus. It’s the one you would receive when you make your initial deposit. Even if you only give out a minimum amount, you can still enjoy such incentive. Another one is the deposit for the succeeding bonuses. Not all bingo websites would give you these; however, for those who do, you would receive a bonus every time you’re going to make deposits to your account. The bonus may not be as huge as the first one, but it can still be great addition to your account. Lastly, you may be given free money bonus. This means that once you sign up, you would receive free money from the website. You can use it to buy cards and play games. You may or may not receive prizes, though.

How much would the deposit bonus be?

It varies from website to website. Most of them would give 100 percent match bonus to your initial deposit. If you deposited $50, for example, the website would give you an additional $50, increasing your account automatically to $100. Others are more generous. You can find websites that have 200 to 300 percent match bonus on your initial deposit. The rare ones can offer 600 to 800 percent.

As mentioned, bonuses to your next deposits would be much smaller. It could be anywhere between 10 and 25 percent. However, there are also websites that would give the same match bonus to your succeeding deposits as to your initial deposit. Hence, if your initial deposit would receive 100 percent match, so will your next deposits be.

Nevertheless, websites implement caps or limits. For instance, a website may have 100 percent match bonus or up to $500. This means that the maximum deposit you can make is $250.

How do I obtain the deposit bonus?

Most websites won’t immediately give you your deposit bonus. You have to meet the wagering requirements first. This means that your deposit and bonus should be used to play different bingo and even casino games in the website.

This is where most players commit mistakes until they could no longer get their bonuses. For one, they forget to determine what types of games are qualified for the wagering requirements. They also don’t know how many times they have to make a wager. Usually, it would be between 10 and 30. Moreover, they don’t realize that you have a time limit on when you can make wagers and get your bonus. You will forfeit your bonus if you go beyond the period.

Nevertheless, if you can do your research well, there are few websites that don’t require you to play wagers.

Aug 4

Bingo is becoming more and more popular these days. In fact, in the past few years, bingo players have become younger and younger, thanks to the advent of online bingo. Today, your folks’ bingo can be accessed at the computer of your own home, with most of the manual skills automated so you end up enjoying not just bingo but other games as well. Online bingo can also be brought anywhere as long as there is an Internet connection, allowing instant play. This notion of instant play has now trickled into mobile phones. Many industry experts believe that mobile bingo will be as big the online industry in the next few years.

Current Mobile Advances

This can be attributed to the fact that mobile phones have become more and more like little computers. Every year new version of phones come out with features and specifications similar to PCs released before the turn of the century. The pace of the advancement is getting faster than expected as well. Less than 5 years ago, it was doubted whether cell phones would have color displays, but now it is a standard.

With the advancement of the hardware, the possibilities of the software follow as well. Phones today are capable of running applications aside from your usual games and calculator applications. Mobile phone companies have also released developer kits to software companies for them to create rich applications for their platforms.

Faster Connectivity

Finally, the last piece of the puzzle is mobile connectivity. New standards such as HSDPA allow cellular phones to access the Internet with speeds similar to a wired connection. With faster connectivity, it is now possible to create a series of applications that will maximize the presence of the Internet. Mobile versions of popular websites were first to come out, though it is even possible to view full pages in certain phone models.

What This Means for Mobile Bingo gaming

With the hardware, software, and connectivity falling into place, it will now be easier for software developers to transfer the PC experience to mobile phones. This will allow players to join a quick session of bingo while waiting for an appointment or while on the train. The feature set of these mobile counterparts are even very close to PC versions. Aside from having the ability to choose your own bingo cards, it will also permit you to join chat rooms and play side games. Most of all, you do not need to create a separate account; your winnings will be consolidated as long you a play in the same online bingo company. As long as the phone is connected to the Internet, you will be assured of getting bingo action anywhere you can be.

There are few drawbacks that prevent mobile bingo from fully taking off, though. One is the various platforms available today for each and every phone manufacturer. Though there are similarities, it is still very difficult to develop software that will create the same game play regardless of the phone you have. Next is the issue of the security. There is the possibility of breach that can occur while transacting over the mobile phone. However, as shown by the speed at which mobile phones have evolved, it will be a matter of time before solutions materialize.