Playing bingo games on the web is a favorite pastime of many gamers from the United Kingdom and this activity is constantly growing in popularity. You can regularly see bingo rooms appearing on the Internet. Most of them welcome players from the UK and cater to their needs and tastes. In general, they offer various types of bingo games, free and VIP bingo rooms, other games such as slots and some table games, a great deal of bonuses, friendly community spirit etc. Moreover, they allow you to play bingo from the comfort of your home so you don’t have to go to a bingo hall. However, from hundreds of UK bingo sites, how can you tell which ones are secure, trustworthy and reliable?
This is where we come in handy. We are a team of experienced bingo enthusiasts and gamers that have joined forces to research, rate and compare different UK friendly bingo sites in order to find the best of the best. We have personally tested over 100 bingo websites. Here you will find everything you need to know before diving into the world of online bingo gaming.
Our Test Criteria
On our website you will find a list of the best bingo sites for UK players. These are bingo rooms we have personally evaluated. In order to rank them we considered their features such as security, fairness, welcome offers, customer support and banking options among others. In fact, all bingo sites that failed to prove their security and legitimacy where left out. Continue reading to learn more about the key selection parameters and what to look for when searching for the best bingo rooms.
How to Find the Best UK Bingo Sites?
The following are the key criteria we took into consideration when we embarked on the mission to find the best UK friendly bingo sites. If you live in the UK and want to play bingo on the web always check if a bingo operator adheres to all of them.
- License and Player Protection
- Variety of Games
- Many Bonuses with Player-friendly Playthrough Requirements
- Available Deposit and Withdrawal Options
- Bingo Software and Sister Sites
- Technical Audits and Security
- Functionality and Variety of Mobile Platforms
- Customer Support Care
- The Bingo Community and Social Aspect
- Rewards for Loyal Players
License and Player Protection
Legality is the number of criterion we take into account when reviewing real money online bingo sites. As a rule of a thumb, always play at licensed and regulated rooms. Since November 2014 the only licensing body that matters to UK players is the UK Gambling Commission. Earlier bingo sites that were licensed by the gambling jurisdictions of Gibraltar, Malta, Kahnawake and Curacao among others were acceptable and good enough. However, today only a valid license granted from the Commission matters. This body audits all bingo rooms and checks if they adhere to the very strict standards. Operators must prove that they have steady corporate ethics and are responsible. They also need to prove that they treat all players fairly and adhere to their needs. This ensures a good level of player protection. Of course, all the bingo sites we recommend are fully licensed and regulated by the Commission.
Variety of Games
Security is always on the first place, but certifications and licenses won’t keep players entertained. Every online bingo hall that welcomes UK players wants to be the best bingo site in the UK. However, to achieve this offering many free games and bonuses and promotions to its users is not enough. The site should also offer an excellent game variety that includes popular bingo variations such as 90 ball and 75 ball bingo. Moreover, some of the best bingo sites in the UK offer a game variety that includes 80 ball bingo as well as video bingo. In addition to these there are also some interesting hybrid games such as Joker Jackpot which is a combination of a card game. Another innovate game is the new 30 ball bingo and so is the popular Rainbow Riches which can be found at sites that use Virtue Fusion. The ticket in this game is a four leaf clover and two bonus features are in action during every game.
Many Bonuses with Player-Friendly Playthrough Requirements
What most bingo sites offer to their customers is a wide array of bonus offers and promotional deals. The most common ones are the no deposit and match bonuses as well as the refer-a-friend offers. An example of a typical new player bonus offer is ‘deposit £10 and play with £25’. No deposit bonuses usually range between £5 and £20 and must be played through on eligible bingo games and slots. Bingo rooms also offer temporal promotions where you can win bonuses, cash prizes or trips to exotic lands.
However, before you claim any bingo bonuses you need to think of several things. Each bonus offer has its own terms and conditions and they differ from one bingo site to another. They often include three conditions namely validity, eligible games and playthrough requirements. The first one is the period within which you have to meet the all bonus terms. If you don’t your bonus will be void and removed from your account. The second condition refers to the games you can play with the bonus. The site usually lists the titles. The third condition refers to the number of times a bonus (and a deposit) must be played on eligible games before you can request a cashout. Bingo bonuses with user-friendly wagering requirements require players to stake the bonus up to three times. If it’s a slots bonus, the wagering requirements should be higher than 35x or 40x.
Available Deposit and Withdrawal Options
The best bingo rooms on the web that cater to UK players must offer reliable and secure deposit and withdrawal methods. Of course credit and debit cards such as Visa, Maestro and MasterCard are a must including bank transfers but they are not number one choice for everybody. A convenient deposit-only method is pre-paid cards and the most popular one in the UK is Paysafecard. Ukash used to be popular as well but it is no longer in use as it was purchased by Paysafecard.
Furthermore, other popular banking options are e-wallets namely Skrill, Neteller, PayPal, ClickandBuy, Click2Pay etc. With them deposits are instant while cashouts take up to 3 working days to complete. In addition, they include no fees and are anonymous i.e. you don’t have to provide your banking details to the bingo operator. We recommend that you sign up only with UK-licensed bingo sites that process transactions fast and that offer your preferred banking method.
Bingo Software and Sister Sites
Two popular bingo software providers are Dragonfish and Cozy Games. They power hundreds of online bingo rooms for UK players and are highly respected in this industry. The game choice, bonuses and promotions and banking methods generally depend on the type of software the operator is using. This also refers to the overall functionality of the site and its user friendliness.
Networks of sister sites are the result of software as well. Most of these sites have familiar looks and feels. They offer the same types of games and bonuses which may not sound like fun for many players. However, when they offer frequent promos with joined prize pools, they certainly are. But bingo sites that use their own software are also appealing. They offer unique titles and have exclusive features so this is certainly an advantage.
Technical Audits and Security
All reliable bingo rooms must be secured with the best security measures and have their games tested for fair play by approved audit agencies. A standard security measure is SSL encryption which stands for ‘security soccer layer’. However, the newest variant is TLS or ‘transport layer security’. It can be 128 or 256 bit and cover the entire bingo room. With this technology no third party can gain access to the sensitive data that you provide to the operator.
When it comes to technical audits, the UK Gambling Commission has a list of approved agencies which do rigorous tests on the bingo games and give out certification. Some of them are TST, GLI, iTech Labs and eCOGRA. They usually test the games available on a regular basis and check whether they are fair and genuinely random. Certified bingo rooms usually display their seal in the footer of their websites.
Functionality and Variety of Mobile Platforms
Nowadays people use their mobile devices on an everyday basis. Bingo operators try to keep up to date and make their games compatible with various tables and smart phones. Some offer a limited game choice on mobile; others make an effort to offer their entire game selection on the go. UK players have a good number of mobile bingo rooms to choose from. Most of them look and feel like their online counterparts but have an extra advantage- they can be accessed anywhere at any time.
In general, bingo rooms on mobile are compatible with Android and iOS powered smart phones and tablets. The newest ones are made in HTML5 and have a mobile responsive design so no app is required to be able to play the games. Some mobile bingo operators, however, still develop wrapped apps that look like native apps which are installed on the mobile screen. Nevertheless, it’s a great advantage to be able to play your favorite bingo game on the move.
Customer Support Care
The best bingo rooms in the UK provide help and assistance to all customers through various channels, mainly via e-mail, live chat and phone number. Good sites maintain an efficient player support service. They have knowledgeable customer support agents that are well trained and players can rely on their advice in all matters. The support is also fast- responsive and well mannered.
Top bingo brands offer UK toll free phone number so that players can easily call if they need help. They also offer instant live chat and respond to e-mails in a matter of minutes. In addition, they also have an extensive FAQ page where players can search for answers to the most common bingo questions. Most of the brands also offer nonstop live support. Others are available via live chat or phone during certain hours of the day but have rich FAQ pages with plenty of questions answered.
We have noticed that operators that have plenty of gambling services usually offer more flexible and much better established support system. However, their Help page usually contains so much info that players might find it hard to locate what they need. That’s why we carefully check them before we rate their efficiency.
The Bingo Community and Social Aspect
Even though they are not the most important and key factors in making a choice, the bingo community and social aspect at bingo rooms do matter. Bingo players don’t sign up with a bingo room just to play games. They usually take part in discussions, follow a blog, exchange knowledge with other players about a subject, follow gossips about celebrities or get daily life hack doses. They practically combine their favorite games with a magazine. In addition, the social aspect is also important to them because they can stay connected with a bingo room via social media such as Twitter and Facebook. Excellent bingo sites offer freebies on their Facebook fan pages and players can easily get their hand on them. Another benefit of top sites is their strong community feeling. They have buddy initiatives or the-best-team bonus offers where players can win more when they unite together.
Rewards to Loyal Players
Last but not least, great bingo websites care about their loyal players and want to retain them. Because the competition is very high, offering no deposit bonus incentives or other interesting promotions is simply not enough. Players get frustrated when they lose no matter how big their bonuses are. In addition, some players switch to new sites when they spent their free gifts.
Therefore, bingo rooms tailor VIP Clubs or loyalty programs where loyal players can climb up the VIP ladder and enjoy more benefit and a VIP treatment. Depending on their status they get their own personal account managers, exclusive games, invitations to VIP competitions, tickets to important shows or games etc. Important to note about these VIP programs is that players are often signed up for them automatically as they register a new account and get loyalty points for every bingo ticket they buy. Afterwards, after gathering enough points they can convert them for freebies and other rewards. Some sites even allow players to convert the points into real cash.
Another extra benefit the best bingo sites offer is giving away prizes that have nothing to do with bingo. They launch promotions associated with a holiday or a festive period where the lucky players get cash prizes or family trips to exotic destinations. They also organize prize draws where winners might win cars, TVs, tablets and other gadgets. These are all extras that some sites offer, but we do take them as a plus when we are evaluating various bingo rooms.