Bingo Hideout

Changes to online bingo?

In the light of the recent announcement by Gerry Sutcliffe that the restrictions on B3 machines in live bingo clubs are to be lifted allowing for four £500 pound prize machines in each club, we at the Hideout have been wondering how this will affect online bingo?

Although the Government have not shifted on the double taxation burden that the live bingo industry is reeling from, they have relented on the restriction of slot machines, meaning that more live players can enjoy larger payouts at every session. We have considered the positives for the live bingo industry already but what does it mean for players of online bingo? Will the numbers of live players increase now more money is in the pot, and will that make a difference to the numbers we see as a result of a flagging industry?

Live bingo announcement

After many months of speculation, Gerry Sutcliffe has sent a written announcement to the House of Commons concerning the future of live bingo halls. This proposal states that the Government are going to change the rules that govern the number of B3 slot machines that are allowed in live bingo clubs.

The proposal to allow an additional four machines per club redresses the burden that double taxation has put on live bingo clubs. This change comes as a result of months of consultation on behalf of the clubs and will give the industry the lift that it has desperately needed since the change in the law in 2007.

We love online bingo!

Those of us who enjoy Internet bingo love it so much we spend around £600 million on online bingo tickets a year. These figures are based on the amounts returned to players in jackpots over a year and take into account the 15%-20% an operator will keep for itself. This estimation of the figures has been so far widely accepted although the site admits it's not the whole picture as operators are loath to give out definitive numbers. In the light of this, we thought we'd take a look and see what these figures are and what they mean to our members.

Here comes The Sun

According to this report, The Sun Bingo has a massive 19% of the online bingo market and Gala Bingo a huge 16%. These are of course two trusted brand names that everyone - even non-players - can recognise and so their success comes as no surprise to those in the industry. It is interesting however that The Sun site, which doesn’t use TV promotion to gain players, leaves behind both Gala and Foxy. Both Foxy and Gala are renowned for their advertising achievements, with Sharon Osbourne being the face of Gala and Foxy sponsoring a TV show. The Sun seems to rely on word of mouth and ads in its paper and on its main site to bring in player numbers, an approach that is certainly paying dividends.

Foxy online bingo winners

Foxy Bingo has long been a favourite of ours at Bingo Hideout and our high recommendations of this site have always gone down well with all our members. Of course we are not the only ones who have noticed the Foxmeister's rise to fame and increasingly throughout the online gaming industry Foxy are now being recognised as one of the leading players around.

As reported last week Ben went off to the 3rd Online Bingo Summit to represent Bingo Hideout and saw Foxy win Best Online Bingo Operator and Best Marketing Campaign 2008. We here at Bingo Hideout are all pleased to continue to support Foxy Bingo and think they deserve all the credit they receive from players and now throughout the industry.

Foxy online bingo is 3

June sees Foxy Bingo's third birthday celebrations in full swing and with the chance to win a Fiat Punto or a Caribbean Cruise, there's everything for loyal roomies to play for.

One of our favourite community-orientated sites, Foxy has made a landmark decision on its birthday, which should have a positive affect on all of its loyal players. The choice to cease vying for new players in the ever increasing 'sign-up wars' is an example we hope other sites will follow - and soon.

Short term perks, long-term losses

Sign-up bonuses to online bingo sites have become the equivalent of the enticing 6-month interest free choice on a new credit card. Inevitably with the ever-increasing flood of sign-up bonuses on offer after the time is up (or in the case of online bingo sites after the free cards are played) people move on to the next freebie offer. All of which does nothing for player retention numbers. More annoyingly for loyal players free games used momentarily by passers-by can mean the huge jackpots can be swiped by someone who is never heard from again, while roomies wait for PJP's to build up again.

With Gala bingo shares having risen recently for the first time in a long time, the Gala Bingo company still seem to be reviewing their position on the live bingo stage and their latest shock announcement seems to be a manoeuvring of their stance to reduce outlay without losing their big name.

A surefire sign of how live bingo is currently changing and is about to change irrevocably Gala has announced its intention to withdraw from the national game. This means the game that was launched in 1986 to strengthen the popularity and position of the live game is now weakened by roughly a third of its strength. Gala have stated that in addition to focusing on an extended two-page High 5 game they will now be able to focus further on their own national game which they hope will still bring in sizeable jackpots for their players.