Category: Gambling and Casinos

Online bingo sites offer bonuses, usually free money or chips, in order to attract and/or keep players. Online bingo sites are competing for a player’s attention by offering these freebies. It’s the online bingo site equivalent of a ‘buy 2 for the price of 1’ promotion.

The Choices

There are mainly two different types of bonuses in online bingo: ‘Sign up bonuses’ and ‘Returning Player’ bonuses.

Sign up bonuses are the monies the bingo site gives you to say “thanks for choosing us”. You usually get them when you sign up at the site and make your first deposit into a Real Money account. Often they will match your initial deposit at the website. The actual amount varies from the different sites available. Online bingo sites also change their bonus structures, so be on the lookout for great bonus deals. Bingodrome offers a 200% bonus on your initial deposit!!

Returning Player bonuses are freebies that the online bingo site gives their loyal players. They’re usually awarded on the first deposit of a given month, or a certain percentage of what a player deposits at the site over the course of the month. They are a way for the website to say “thanks for your continued support”.

The Player’s Responsibility

The player is expected to identify themselves truthfully, to not cheat, to follow the rules given in the site’s “Terms & Conditions”, and to respect the online bingo site’s terms for cashing out.

The implicit understanding is that if you go to online bingo site X and take one of their bonuses, then you’ll stay at site X and play for awhile. The clause that keeps you at that site for a minimum amount of play is called “the play through requirement”. It states how much money you must wager at the website in order to be able to cash in on the bonus. It’s usually expressed as a multiple of your deposit at the online bingo site, or the bonus you receive or the sum of the two. The details of the play-through are in the site’s Terms & Conditions. If you do not agree with an online bingo site’s Terms & Conditions, then do not play at that site.

The Online Bingo Site’s Responsibility

The player, of course, expects the online bingo site to offer fair games and to pay out in a reasonable and timely manner. That’s obvious enough, but what might not be obvious is that games change over time and the payouts are almost certainly subject to the player’s full compliance with the site’s Terms & Conditions.

The site’s Terms & Conditions represent their terms of service to the player. They are often tweaked and modified to reflect changes in the online bingo site’s bonus structure and play-through requirements. They are the rules of doing business with that site and any player who doesn’t want rude surprises down the road is well advised to read them.

The Terms & Conditions of the site dictate what is expected of the player and the site will always hold the player to the spirit & letter of those terms. If the player does not know the Terms & Conditions, that is no excuse. It’s like the law: ignorance is no excuse when it comes to online bingo sites.

Online bingo bonuses are a great part of playing online bingo. If used right players can sometimes even triple their money! But what exactly are bingo bonuses and how can players use them?

There are many different forms of online bingo bonuses. Basically, bingo bonuses are free money or credits players receive from the website. Players can receive these bonuses in cash or in bonus money.

A popular type of online bingo bonuses is the sign-up bonus. A sign-up bonus is when a player receives something in return for signing up at a specific website. Some sites offer free sign-up money. Others offer bonus money or credits to new players. Some sites even offer free bingo cards or play time instead of money.

Other common online bingo bonuses are deposit bonuses. Many websites offer bonuses on players’ deposits. These bonuses vary and can be anything from 50% to 200%. Deposit bonuses are not only to encourage players to deposit, but to give them something extra for their loyalty. By choosing the correct bingo website to play and deposit at, players can up to triple their money. If players deposit, for example, $100, at a site with a 200% deposit bonus, they will receive $200 extra! Some sites pay deposit bonuses in real money, others in bonus money.

A fun way of earning bingo bonuses is participating in online chat games. Many websites offer chat games where players can earn bonus money to play with. These games are usually lots of fun and anyone can play. Online chat games are probably the most liked form of online bingo bonuses.

When signing up at a bingo website, players should read the terms and conditions of that site to know the website’s policy regarding online bingo bonuses. At most websites players can use their bonuses to buy cards and to play the various side games. Players can even win real money with their bonuses! But most websites do not allow players to cash out or withdraw their bonus money, but players can withdraw their winnings they made from bonus money.

Online bingo bonuses can be used for everything players would use real money in the game. Players can buy cards and play side games with their online bingo bonuses. Finding a website that offers bonuses is really easy. All players have to do is keep their eyes open for special bonus offerings!

Recent months has seen an increase in the number of online gaming sites being launched in Spain (particularly online bingo and poker). But while the online gaming phenomenon took hold in the US and UK some time ago, it is only recently that the numbers of online players in Spain has increased, allowing companies the confidence to delve into the Spanish markets.

So what are the reasons for the recent increase in the number of players and game site launches?

The main reason is seen as the increase in availability of broadband across the country. Previously those with only a modem dial up connection would find it both expensive and frustrating playing a game which required a download and a sufficiently fast continuous connection. As dial-up in Spain is charged per minute, and with Telefonica (the worlds 6th largest telecoms company) previously being the sole provider of fixed telephone lines, and therefore its pricing mechanisms, you can see how people have been put off from using the internet, let alone delving into the world of online gaming.

However, times are changing. The liberalization of the fixed-line telecommunications service market in Spain was completed in 1998. Spain (9th in the table for European broadband coverage) with penetration just slightly lower than the European average is now ahead of countries such as France and Germany. Recent European rulings, together with large EU subsidies (23 million euros grant plus 120 million euros in interest free loans) are encouraging healthy competition for broadband provision in both large towns and remote locations. More and more companies are providing various means of gaining high speed access to the internet and the prices are tumbling rapidly as competition heats up. Nortel and Vodafone Spain have also recently demonstrated their mobile telephony at 3.6 Megabits per second at the 3GSM World Congress 2006 in Barcelona. At these rates customers will have access to higher speed broadband than the majority of European fixed broadband connections operating at 2 Megabits per second, providing a further option for those wishing to delve into the world of mobile gaming via laptop, palmtop or phone.

Security is seen as another main reason why players previously stayed away. Whereas before, out-dated computer systems with a dial-up connection would pose a security risk to those wishing to use online payments methods (a necessity if you wish to play and pay immediately), the latest computers, coupled with a broadband connection and inbuilt firewall software are far more secure. This provides users with more confidence when making payments to online bingo or poker sites.

And what of this new found confidence in the internet and online games. Confidence in the games is certainly another reason why the numbers of players have recently increased. Users in Spain were previously seen as cautious and unwilling to part with their hard earned cash. Numbers of people signing up to the games were high, the interest was certainly there, but actual cash deposits were low. It would seem that any spare money for such recreation was usually spent on the local or national lottery games such as El Gordo or ONCE. Players may have been waiting for the UK and US markets to take hold, therefore providing tried and tested games and technology, giving the Spanish more confidence in such systems.

Confidence in making payments online has also increased as companies such as UKash offer facilities for making deposits to online gaming sites without the need for credit card. Some sites also offer a system that allows bank transfer directly to the game site.

So what does this all mean for a company wishing to launch online bingo or poker in Spain?

At present Spain is seen as an untapped market, but with a population of over 40 million and with internet access currently available to over 25% of homes, coupled with growth in broadband connections of some 70% for 2005, you can see the potential both now and for growth and money making in the future. With land-based bingo being very popular in Spain, (there are around 468 licensed bingo halls) you would guess that the transition to online bingo will be inevitable, as it has been in countries like the UK. And with the Spanish being more attracted to skill and knowledge games, the transition to online poker will also be more forthcoming.

And what of the current demographic of current online players?

Well, http://www.juegabingoya.com reports that its bingo network is growing at a rate of 30% per month. The average age of bingo players being around 35 and, interestingly, 67% of players making cash deposits are male.

So with improvements in computer systems, more broadband connections, better game quality and payment methods, growth in confidence is only natural, and it won’t be long before more Spanish internet users are attracted to the prospect of winning cash prizes at online bingo or online poker.

Online bingo is a lot different than playing bingo in a traditional bingo hall. Here I will give some of the advantages in playing bingo online instead of in a bingo hall.

1) Online bingo is an extremely competitive business and many online bingo sites will offer a lot to get and keep your business. Many will offer sign-up bonuses to new customers, adding 10 to 50% of their initial deposit to their bankroll.

2) The rules are usually better than in physical bingo halls.

3) You no longer have to watch your cards like a hawk – most online bingo sites have automatic daubing as an option. This means that you can buy as many cards as you like, without worrying about missing a Bingo when you play online bingo. A site like Bingodrome allows the player to buy cards in advance, thus ensuring the player does not forget to buy his cards.

4) The better online bingo sites have exciting graphics, fun sound effects, and wonderful support staff when you play online bingo.

5) You can keep in touch with friends & relatives who live far away. The chatroom is the one of the best features of a good online bingo site. You can choose whether to play chat games, meet new friends, or just listen to others conversations. Bingodrome has a wonderful chatroom, where one can play numerous games to possibly win prizes.

6) Online bingo cards are often less expensive (from 5c upwards) when you play online bingo.

7) Online bingo is open 24/7/365 so you decide when you want to play. You can login at 3 in the morning if you cannot sleep, and will have a roomful of other players who can help you get through the night when you play online bingo.

8) You don’t have to travel long distances. The bingo hall, along with all your friends, is in your own home. This is especially convenient for those of us who cannot leave the house due to illness, etc.. when you play online bingo.

9) You don’t have to suffer real annoyances, like smokers, whiners, and loud obnoxious players when you play online bingo.

10) You don’t have to feel obligated to tip when you play online bingo.