Are all bingo sites connected?

Last Updated on , written by Amelia Cassiday

Online bingo has become a major industry over the last couple of decades and is much more advanced now than it was when it first became popular. Indeed, there are hundreds of bingo sites in the UK market alone, catering to millions of people. However, there is one question that many people who play the game are interested in knowing and that is whether all bingo sites are connected. The short answer is no, but by reading on, you can find out in more detail about how those that are connected work.

As more and more players signed up to bingo sites, holding companies realised that different players had different preferences based on data from marketing campaigns and what certain individuals were clicking on. Because of this, they then were able to use this data to create different bingo sites that appealed to these particular tastes, perhaps changing them completely, and contrasting the design and the branding.

In fact, many holding companies have numerous online bingo brands, each one entirely different for another, though often they are in some way connected – most players do not usually realise this.

Are all bingo sites connected

How can bingo sites be connected?

Unbeknown to many people, a vast proportion of bingo sites are connected, though not in the ways most might think. The majority of bingo sites run off networks. These form when two or more bingo sites essentially pool players and resources that help create a much bigger jackpot that players can then compete for in the same bingo rooms during games, or even tournaments. Because there are so many players in one bingo room, from several sites (all on the same network), it means that anything can happen, though because of this, the prize money can often be life-changing.

There are quite a few ways to tell if a site is connected, especially those owned by the same companies. There are often design similarities when it comes to how the menus are laid out, or the navigation, despite the branding perhaps being different, while there will usually be the same games available.

One of the industry’s biggest bingo networks is Virtue Fusion, whose parent organisation is online gambling behemoth Playtech – the software provider specialist to the iGaming industry who have been around since the late nineties.

Many bingo sites run off the Virtue Fusion network – quite simply, Playtech, being leaders in the technology space were able to create a framework based on their expertise and experience in the market, understanding their target customers’ want.

Virtue Fusion has subsequently built up its reputation over the years and, as a result, now has numerous bingo sites connected to its network. Because of this, it is also responsible for having some of the biggest jackpots in the industry, which because of this, helps to attract even more players onto its network.

 

How many bingo networks are there?

The online bingo community in the UK is relatively small and intertwined, which means that even the most ardent players are aware of the different choices that they have available to them.

While there are hundreds of bingo sites to choose from, most of them boasting their own unique selling points (USPs), quite a number of these run off the same networks – there are afterall, only so many available unless brands have their own technology, which is also the case.

Dragonfish, for example, is the B2B (Business-to-Business) division of online gambling conglomerate, 888 Holdings which also owns several different bingo brands, including Wink Bingo and 888 Ladies. Of course, each of these runs off the company’s own internal bingo network – Dragonfish, which also has several other bingo sites connected to it.

Essentially, Dragonfish can be considered a premium network in the online bingo world – afterall it is developed by one of the heavyweights of the online gambling industry, which means the network also has numerous big jackpots regularly.

In addition, Dragonfish also serves the more comprehensive online gambling industry, developing technology for online casinos and slot games, both for casino sites and bingo sites. Essentially, it can be considered to be a full-service software company for the online gambling industry.

Entain (formerly GVC Holdings), arguably the most significant player in the online gambling industry with over 25 brands under its umbrella, also has its own bingo network, which started its journey as Cozy Games – subsequently purchased by Entain.

A modest, yet still sizable online bingo network, Cozy Games has a highly certifiable reputation in the online bingo industry. Its sites have a steady and reliable stream of customers on a regular basis.

 

Will online bingo continue to be popular?

Based on the trends of the last couple of decades, it is fair to say that online bingo will continue to accumulate its fair share of fans. Because of this, a couple of things may happen. One of these is that more bingo networks may appear to cater for the demand because more and more bingo sites launch every year, while one company could end up acquiring all of them and bringing every bingo site onto one huge network.

The online bingo industry in the UK has proven to be one of the most robust in the world and this is likely to continue as brands increase their marketing and more new players register their interest. Because the entry fee for many online bingo games is so low and the jackpots are considerable (especially those on networks), it is easy to see the attraction of online bingo, while the bingo rooms are very easy and convenient to use.

Often, these are very sociable places for like-minded players to interact, while help is always on hand should players need any kind of assistance.

david smith-williams profile pictureManaging Director

David Smith-Williams is the managing director of BingoSites - one of the UK's leading online bingo operators. He has a proven track record in running successful online businesses and has worked across a number of top e-commerce brands in the UK. David has been interviewed by various business magazines and he holds a master's degree in business from Durham University in the UK. When he's not working, David enjoys sailing at the weekends with his wife and two young children.