The online bingo industry has certainly come a long way in the past few years, with 2009 set to be known as the peak in the online bingo gold rush. As more people began discovering the delights of online bingo and the sector defied the recession with continued growth, operators tried to capitalise on the opportunity with a little bit of temptation. In particular, the sign-up bonus was big news. As the competition grew fiercer, many online bingo sites began rewarding new players with one-off cash bonuses for simply registering.
And although the online bingo industry looks set to continue its upward curve into 2010, for some industry analysts, there has a been a switch in the style of market. The online bingo world is starting to mature. Although not saturated totally, the number of new sites opening has slowed down, and growth looks set to slow. As a symptom of this, we have seen more and more sites withdraw their initial golden handshake deals, with sign-up bonuses now becoming few and far between. So after the boom of player acquisition, have online bingo operators decided that the online signup bonus is now bust?
In a way, yes. As the signup bonuses became increasingly bigger and better, it would only be a matter of time before the bubble would burst. With the number of registered players on top sites reaching well into the millions, it seems like bingo bosses have had to go back to the drawing board when it comes to promotions. In industry terms, it’s as much about retention as it is about acquisition. Whilst getting new online bingo fans is still important to operators, so is keeping them. The rush of bingo bonuses has led to an even bigger influx of deposit hunters, who cream off the free money and then leave. For any real online bingo fan, and indeed, for any online bingo operator, attracting such customers is not really good for building a great online bingo experience.
It will come as no surprise then, that we think 2010 will see the signup deposit not becoming extinct, but certainly put on the endangered list. Expect to see less frequent offers and limited period signup bonus offers instead. Even those with eagle eyes are going to certainly have a challenge keeping them peeled if they are looking for the best online bingo deal around. But it’s not all doom and gloom in the world of the online bingo freebie. Like we said, its about retention as much as acquisition, and we think 2010 will be the year that the real bonus war will be fought in deposit bonuses and in loyalty schemes.
As a guide, the example of Foxy Bingo really shows the shape of things to come. Although there is no signup bonus, your first deposit receives a 100% cash match bonus. Subsequent deposits receive 50%, meaning every time you give, Foxy Bingo give a little back. Depositing also automatically puts you in the first tier of their loyalty scheme, which guarantees you entry into all rooms at Foxy Bingo, and allows you to earn loyalty points when you play. Step up a few rungs on the loyalty ladder, and you’ll see the rewards increase, from birthday bonuses to monthly cashback bonuses to special VIP seasonal deposit bonuses to free entry to the jackpot rooms and priority access to the great events that Foxy Bingo run alongside their online bingo. In a way, these loyalty schemes offer a lot more than an initial extra tenner ever could. So for 2010? We think there is plenty of reasons why roomies old and new will soon realise that a long term commitment really will pay in online bingo.
