Many rumours have been flying about regarding the state of bingo deposit bonuses and in particular, free no deposit bonuses that have regularly been used to draw players into the online bingo world. We’ve speculated many a time that the world of bonuses could be heading for the bin, as operators switch their focus to keeping, rather than recruiting players. It’s a prospect that has lead many to face that horrifying question – where have all the free bingo no deposit bonuses gone? But have they really gone anywhere? And in the grand scheme of things, do sign up bonuses really matter?
When the online bingo world was entering its “goldrush” period over a year ago, the free deposit bonuses were a popular way to attract the huge number of potential bingo players to sample a site’s wares. Players at the time were blessed with a number of online bingo sites that were literally throwing money at potential players in a bid to woo them away from rivals.
One year on, and there is plenty to suggest that the online bingo world has changed dramatically. Whereas this time last year free bingo had only just hit the big time through the introduction of Cheeky Bingo, now, we are faced with gloomy stories of Wink Bingo removing their no deposit signup bonus at the beginning of April. But a newcomer to the online bingo world needn’t feel like they’ve missed the boat.
Whilst deposit bonuses have their merits, they have not been without their faults either. The advent of the signup freebie, coupled with the summer of free bingo, led to many sites having to reassess their position due to an influx of bonus hunters, who would sign up to a site simply to claim their free money. Once it had run out, off they went to find another bonus. It was this mentality that meant many sites began to withdraw their free deposit bonus offers in the last 6 months, with the focus on player numbers shifting to the maxim “quality, not quantity”.
So the first bit of good news is the slowing down of free bingo money may yet have it’s silver linings, with online bingo clubs hopefully able to capitalise on separating the wheat from the chaff and offering things like bigger jackpots, more loyalty points, and be able to build online bingo communities that make the participating just as much fun as the winning.
And at the same time, for anyone who wants a little more than nice ideals underpinning their bingo site, there are still plenty of places you can practice with some free bingo games, and more sites are beginning to offer players the chance to try before they buy in. Another notable thing is that online bingo operators are now switching to larger deposit bonuses, for both first time and subsequent deposits, and offering incentive schemes such as cashback for money staked in games. Play these smart, and you could find yourself getting a lot more than just a free no deposit bonus.
