Since it was introduced earlier this year, free bingo has become a big thing in the world of online bingo. With many suggesting it has played a pivotal role in bringing many new faces to the game, could it be that the honeymoon period for free bingo no deposit bingo offerings may soon be over?
The idea of free bingo has been relatively new to online bingo fans. But in the world of online bingo, things move fast. The first real free to play site was Cheeky Bingo, which was set up in February 2009. At the time, many in the industry were cautious about the idea of free bingo.
Fast forward a few months, and Cheeky Bingo has grown to become one of the most popular sites on the Internet. The site currently holds around 10.9% of total bingo market share, which when one considers the sheer volume of sites, is no mean feat. And having triumphed at numerous awards ceremonies, including being crowned “Best New Bingo Site” and “Best Product Innovation” at the 2nd Annual Online Bingo Awards, it seemed like Cheeky Bingo had achieved the impossible: a proposition that allowed bingo players to play for free, and win for real.
As a result, a flurry of new free bingo offerings were unleashed by big names in the online bingo world, prompting many to write about the “free bingo revolution”. Now sites from Wink Bingo to Posh Bingo and Sun Bingo have regular free games, and solely free focused bingo sites such as Foxy Zero and Costa Bingo have appeared in the marketplace.
But with the recession biting the heels of even the seemingly untouchable world of online bingo, fans of free bingo could find a sharp decline in finding a bit of bingo action for nothing. That’s not to say that free bingo is about to become extinct, more that a bit of free bingo fun will now come with some extra terms and conditions.
For example, Costa Bingo has adjusted its system, meaning it will now require people who want to play for the higher cash prizes to deposit first. Of course this is excellent news that those loyal players will get the chance to play for bigger prizes. Similar models are being adopted at Cheeky Bingo and Foxy Zero, with the smallest prizes for free games understandably. But what may be a little harder to swallow is the news that new bingo rooms may be introduced at free bingo sites solely for depositing players.
Part of this is attempts by online bingo sites to monetise the principle of free bingo. By it’s nature, no one can keep giving away something for nothing, and you don’t have to be a grade A economist to understand that. Some may argue that for larger networks such as Cashcade, which operate Cheeky Bingo, Foxy Bingo, Think Bingo and Little Big Bingo, that the huge customer bases generated by a free bingo site should present more than ample opportunity to capitalize by cross promotion, encouraging members of free bingo sites across to other sites in networks that will require them to deposit money.
Also notable is the withdrawal of many “free bingo no deposit” offers from both Bingo Scotland and We Luv Bingo recently, bringing them in line with some of their other Cashcade counterparts. What is unclear is whether bingo sites will begin to use free bingo promos intermittently, in the same ways as supermarkets do with buy one get one free offers, or whether this signals the beginning of the end of free bingo?
But for those that are less inclined to cynicism, many suggest that free bingo sites are also concerned about the effect free bingo could have on important aspects of online bingo culture. A site that is purely about the free play may have a much wider but fleeting audience, as players move from one site to another, motivated more by free prizes than by any of the other features on an online bingo site. And for any fan of online bingo, it is a hugely worthwhile experience finding a bingo community and becoming a regular feature, echoing the traditional aspects that popularized the game of bingo in bingo clubs up and down the country many years ago.
As a result, it would appear that as free bingo sites try to strike a balance between some cheeky gratis bingo and encouraging their bingo communities to remain loyal, it seems like somewhere, something has to give.
From what we can tell, there are still many sites that are now shifting to more of a middle ground. In this sense, these sites are trying to maintain a sense of balance, sticking to the maxim that there should be something for everyone. No matter what happens, we can safely say that although there is nothing like a game of free bingo, there is nothing like the game of bingo itself, and whilst the future of purely free to play bingo sites remains uncertain, the game of online bingo is definitely not going anywhere anytime soon.
