Just when we thought 2010 was having a bit of summertime vacation when it comes to new introductions, it seems that Costa Bingo are bringing us a new contender to the online bingo world in the shape of Sing Bingo. Offering 6 bingo rooms, a massive 250% welcome bonus and plenty of free bingo, it seems Sing Bingo is following in the footsteps of Costa Bingo for bringing some cheeky free bingo fun.
However, we cant help but feel a little fine weather bingo fatigue. Which made us think about online bingo launches. Call us old grumps, but we are starting to believe more and more than online bingo sites are really going to have to step up their game when launching to get those all important roomies tongues wagging. But is this just a temporary blip – or a much bigger issue?
Launching an online bingo site seems to now focus on bringing something a little bit different to the table. An online bingo site, to our mind, can do this in a number of ways, and to our mind, with varying success.
First up – have a snazzy theme. Case in point is Red Bus Bingo or Tasty Bingo, which both seem to be pushing for a great theme. Whether it’s the capital city bright lights of Red Bus Bingo, or Tasty Bingo’s gourmet delights, a snazzy theme can to some extent make you stand out from your competitors, give you some great themed prizes, and so on. In Sing Bingo’s case, the guys have got a snazzy theme covered, with plenty of pop merchandise prizes including signed goodies from popstars to tempt online bingo fans everywhere.
Secondly – and perhaps for us, the better way, is to have some real innovative thinking behind the site. Cheeky Bingo were so successful initially because they totally changed the online bingo wheel, bringing free bingo to the forefront and leaving a lot of competitors feeling the need to play catch up. Incidentally, it’s no surprise Cashcade, the owner of Cheeky Bingo, has also launched Rollover Bingo, which manages to combine online bingo with the National Lottery.
In effect, we cannot help but think that whilst choice is always a good thing, there needs to be a bit of effort on the part of online bingo operators everywhere to think about what real choice is, and work a little bit harder to bring online bingo fans something that really makes their online bingo experience that bit better. Gimmicks and smart themes can work really well, but we personally think its a little bit lazy – especially in such a competitive market – to rely on window dressing when there is so much potential in the online bingo shop itself.
