There are plenty of online bingo sites, after all, playing bingo is a proud British tradition, and it is popular all over the world. It appears that the number of people who play bingo online is constantly growing, and the constantly decreasing number of brick and mortar bingo rooms in the UK is a testament to the fact that online bingo is on the rise.
Why Bingo Sites Offer Bingo Bonuses
There are many online bingo sites and new ones that appear regularly and there is a huge competition between them. Every bingo tries to convince both potential and existing customers that it is the best bingo site in the country, or at least that it is reliable and trustworthy enough.
Bingo sites try to attract customers with high-quality games, provided by reliable game and software developers, with stylishly designed sites, user-friendliness, helpful customer support staff, but bingo bonuses are perhaps the most powerful tool that is at the sites’ disposal.
Everybody likes to get something for free, which is why bingo bonuses are the strongest incentive and the best way to motivate players to sign up at a bingo website or to remain active and wager more once they have signed up.
Types of Bingo Bonuses
There are different types of bingo bonuses, and different bingo operators may offer their bonuses and promotions under different terms, but generally, we can distinguish a few main types of bingo bonuses:
- New Player Bingo Bonuses
- Special Promo Bonuses of All Sorts
- Reward and Loyalty Schemes
This is a very general division of bingo bonuses, but we can say that every bingo bonus that you may find at any of the online bingo sites will fall in one of the above-mentioned categories. New players bonuses are very important, both for bingo sites and for the players. Bingo sites like them because they bring in new customers, and since these bonuses can often be quite lucrative, all new players enjoy starting their journey at a new bingo site with a bit of extra cash.
Welcome Offers – New Player Bingo Bonuses
As most bingo sites offer a Welcome Bonus that all newly registered players can claim, you should definitely understand how these bonuses work, how to claim a Welcome Bonus and what terms and conditions you’ll have to meet in order to be able to withdraw your bonus winnings.
In most cases, the bingo operator will ask you to make an initial deposit before you can receive your bonus. These bonuses are also known as First Deposit bingo bonuses. There is usually a minimum deposit amount and you will be able to claim the bonus only if you deposit an amount equal to or higher than the specified deposit bonus minimum.
The bonus amount is usually tied to the deposited amount, so if it is a 500% match bonus, you will receive an amount five times the amount that you have deposited. There is also a maximum bonus limit, or an amount which the bonus cannot exceed. Sometimes the bonus amount is always the same and all players receive an equal amount, regardless of how much they have deposited on their first deposit.
There are few things to consider when claiming a First Deposit bonus. It is always good to claim the highest possible bonus amount, but only if you initially intended making a deposit in the specified amount region that will enable you to claim the maximum bonus. You shouldn’t push your bankroll too much in an attempt to claim a higher bonus.
Also, if the bonus amount is always fixed, then it makes no sense to deposit more than the minimum that you have to deposit to claim the bingo bonus, as there will be no value in the additional amount that you have deposited, especially if the bingo site offers additional deposit bonuses at a later stage. When that is the case, it is best to save the amount that is over the bonus minimum and deposit it at a later stage when you will be able to claim an additional bonus with it.
It is also worth noting that deposit bonuses are subject to a wagering requirement – an amount which you have to play through before you can withdraw your winnings.
Free Spins
Free spins are often included as part of the deposit bonus, but they also might be offered as a standalone bonus offer. The free spins are for the slot games and they cannot be used on bingo games. Sometimes the free spins bonus is tied to a particular game or games, whereas other times players are free to use the bonus on any game they like.
The bingo hands out a different number of free spins and the value of a particular spin is specified in the terms and conditions. You might be allowed to use all free spins as soon as you receive the bonus, whereas other bonuses are divided into instalments and players can only play a particular number of free spins per day.
Special Bingo Bonuses
Bingo sites often offer special bingo bonuses, either random bonuses or bonuses tied to a particular date or an event, like a holiday or the operator’s birthday. These bonuses can be deposit bonuses, free tickets, reload bonuses or something completely different. Sites often offer prize draws where players who are randomly drawn are awarded prizes.
Special promotions may be active only one day, a week, a whole month or even longer. Also, most bingo sites also offer prizes in chat games and although the prizes aren’t of great value, it is still fun to win.
Loyalty and VIP Programmes
Finally, loyalty programmes, also known as VIP programmes are usually multi-tiered schemes where players who deposit and play on a regular basis can claim a lot of perks and benefits. There are faster withdrawals, specialised and personalised bonuses, higher deposit and withdrawal limits and a lot more. Some bingo sites even assign personal account managers to players who have reached the upper tiers of the loyalty programme.
As part of the loyalty programme, players collect points with every wager and these points can be later redeemed for cash.