The Best Bingo Sites in the UK Tested and Rated by the Experts

What Can The Top Rated Bingo Sites in the UK Offer You?

I’ve been playing bingo for many years now and I’ve seen the best and the worst sides of both land-based and online clubs. The same goes for all our experts. We’ve come across operators that refused to pay out our winnings. Thankfully those don’t exist anymore. But this doesn’t mean there aren’t others that would try to do the same. To help you avoid similar situations, we only offer the best UK bingo sites – the ones that are licensed by a renowned gambling authority and that have proved their utter reliability in the course of their business life. Here are the main criteria we take into account when testing an online operator:

Licence and Player Protection – Legality is the number one characteristic that I take into account when reviewing a real-money gaming site and you should do this too. Always play in licensed bingo rooms! Since November 2014 the only licensing body that matters for British players is the UK Gambling Commission. It used to be acceptable for operators regulated in Malta, Gibraltar, or any of the Channel Islands. However, the former “white-listed” jurisdictions are no longer good enough. The Commission audits all applicants against very strict standards. They need to prove their good standing, steady corporate ethics and impartiality from the auditing and certification bodies. The level of corporate responsibility needs to be high as this guarantees fair treatment of the customers’ needs. That ensures good player protection and adhering to the stringent rules. Naturally, all the sites we recommend here hold full gambling licences from The Commission.

Game Variations and the Best Online Rooms – Security always comes first, but licences and certifications won’t keep us – the players – entertained; the bingo games will. Every online hall that considers itself a contender for the title of the “best bingo site in the UK” should not only offer lots of free games and numerous bonus opportunities to the users, but a game selection that exceeds the most popular variations such as 75 and 90-ball bingo. In fact, the top online bingo rooms in the UK offer their customers the most interesting new variants like 80-ball and Video Bingo. There are also some very interesting hybrid games such as Joker Jackpot, which is a combination with a card game. The variant played with 30 balls is another innovative favourite, as is the successful hit Rainbow Riches available in the Virtue Fusion rooms. The ticket looks like two four-leaf clovers and 2 bonus features are constantly in action during every single game. But enough talk, here are some of the top places.

Player-Friendly Wagering Requirements – Before you consider potential bonuses, you need to think of several things. Each bonus comes with some terms and they differ between the individual operators. All bonus funds have at least three conditions: wagering, eligible games and validity. The first one means the number of times you need to stake your bonus amount or your bonus and deposit total sum. The second one is the games on which you may play your free money. Some websites give the bonuses for specific titles only. The third thing is clear. It is the period within which you have to meet all the bonus terms and use up your freebies. If you don’t, you will forfeit it and it will be removed from your account. So, it is always better when you need to stake just the bonus, certainly not more than 3 or 4 times. The more games you can play with it; the better. And, of course, it is nice when you can use it for a full month without rushing it.

Bonus Offers: Size and Type – According to many sources, bingo is played by more than 3 million people in the UK alone. With this kind of demand the competition between the hundreds of gaming rooms on the Internet is fierce and they have to offer more than smoothly running software and intuitive design to attract new players. Consequently, the online operators have turned to the strategy to tempt new customers with generous welcome bonuses. Plus, as you saw from the previous paragraph, providers try to offer the easiest possible conditions on those bonuses. Well, the players can’t complain even a bit! Every single player is more than happy to accept these gifts and why wouldn’t they? Bonuses mean free money. Free money means more play. It’s as simple as that. We evaluate the variety of gifts given away: they could be no-deposit, or matched amounts on deposited sums, there are also free spins or scratch cards. Nothing is underestimated in our evaluation.

Payout Rates – The other term for that is RTP, or return to player. From a player’s point of view the higher it is the better. This is an important factor when we evaluate operators. Generally, it is mostly used with slots and casino games. In bingo, the RTP is difficult to calculate because it depends on several variables: ticket price, number of tickets purchased for a game, and the guaranteed or fixed prize pots for the individual games. Not many bingo websites publish their RTP figures, not because they don’t wish to share them, but simply because the data is not completely reliable. When they are available though, we consider them in our ratings.

Available Payment Options – A good online gaming brand should offer the players the opportunity to choose from numerous payment methods. Of course, debit cards are a must, as well as bank wires, but they are not everybody’s No. 1 choice. A convenient method, used mainly for deposits are the pre-paid cards and vouchers, such as Paysafecard or Ukash. And we should not forget the web-based services, largely known as e-wallets. There are several types, e.g. Skrill or Neteller. Yet the one that I like the most and that I always recommend is PayPal. Thanks to this great payment service you are able to make deposits and withdrawals to and from your accounts without providing your banking details to the respective online hall. Unfortunately, PayPal isn’t a universal payment method, but my team and I have managed to make a list of some really good bingo rooms that do accept it.

Bingo Software and Networks of Sister-sites – You may not recognise what that is before you see some examples. OK, one popular software provider is Dragonfish. Another is Cozy Games. I’m sure you now know what I mean. The development companies get awarded for what they do by independent bodies. We actually hold this criterion as a significant one. The games variety, the banking options and the promotions largely depend on the software. And so does the overall functionality and user-friendliness of a particular website. Networks are the result of software, as well. They may not sound like fun, but frequent united promotions and joined prize pools certainly do. When operators have sister-sites, they are normally an advantage to the players. Yet, don’t think that proprietary software and standalone websites are not appealing. They may offer uniqueness and exclusive features which you don’t find anywhere else.

Fair Gaming: A Guarantee for Random Outcomes – Another important criteria for choosing reliable websites is their RNG (random number generator). That is the special software used to make sure the games outcomes are really subject to chance alone and cannot be manipulated. Without that, no bonuses can be satisfactory enough. If the games are “rigged”, as they say, their results cannot be arbitrary. The RNG of the given website must be audited regularly by an independent agency. This way, we get some guarantee that the operator gives all participants in the games equal chances of winning. The certificates should be clearly visible on the website. We always check them and look for updates of the information.

Technical Audits and Security: Approved by the UK Gambling Commission – The websites need to implement encrypting technology in order to guarantee safety of all the transactions. The UK Gambling Commission has a list of approved agencies which perform the audits and certification of the operators. The encryption and the website identity can be provided by various companies. It used to be known as SSL technology, which stands for “secure socket layer”, but the newer variant is TLS (“transport layer security”). The encryption can be 128- or 256-bit, and it can cover the entire website. When it is partial, it usually covers registration and banking processes and your stay in your account and the bingo lobby. This guarantees that no third party can see your personal details or access any sensitive information you are sending to the site. Some of the testing agencies approved by the UKGC are eCOGRA, GLI, and iTech Labs. The operators may gain various trust proofs for their e-commerce activity too. You can also look for COMODO, Thawte or Symantec seals of trust. We always check if such marks appear in the footer of a website.

Mobile Platforms: Functionality and Variety – Today people use their mobile devices more frequently than ever. Larger and faster handsets are produced and developers are in a hurry to offer more, improved, and faster apps compatible with our tablets, smartphones and phablets (the cute hybrid name created for the medium-sized devices). Operators try to keep up to date and adapt their most popular games for mobile playing. Many brands make an effort to offer the whole portfolio for mobile play. As long as that works, one can only be happy. Often, developers offer native apps compatible with a given OS. Apps are great and launch fast. But they can slow your phone or eat up its memory. At other times, the brands offer web-based applications that are responsive to your handset size. Then, you may choose to play only your favourite games, and not download the whole package. And some, still, develop wrapped apps, that look like native and install on your screen, but actually open in the unit’s browser, just like a website. Either way, it is a great advantage when an online bingo site is available on mobile.

Loyalty Rewards – Top operators are not only keen in attracting new customers, but also in retaining the loyal ones. Since the competition is so tight, high welcome bonuses, no-deposit offers and regular promotions are not sufficient. When players are not lucky in the games, they get frustrated, no matter how huge their bonuses are. Plus, after using up their free gifts many players switch to other websites. VIP clubs where customers get to climb tiers for enhanced rewards are a must in the world of bingo. Personal account managers, exclusive games and bonuses, preferential offers – these are some of the nice touches that keep players intrigued. It is important that the scheme is entered automatically and that loyalty points are given away for each ticket purchase. The ease of converting points to freebies also matters, as well as the diversity of rewards. Here is an operator with a great loyalty scheme: Wink and the Joy Gem Club. One of the tastiest extras of the best-quality bingo websites is that, periodically, they give away tangible prizes that have nothing to do with bingo and games in general. They launch promotions and hold prize draws where the lucky winners can receive a family holiday, a dinner out, a day trip or shopping vouchers. Some even give away cars, phones, players, laptops or awesome TVs. How can we not take such a feature under consideration? As I said above, it’s an extra, but a very nice one. So, operators that offer such promos get bonus points from us during our evaluation.

Responsible Gambling – All gambling brands include separate sections on their websites with help for problematic players and for customers who worry their friends and family may have issues. This is required of the providers in connection with their corporate responsibility and good standing. They need to cooperate with various NGOs in promoting responsible playing experience. The information should be easy to find and rich enough. It needs to contain practical advice, links to support lines and groups and some useful software that can practically help family members and friends in supporting players. The websites need to have a reliable age verification system as well as neat mechanisms for self-limitation and self-exclusion.

• 99.8% of the Operators offer:
• • Toll-free phone line
• • Live chat
• • Email / Contact form
• • Useful FAQs
• • Detailed info on banking methods

Customer Support through Various Channels It is good to know that when you need assistance, there will be someone to answer your questions. Good websites insists on maintaining efficient Customer Support service. They train their operators and players can rely on their advice in all matters. Top brands offer lots of ways for you to get in touch. Toll-free phones and live chat are a must. Quick response time to emails is also important. A ready-made contact form and an FAQ section are very helpful. You will notice that many of the reputable brands offer non-stop live support. Others are available via phone or help-chat during certain hours, but they normally have very rich Help tabs where plenty of questions are already answered. We have noticed that operators that offer plenty of betting services, and not just bingo, traditionally have a much better established and flexible support system. On the other hand, their Help sections contain so much information that it may become hard to locate what you need. So, we check all the channels carefully before grading their efficiency.

The Community and Social Aspect – Although not so vital, community and the social aspect of a bingo operator do matter. First of all, playing online is about much more than just the game. When you can take part in forum discussions and follow a blog, there is a lot of fun to be had. Exchanging recipes and following celebrity gossip, or getting life hacks in daily doses – it’s a great way to combine your favourite game with a light magazine you read. Joining the Facebook and Twitter pages usually bring additional freebies. But one of the top benefits of the strong community feeling is that some websites feature very lucrative team and buddy initiatives, where players can win more when they unite in syndicates.

Bingo Slots and Side Games – OK, this is not that crucial, but players like to have diversity from time to time. Plus, we must admit slot games yield great prizes when you are lucky. People like winning, that’s a fact. Many are attracted to the easy-to-play slot games, especially owing to their huge jackpots. There is one more side to this, and it’s the side games which you can play along with your normal bingo game. Because, you know, there is auto-daub and you can get entertained by chat or by getting a spin or two inside the very bingo room. Most of the time, the top slots are embedded as side titles, but not all of them. For us, an operator will score higher on this factor if it offers many titles, plenty of jackpots and casino bonuses. If the normal bonuses are valid to stake on slot and casino games, it’s just as good. We also take into consideration the play-through requirements for these games. And here you can read about some specific slot titles offered online.

How We Rate the Bingo Operators and Why You Can Trust Our Reviews?

Here, at bestbingosite.co.uk, we strive to give useful advice to all online players and to offer the best reviews you can find anywhere on the Internet. When my team and I prepare an article, we take into account all of the above-mentioned criteria, all15 of them. We estimate each of the factors and grade the operators on them, one by one. We play the games, we try the mobile platform and we test the support efficiency. We go all the way and put down cash funds to test the bonus and its conditions. Whenever we are lucky and win enough to request a withdrawal, we do that too. You know, that’s important not only because we can see how long it will take, but we can also check the withdrawal requirements and how our account is affected by the request. On top of that, we conduct researches to find out if the operator has won any industry awards and what the other players’ opinions are. The grading results can be seen in the table below. There, we have added all the above criteria and each operator has been given an individual mark. In cases when we have deemed it necessary and appropriate, we have added Bonus Points. We have tried to maintain impartiality, but naturally, these grades reflect our own views.

The Bonus Points you see added in the beginning of the table are given for special merits. Some operators show great qualities which are individual and cannot be encompassed by the general criteria. Or, it can be that a brand is graded low for a certain criteria, but it compensates with something unique to them. See for example Wink. They offer just 2 bingo variations, which is a poor choice in comparison with Landmark, where you can play 5 bingo game variants. And still, Wink receive our 2 Bonus Points because they score overall great at customer service, smoothness of withdrawals, they accept PayPal and they hold many linked, penny, BOGOF and jackpot game sessions. In a word, making this evaluation table was hard work and required a lot of analysing on our side. After completing it and after evaluating and grading all the bingo sites that we tested, here are the ten operators that rose high above the rest. Because this is a dynamic industry, check back here from time to time, as the ranking may change.

So make sure you read the review of the bingo site that caught your eye. There you will find all the information you need in order to fully benefit from what the operator has to offer. If you, on the other hand, are not only interested in this particular game but in other real-money games as well, you can also read the professional and trustworthy reviews of the best online casinos at bestcasino.biz There you will find all you need to know about the most popular online casino games and where you can play them in a secure environment.

The Winners from Our Tests

As I already mentioned, one of the most important characteristics of a good website is the bonus opportunities that it gives. Sure, at first visitors are interested in the welcome offers, but it’s also important to know whether or not the operator takes good care of its long-time customers. After all, you don’t want to play only for a week or two and then stop. You would most probably like to be able to choose from a variety of promotions at any given moment. That is why you may see a bingo room promoted here for its generous offers, although it doesn’t have a very impressive welcome bonus. This would mean that the operator has such nice and regular promotions that we’ve decided to overlook their less-than-great starting bonus.

But below we present to you a couple of special suggestions. In fact, these are two of the best bingo sites – Wink and Foxy, and they are our definite Top 2. Their overall offers are worth your time and attention in the long term. Check out the details.