On average, a fresh online bingo site launches in the UK every 10 days. Is it any surprise that it’s harder than ever to decide where to play?
Stricter Gambling Commission regulations have compelled brands to think harder about what makes their site special.
A shift to Remote Gaming Duty, effective as of July 31, 2017, basically means that all UK gambling operators to pay freeplay tax, including welcome bonuses and matched deposit bids.
The tax was only applicable to actual cash bets beforehand, but the shift to include freeplays on payouts has led many businesses to reconsider the bonuses they give.
One loophole for businesses is that if a game is totally free for everyone, the tax on those stakes can be prevented, hence the elevation in offers with complimentary bingo tickets and time-limited access to free bingo rooms.
The rise of no wagering bingo
It shouldn’t really be news if a gambling site enables you to maintain the cash you win, but there are new reasons to be optimistic about fairness in the future after navigating hundreds of convoluted welcome bonuses in the past.
The rise in no wagering bingo is the consequence of a combination of two primary variables at once. The first is the freeplay tax, while the second is a joint initiative between the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the Gambling Commission.
The sudden drive to address unfair terms and conditions has resulted in many bingo sites urgently reconsidering bonus and promotion structure. Confusing wagering requirements are being removed, withdrawal limits are being lowered, and players warned of constraints well before signing up.
Where are all the fresh games for bingo?
Are you tired of finding on every site that opens the same ancient games, patterns and rooms? This is the result of only a handful of software providers powering hundreds of networked brands.
The most popular of these is the Dragonfish platform of 888, which has power in the UK alone over 180 online bingo sites, including player favourites, Costa Bingo and Wink Bingo. That’s nearly 200 of the same 75 ball and 95 ball bingo rooms, the same lobby style and the same slot and casino games range.
Most of the new bingo variants are simple twists on the same theme and adhere to the standard principles of lottery. The most popular of these are PlayTech’s mobile-focused Cash Cubes and 888 Flash Fives playing card.
What The Future Holds
It looks like a good time for bingo sites to maybe look at just recycling the same thing over and over again and for a few more independent bingo sites to emerge.
We certainly hope this is the case moving forward
