To the untrained eye, there appears to be no apparent difference between one gaming platform and another. Casual players may be beguiled by the aesthetics of an online slots site, perhaps even an online bingo room, without understanding all the details. A cursory look at an online gaming site indicates that they are up and running, and clearly functional. If so, they must be legit right? Wrong! The online poker boom of the early 2000s spurred dramatic interest in online gaming. Within no time at all, online bingo rooms, online live casinos, and slots sites were popping up all over the place.
Dozens of companies – legit and otherwise – rushed to offer their products to eager players. Unfortunately, the technology powering many of these platforms was suspect. Safety and security protocols, encryption technology, RNGs, secure payment options and the like were noticeably absent. An even bigger problem was the lack of regulatory authority with these online gaming sites. Most of the time, they skirted legal constraints by setting up shop in shady locales with a strong online presence to boot. This begs the question: How can players differentiate one online gaming site from another?
How to Find a Trustworthy Online Gaming Provider?
First and foremost on the list is the safety & security of personal and banking information. Without conducting due diligence on security protocols, players stand to lose everything, including their credibility.
How so? If you register at an unlicensed, unlawful, or compromised gaming platform, your safety and security is at risk. Your name, address, banking information, ID and other data could be hacked, stolen, and used for nefarious purposes. The damage that is possible through such activities can be irreversible.
There are several ways to guard against security flaws, notably by checking for SSL security (secure socket layer), encryption protocols, firewalls, licensing and regulation. The world’s leading online bingo rooms have earned the trust of their players by checking all the boxes related to security, licensing, and responsible gaming practices. Players can help themselves by installing the latest updates, security patches, antivirus software, firewall protection mechanisms etc.
Cross-Check All References
It is incumbent upon players to cross-check bingo rooms and online slot sites with the respective gambling authority. For example, the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), the Government of Gibraltar, the United Kingdom Gambling Commission, the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC), and the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC), to name but a few.
The online gaming site must subscribe to stringent security protocols and legal codes. A valid gaming license can easily be checked on site, and through a regulatory body. Additionally, anti-fraud measures must be employed, and the operator must subscribe to responsible gambling codes of conduct. For example, 18+ security, no underage gambling, Gamblers Anonymous compliance, GambleAware, and other responsible gambling codes must be adhered to.
Highly trusted bingo rooms will allow players to block themselves with things like self-exclusion, account removal, attentive customer support, and FAQs on how to recognize problem gambling activity. Once the legitimacy of an online gaming site has been established, it’s time to evaluate other aspects of the platform.
Establishing Credibility through Third-Party Platforms
Self-aggrandizement at online bingo rooms or online slots sites should never be used as a barometer of their credibility. Any gaming platform can praise itself, and create fake reviews to boost its brand. However, players are better served by conducting impartial analysis of their preferred online gaming operator.
Simply run a Google search including the words ‘review of …’ or ‘Pros and cons of…’ to find useful information from a player’s perspective. These reviews will tell you much more about the customer service, banking, gaming options, jackpots, and reputation of the platform than biased reviews on site.
Banking Options
Here’s a little bit of trivia for you to digest: Online gambling sites offer real-money gambling to players. Think about that for second. You will be using your money to play real-money gambling games. One of the most important questions you should be asking is whether you’ll be able to get your winnings out safely and securely.
More importantly, will you be able to withdraw winnings in a timely fashion? It’s not only the quantity of credit cards, debit cards, e-wallets, bank wire transfer options, and other payments processing methods that you should focus on – it’s the minimum/maximum amounts, the playthrough requirements, the processing times, the fees and commissions (if any), and the currencies that may be accepted.
Banking and withdrawal methods must be SSL secure to ensure the integrity of player information at all times. If you happen across an online gaming company that offers a limited number of payment processing options – it is likely a small operation and you should avoid it.
The most successful online bingo rooms and online casinos have a multitude of payment processing options. In this vein, quantity and quality are important. Scout around at gaming forums, on gaming blogs, and other gaming review sites for information on the available list of banking options. Most of these sites will allow you to deposit funds quickly and easily – it’s the withdrawals that are a problem.
How Many Great Games Are There?
The reason players go to an online gaming site is to play games. That is the primary hook for fans. That’s why it’s important to take a little time to browse through the games and categories on site. High-quality online bingo rooms are noted for a wide variety of instant win games such as scratch card games, online slot games, and rudimentary casino games.
It is generally expected that a world-class online bingo room will offer 75 ball bingo, 90 ball bingo and progressive jackpot bingo games. Other varieties such as speed bingo may also be available at certain gaming sites. You may be surprised to learn that Blackjack, Baccarat, Roulette, Classic Slots, Video Slots and Progressive Slots are available at online bingo rooms.
Quality Customer Support
Gaming aficionados recommend contacting customer support before you register, deposit and play. Why? If customer support is non-responsive before you register and deposit, can you imagine how bad they are going to be if you are a registered player trying to get your money out? Besides, you want to be able to gauge the professionalism, knowledge, promptness and quality of the customer support operation.
It is preferable to stick to online gaming sites offering multiple contact options. These typically include live chat support, toll-free telephone numbers, email support, snail mail addresses, FAQs, social media contact options and even a blog. The more the merrier. Look for signs of activity on social platforms, since the mere presence of Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest icons on site is insufficient to determine the quality of these contact options.
While you’re scouring the Internet for social media activity levels, look at the quality of blog posts. Evaluate the responsiveness of support representatives, check out press releases, news flashes, and other media channels for mentions of the online gaming site. The most respected gaming operators routinely dedicate a large budget to marketing their brand. The more supported a brand is vis-à-vis market penetration and coverage, the better for you. High profile gaming sites are always under the microscope, and you can rest assured that they are under scrutiny at all times.
How Big Is the Online Gaming Community?
At first glance, you may be wondering – How can I know how big the online gaming community possibly is? Fortunately, there are ways to gauge the size of the online gaming community. You can often see the number of players currently online while you’re playing online bingo games, best online slots games, or online casino games. Many sites list these numbers to entice other players to play.
Chat functionality allows you to interact with these players in real time. Plus, there are many aggregator platforms that indicate exactly how active an online gaming site is. Use these types of resources to establish the credibility of the online bingo room in question. It’s always better to play at a busy site with lots of active players if you’re looking for bigger progressive jackpots and paydays. By contrast, you may wish to play at a busy site with few active players (like early in the morning, or late at night) to increase your chances of winning prizes.
Here is a useful tip to help you pick a quality online gaming site: Look at the bonuses and promotions on offer. The better these deals, and the more favourable the wagering requirements, the better. Players are attracted to freebies like matching deposit bonuses, free spins, free bingo cards, and friend referral bonuses. If you can spot sites with generous online promotions, you will be in a much better position.
Which Are the Best Online Bingo Sites?
Perhaps the better question is which are the best online bingo networks? Fortunately, when you choose a leading network, you can trust all the bingo sites on that network.
You can play classic slots, video slots, progressive slots, jackpot slots, Blackjack, Baccarat, live casino games, 75 ball bingo and 90 ball bingo until the proverbial cows come home. Plus, these mega networks allow you to enjoy uninterrupted games on mobile, PC, and Mac. The tech aspect of gaming sites is especially important today. Some online operators even accept cryptocurrency for deposits and withdrawals – a paradigm shift from convention.
As far as leading brands go, you can pick and play at any of the highly reputable operators such as 888ladies, WinkBingo, 888bingo, WinkSlots, TastyBingo, PoshBingo, Bingo Loft, and even Bingo Street. Once a credible brand has been established, it takes effort to maintain that reputation and those standards of excellence. Fortunately, the leading networks devote significant time and money to brand maintenance.
How to Tie the Pieces Together
Regular promotions, new games, exclusive offers, site enhancements and market development initiatives are commonplace with the big brands. When you’re searching for a new online bingo site, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with this type of information. Fortunately, your best bet is to stick with the established operators. They know the game, they have built up credible reputations with their players and within the community, and they are typically accommodating of new players.
A cursory search reveals that one of the bingo rooms that consistently crops up as the crème de la crème is Wink Bingo. This jackpot rich, promo-loaded online bingo room is packed with any amazing selection of slots games, bingo games and progressive jackpot games. Every online bingo room should offer 75 ball bingo and 90 ball bingo. The quality of the software is paramount. Uninterrupted gaming sessions, smooth functionality on mobile devices, crystal-clear graphics, and Vegas-style audio are essential components of a premium-grade software platform. Full download software, instant play (Flash or HTML 5), and live casino games are now readily available.
Players love to feel at home at the leading UK slots and online bingo rooms. This feeling is achieved by 4 factors: Quality of customer support, Range of games on offer, Bonuses/Promotions and VIP plan, and the Safety and security protocols in place. All gambling games should only be played by people meeting the minimum age requirements. Gambling is based on chance, and since all casinos and online bingo rooms have an edge over the player, the long-term prognosis is defeat. Over the short-term though, anything can happen, and players can win huge sums of money playing their favourite bingo and slots games
