Online bingo provides an opportunity to play a rewarding game with a high payout for a low stake. While there are plenty of legitimate bingo sites providing these opportunities, opportunists are looking to take your info and money through their phishing sites. In this article, we help you find legit online bingo sites to avoid criminals and enjoy the game.
Caution
Whilst many UK bingo sites are properly licensed with the UK Gambling Commission, other rogue bingo sites in lax jurisdictions may mimick a valid license by faking certificates. Always check an operator’s license manually by going to the UKGC public register yourself. Never click on a bingo site’s link to check the license as they could easily send you to a fake UKGC page.
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How To Compare Legit UK Bingo Sites
There are several factors to consider when looking for legitimate UK bingo apps.
UKGC Licensing
An online bingo site’s license is the first thing to look for when visiting one. You can find their license at the bottom of their page and is visible throughout the website. For online bingo sites operating within the UK, they should have the UK gambling commission license.
To verify a bingo site’s license, just click on the UKGC license to show you the site’s registration data on the commission’s database. It is important to note that a few rogue websites may also fake their licensing info. Others may go so far as to have fake UKGC registration data appear when you click on their license. A good way to make sure a UK bingo site is licensed, you can visit the UKGC website directly and look up their data manually.
On the other hand, those who are serving UK residences and are operating outside of the country should have a license from their respective jurisdiction such as the MGA from Malta.
Third-Party Security Audits
Every online bingo game runs on a PRNG algorithm that creates unpredictable results for a fair game. To make sure these games are fair, third-party security auditors are hired to check on the software’s RNG. Auditors run a full check on the algorithm to ensure the results do not favor the operator or other players such as having a predictable pattern when calling numbers in each game.
Third-party security auditors also go through various aspects of an online bingo site such as methods of handling personal and payment information. Auditors determine if an operator is capable of securing your private data from breaches (example), hackers, or criminals. Online bingo sites pass this audit if there are no flaws or possible vulnerabilities.
You can see if a third-party security audit has checked the online bingo site by finding their seal at the bottom of the home page. Three of the known auditors on the online gambling space include iTechLabs and GLI.
24/7 Customer Support
A good sign of a legitimate online bingo site is a responsive and prompt 24/7 customer support line. Each casino should have a way for you to reach their helpline including e-mail, live chat support, and phone line. On the other hand, there is very little chance for a rogue or phishing site to have an actual customer support team.
It pays to make sure the bingo site’s customer support line is authentic and not another prop of an illegal gambling site. A good way of verifying a helpline is to give them a call or reach out to them via their live chat feature. Ask the most of the heavy-hitting questions possible such as the withdrawal minimum and how long it would take for your money to reach your bank. If the agent can answer you naturally and quickly, you are likely on a good bingo site.
Welcome Bonuses
Never settle for less when it comes to any online bingo bonuses, including welcome bingo bonuses. These promotions are one-time deals that give you a substantial amount of bonus credits for the platform’s bingo sites.
One of the factors to consider when checking on the welcome bonus is the offer. Of course, a 200% match bonus is better than 100% and you will want to sign up for the one offering a higher promotion. In addition, check on other included offers. Certain bingo sites may offer free spins on their casino sections or other bonuses.
Another factor to consider is the wagering requirement, which is the amount you need to bet your bingo bonus on before you can withdraw it. As a rule of thumb, you want to prioritize bingo sites that have a low wagering requirement. You can quickly move your bonus money to your bank account and minimize the risks if you have to wager your bonus a small number of times.
Reliable KYC Procedures
Licensed casinos are required to have strict KYC or AML procedures for each of their patrons. Know your customer (KYC) is a verification process that requires you to submit proof of identity and other important documents to an online bingo site. A verification procedure is required to deter money laundering among online gambling sites.
If an online bingo site does not require you to submit your driver’s license or other forms of identification before depositing, reconsider spending any money there. Online bingo operators that ignore the KYC requirement of the regulation offices are likely to have an expired license.
Safe Deposit & Withdrawal Methods
Pay attention to the deposit and withdrawal options a bingo site provides. Legitimate bingo sites will always be open to credit cards and e-wallet options since these two payment methods protect their customers. One of these protections is chargebacks where the company gets your money back in case of fraudulent charges.
If you see an online bingo accepting strict e-wallet options such as PayPal, Skrill or Neteller, you are likely on a safe UK bingo site. Companies such as PayPal are very selective with who they partner with. Chances are incredibly low for a rogue site to have these e-wallet options on their platform.
Reliable Mobile Bingo App
With nearly everyone having mobile phones, it makes sense for online bingo sites to have a mobile-friendly version for their patrons. These mobile bingo sites usually come as a downsized version that makes it easy for the user to navigate the website or play the games with their thumbs. You may also encounter a mobile bingo app of a site that you can launch on your home screen.
A mobile version is an indication of a legit bingo site since it shows an operator looking to provide a positive playing experience across all platforms. If a UK bingo brand has no mobile version, chances are high that it is a fly-by-night operator looking to run away with their patrons’ first deposit.
Simple Onboarding
In every legitimate online bingo site, the process of signing up, providing all the necessary AML and KYC documents, and depositing your money to play their games should be a smooth one. When we say it should be a smooth process, you should be able to join a bingo game in less than 6 hours upon signing up. This is possible if an online bingo operator has a solid means of verifying their patrons.
Legitimate online bingo sites tend to have a single provider instead of multiple ones. This helps minimize the initial rejections of potential customers and do an immediate follow-up on authenticating documents. Unreliable online bingo sites with multiple providers going through their documents often reject a good chunk of their potential patrons. This method is unreliable since these provide are lacking in data or cannot exactly find a match to the documents of a patron.
Another reason why legit online bingo sites have a smooth onboarding process is the use of automated verification. Auto verification takes less time to make sure a patron is within the legal age than manual verification.
Game Selection
Every british bingo site provides 75-ball or 90-ball bingo, which are the most played variants around the world. While a website offering only one or two of these variants does not sound bad upon signing up, monotony is likely to set in over time.
You can keep the fun going by looking for a bingo site that offers more than just two bingo variants, such as 80-ball and 30-ball bingo. There are also sites that offer other gambling activities such as casino games and sports betting.
Apart from keeping your bingo experience fresh, a wide range of bingo variations and some online slots are a good sign of a legit online bingo site. Rogue bingo sites are less likely to offer a better gaming experience since they are only after your first deposit.
Bingo Jackpots
Most well-established trusted bingo sites in the UK will offer multiple types of bingo jackpots. Some will be specific to the game you are currently in, and others will span across the entire website. Obviously, never play a game just because of the super high jackpot amount – that’s exactly why they exist! Jackpots are rarely won but make for amazing bait for players who are hesitant to enter a game.
More and more common with online bingo is the escalator jackpot. It is essentially like a regular progressive jackpot but you win it only if you win the bingo game within the required number of calls. And the more time passes, the number of calls increases so it becomes easier.
Don’t Trust All Bingo Review Sites
While we do not condone review sites, there are two reasons why you should not just take the word of just a few feedback from “critics”.
Pay To Play
Reviews are powerful marketing tools since this is what most potential bingo patrons look for before signing up for any website. Online bingo operators know how potent these reviews are, which is why they would give critics credits to spend on their website.
Paying reviewers to play on any online bingo site can negatively affect the impartiality of the critic. Reviewers are less likely to say anything bad about the games or point out specific flaws on a bingo site’s services.
Look for disclaimers on a review if they are paid or given free credits by an online bingo site. This disclaimer should let you know when to give the article a grain of salt before taking their word.
Online bingo sites’ affiliate programs allow publishers or marketers to direct internet traffic onto an operator’s platform. Affiliates include publishers of online gambling site reviewers who have a link for their readers to click. This link connects to an online bingo site along with a code that lets the operator know a reader came from a specific site. If a patron who came from a review site signs up and makes a deposit on that online bingo site, the reviewer gets a cut of the profit.
Affiliate Deals
Reviewers who have an affiliate deal with an online bingo site tend to provide several marketable factors such as their range of games, friendly customer services, and other aspects. Remember, these reviewers have more reasons to get people signing up at a bingo site they are writing about since they get a cut each time the operator profits. You can see if a reviewer is signed up to an affiliate program if you click the link of an online bingo site and the URL is full of letters and numbers pass the website’s home address.
By taking the time and effort in finding a legit UK bingo site, you are likely to get the best possible bingo experience with peace of mind in knowing your personal information is secure. Biased review sites are not the way to find a trusted bingo site. However, going through several reviewers and actual customer feedback can help you in spotting a legitimate one.
This is really helpful information and advice. Thank you.