There are two main sectors in the online bingo industry; these are divided by standalone and networked bingo sites but what exactly is the difference? Standalone bingo sites are like your Harrods of the bingo world whilst networked site are more of your Waitrose. Each boast their own benefits to you the consumer and once again it comes down to personal preference.
A standalone bingo site will only have members in the bingo rooms that have signed up and registered for an account at the specific bingo site whilst a networked site will incorporate many players from many different “skins”. The same can be said of bingo chat hosts; a standalone site employs their own staff to main the bingo rooms whilst the head office of the networked sites employs the chat hosts for all sites under their hat.
This becomes apparent more so as you spend time playing at multiple bingo sites, you will often see the same bingo chat names appearing in the chat rooms.
So what benefit do each bring to the bingo table?
Standalone
Standalone bingo sites, on the whole, carry slightly less players in their bingo rooms meaning that the chances of winning a game are often higher than at a networked site. The prizes however, understandably, can be smaller.
Building a sense of community at a standalone bingo site is often easier more focus is directed towards the player. This can be seen on sites like Think Bingo and Bingo Scotland, both of which are standalone bingo sites owned by CashCade, and both run their own bingo forum.
As well as bingo games, bingo promotions are usually easier to win as you are not competing against a whole network of players all after the coveted prize.
Guaranteed jackpots tend to be smaller on standalone bingo sites however, an exception to this rule is Foxy Bingo who offer a £25,000 guaranteed jackpot game at the end of each and every month, the largest available jackpot online at the moment!
Networked
Networked bingo sites also have their pitfalls and bonuses; the biggest bonus has to be the regular prize pots offered in the bingo rooms. Comparatively speaking these are usually treble those found in standalone bingo rooms but by the same token, there are three times the amount of players chasing that prize.
Promotional prizes are much increased too; not only in cash on offer but in the frequency of the games and a classic example of this is the thrice weekly £1 million coverall game. Disappointingly, despite having been played three times a week on the Globalcom/888/Dragonfish network for a number of years, there has yet to be £1million winner.
The networked bingo rooms are also able to offer grander prizes to their bingo players and this was recently very apparent with Sun Bingo / News of the World Bingo and their 100 car giveaway. Networked bingo sites have bigger pockets because there are cumulatively more players on the network.
As we have said before, the choice between the two is a personal one. Some players may prefer the intimacy of standalone bingo sites and the higher chances of winning the game whilst other players like the higher stake games with bigger rewards on offer.
What’s your choice, Harrods or Waitrose? Foxy Bingo or Sun Bingo?
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