Our team of bingo players know that playing online bingo for the first time can be a bit daunting and can in some instances be a positive minefield, so for those that are not acquainted with the intricacies, niceties and eccentricities of the beautiful game of online bingo we provide you with a selection of bingo FAQ for your assistance. If you have further questions, please get in contact and we will help you where we can!
Q. 1) I’m unsure which bingo sites to play, there are so many to choose from. How do I decide where to play?
This is one of the most common bingo FAQ, and you are quite right there is a whole plethora of online bingo sites to choose from. With so much choice there are obvious dilemmas, but it doesn’t need to be that difficult. Nordencasino.com only feature the very best bingo sites and so you can play these sites with confidence knowing they are all well regarded online bingo names. Players can click straight through to the bingo sites from most of the articles publish on this site, making this section a very useful tool to play online bingo without needing to resort to Google!
Q. 2) There are so many bingo games to choose from, how will I know what game to play and also are the online bingo rules different to playing at a high street bingo hall?
In respect of the difference between the rules of online bingo and high street bingo, there aren’t any really as they are pretty much the same game, the only major difference is that chatting in an online bingo room is positively encouraged whereas when playing bingo in a traditional bingo hall chatting whilst a game is in play is frowned upon. There are benefits to playing both forms of the game, and here at nordencasino.com we are right behind the traditional bingo halls as they are the mother of the online bingo game and as such should be respected by all within the online bingo industry. If you have never tried playing in a bingo hall then why not use the experience of playing online to your advantage and visit your local bingo hall, there you will find lots of friendly players from all age groups and both sexes all willing to chat in the breaks between games. There are also the new wave of bingo halls offering lively party style entertainment, where there is an ‘anything goes’ policy which is a great alternative to playing in a hushed bingo hall. Then when the fun is finished in the bingo hall you can pop home and log on to play online bingo what ever time you get in!
Q. 3) I’m new to online bingo, the chat room is busy and they use language I don’t understand. How can I join in?
Simple – be honest. Tell the other online bingo roomies that you are new or that you don’t understand. They will be more than willing to explain things to a new player, after all they have been newbie bingo players at some stage themselves. The great thing about online bingo is the camaraderie and friendships that you can build – but you can only do that if you join in. There is a whole different bingo lingo language that can be quite daunting for a new player, with the simple WTG (Way To Go), for a player who has just won, to ROFL (Rolls On Floor Laughing) when another player cracks a joke. New players don’t need to feel that they have to know it all straight away, and very soon it will all make sense. When first in a chat room try to wish the other players GL E1(Good Luck Everyone) before the game starts, say WTG when a player wins, and remember to say TY (Thank You) when other players say WTG to you on a win. These simple few acronyms will help at first until you are used to the chat room language, but a simple ‘SS (so sorry) I am new’, will quickly be responded to by players and CM’s (Chat Moderators) alike, who will be more than eager to help a new player join in the fun. As a point of note, make sure that you don’t leave CAPS lock on, this upper case typing is the equivalent of shouting in bingo chat rooms, and is likely to bring the wrath of not only the CM but also the other roomies.
Q. 4) I am confused by bingo bonus offers, how do they work?
This is another one of those bingo FAQ that is really difficult to answer in a definitive way, this is because each online bingo site usually has their own rules on how a bingo bonus is earned or how a bonus is given. New players at a bingo site are often given a free cash match bingo bonus – these can range from 100% to 400% or more) on a first deposit or sometimes even a no deposit required bonus. These bonus offers are obviously to attract players to make a deposit or to join an online bingo club and to keep playing; therefore in all cases these bonus sums cannot be withdrawn. The player will be expected to deposit and wager at least one times the bonus amount (can be much more than this so check the terms and conditions of a bingo site first) before a withdrawal is made on a win that has been achieved playing bonus cash.
There are many other bonus offers, from re-loads to referring a friend, each online bingo site has its own terms and conditions for these bonuses also, so again check the small print for details.
Q. 5) What is a ‘Raider’?
Players can be referred to as raiders in bingo site chat rooms when a bingo chat game is in progress. Usually this is a derogatory term used to describe a player who has bought tickets in various bingo rooms and doesn’t stay in any or only one of them or a player who has pre-purchased bingo tickets and is not present to participate in chat games. There is a big divide about the use of this term in the online bingo industry, it is felt that on the one hand bingo sites actively encourage players to play in multiple rooms and to pre-purchase bingo tickets then allow them to be castigated in the chat room by the CM (Chat Moderator) or CH (Chat Host) for doing just that. The reason why some players do not like raiders is because the chat games in play sometimes pays bonus points (BBs) to a player(s) but only if the winner is in the chat room. Clearly there is a conflict in the message being sent to online bingo players by the bingo sites concerned when they encourage the term ‘Raider’ to be used. However from our perspective, we believe that online bingo is all about each individual player and how they want to play. So don’t be put off by pre-purchasing your bingo tickets if it is convenient for you to do so – just make sure that you don’t bemoan the raiders if you don’t win any BBs 😉
Q. 6) What is the difference between free to play bingo and pay to play?
There is no difference in the games at all, so if players are participating in a 90 ball bingo game where they purchase online bingo tickets then the only difference will most likely be in the size of the jackpots available to be won. Players who purchase bingo tickets generate the jackpots available to be won, so effectively the more players the bigger the bingo jackpot prize fund. This isn’t always true as bingo sites often try to draw players in by offering a free bingo game with a larger than average bingo jackpot.
Online bingo sites that offer predominately free online bingo jackpots will often offer very small prize funds, and because the games are free they attract a lot more players. It is therefore down to individual taste whether a bingo player will join in with a smaller prize pot and a lot more online bingo player competition to win or opt to pay to play. The beauty of pay to play bingo games is that the rooms are a lot less crowded, chat is easier with a less densely populated bingo game and of course a much better chance of being a bingo winner. Online bingo sites are now discovering that free bingo games are the means to attract players but to keep them it is better to offer a good loyalty package and a range of tickets from the free games to the more expensive with great jackpots. Clearly bingo that costs money is better for the online bingo sites in the long run, but player retention is all important too. Players should also realise that it is ticket sales that ultimately create the decent jackpots and so if they want big prizes then they will often need to pay for the privilege.
Q. 7) What are pre-purchase online bingo tickets and what are the benefits of buying online bingo tickets by this method?
This bingo FAQ seems common sense to regular players, however for those that are not used to the world of online bingo this can be a little confusing. Basically pre-purchase bingo tickets provides players with the opportunity to purchase online bingo tickets for a game without the need to be present in the room when the bingo game eventually plays. This can be a very attractive proposition for online bingo players, knowing full well that they have managed to buy into a game even though the game may be some time off. This also allows players to budget their bingo game play a bit better too, making sure that they won’t miss out on an important bingo game later on in the month. This can also provide a very exciting surprise for a player who wins a jackpot as next time they log into their favourite online bingo site they may have a very increase in their account balance waiting for them.
Q. 8) What happens if my internet connection is disrupted or if I lose power to my laptop in the middle of playing an online bingo game?
As in the pre-purchase question above, players who have purchased online bingo tickets for a game and their internet connection is lost will not have lost their bingo tickets for the game and the outcome of the bingo game will remain the same. Therefore a winning ticket will still be a winning ticket whether the player is in the room or not. Often it is not possible for a player to re-enter a game that is in play once a lost internet connection has been restored and so they will be unable to follow the outcome of the game., however a quick check of their online bingo account will show whether they had a win in the affected game or not.
Q. 9) What is a bingo tourney or tournament?
Bingo tournaments or bingo tourneys are a way for players to play all their usual bingo games whilst joining forces with other ‘team members’ to earn points for each game won. The team or teams who earn the most points during the qualifying period of the tournament will hopefully then go on to win shared prizes of cash or BBs (bingo bonus). This is an excellent way to make new online bingo friends at the bingo sites that put on the bingo tourneys as well as another way to win prizes. For players who are new to online bingo and don’t know other players but still want to join in, often the bingo sites running the tournaments will allocate a team for a player so that they can participate in the game.
Q. 10) How do I know that my money will be safe when making a deposit into a new account at an online bingo site?
The truth of the matter is that bingo sites that are licensed (and all those recommended by us are) will be required to have certain processes in place to protect players personal data including banking information. Most reputable sites will use secure servers which will encrypt the information entered therefore keeping sensitive information safe. Players who are concerned about using their credit cards can usually use other methods such as PayPal and other e-wallet services like Skrill. This affords the player some protection as they can make payments without needing to use their personal bank details online.