What we recommend instead
888bingo Verdict
Although 888Bingo offers just as many bingo variants, slots, and jackpot games as the majority of 888-owned sites, the lack of any theme, brand artwork, and original promotions just leaves us feeling a little flat. We think it’s fair to say that many members feel the same as the rooms certainly aren’t bustling. And, for the site to encourage potential new players to dash over to 888Ladies to grab their welcome bonus doesn’t come across as very inviting.
So, if you’re looking to play basic bingo games at a reputable and fair site, go ahead and sign up. But, if like us, you want to join somewhere you can call a second home, we suggest you try the more upbeat 888Ladies.
Percentage score
Design & Usability
If there’s one word that summarises the 888Bingo homepage, it would be “concise”. There are just six tabs on the main menu (one of which is Home), a large banner which rotates to show you the welcome offers), a mini bingo schedule (which, when we logged in to play at 9am midweek, was only showing one game that wasn’t due to start until 8.30pm), and a list of top winners (three to be precise).
There’s no theme and very minimal graphics; so, it doesn’t exactly scream high quality when you compare it to other 888 brands like 888Ladies, Wink, Rio, and Sing Bingo. In fact, it definitely feels like the poor relation. That said, it is quick to navigate, and you can access the lobby and your account directly from the homepage.
Software & Gameplay
We visited the site at lunchtime on a Wednesday and were surprised to see very few players in the rooms. The 75-ball Buddies room, for example, only had eight people in it while the 90-ball Chatterbox room contained just ten players. About half of the rooms contained chat hosts who were polite but a little on the quiet side.
888Bingo runs on the older Dragonfish software with relatively fast-loading games. The only unusual game variant on offer is High 5, which offers you five ways to win prizes by creating lines on your card. It’s the only game type that’s exclusive to the Dragonfish network.
There are many networked rooms and games such as 90’s Extreme and Friday Million where you can play against members of other 888 sites for guaranteed jackpots.
Safety & Security
888Bingo is licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission and adheres to industry security, safety, and fair play standards. So, when you make any transactions at the site, you can rest assured that your sensitive details are kept secure.
Payments & Withdrawals
888Bingo allows you to deposit using Wire Transfer, Visa, MasterCard, Neteller, Paypal, Entropay, and Paysafecard. You can deposit between £5 and £1,000 per day, and withdraw £20 to £1,000 per day.
The withdrawal process takes longer than average due to a 48-hour pending period imposed at all Cassava Enterprises bingo sites. Once your request is approved, it takes a further five days for your credit/debit card to be credited, between two and three days for Neteller, Paypal, and MasterCard to receive your funds, and up to ten days for your withdrawal to arrive via wire transfer.
Customer Support
The 888Bingo customer support team are available via e-mail and telephone, and are also on hand to speak with you instantly in the Help Room 24/7. If you send a query via email, you can expect a response within four hours.
Bonuses & Promotions
When it comes to a no-deposit bonus, there isn’t one. And, at least that’s fairly obvious. What’s incredibly confusing, however, is the welcome bonus for first-time depositors, as there are two banners advertising it on the homepage that contain conflicting information.
On further investigation, it appears that 888Bingo not only advertises its own welcome bonus but also promotes its sister site’s (888Ladies) welcome offer. The one that applies if you decide to become a funded player at 888Bingo is the banner titled “Deposit £10 – Play with £60”. In the small print, it states that if you deposit £5 or more, you’ll get a 500% bonus of up to £100. To withdraw any winnings relating to your bingo bonus, you must wager through both your deposits and bonus funds four times.
The rest of the site’s promotions are less confusing as they’re the exact same ones on offer at multiple 888-operated sites including Bingo Cove and Bingorella. They offer you the chance to make considerable savings when purchasing tickets during Happy Hour, grab a guaranteed share of £5,000 each month with Sure Win games, and win stacks of free spins in daily Wow games.
Device Compatibility
There’s no mention of playing on mobile phones or tablets, but we managed to access the site via our mobile web browser on an Android phone and can, therefore, safely assume that like other 888 bingo sites, it’s compatible with the majority of mobile devices.
Variety & Originality
The lobby offers you easy access to 24/7 bingo games from as little as a penny per card, including 90-ball, 75-ball, and High 5 rooms. On Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday nights, there are £1m sliding jackpot games, and every month you can play for mountains of money in events such as Grab a Grand, Sure Win, the Big £10k, and Zodiac Bingo. In addition, there are £100-£500 daily jackpot games, plus free rooms for new players and members who have made deposits within the last week.
888Bingo boasts an excellent line-up of slots, including Theme Park by NetEnt, Wild Wolf by IGT, and several Eyecon progressive jackpot slots.
However, the entire games catalogue is the same at pretty much every Dragonfish site, so you won’t find anything unique on offer.
Loyalty & Rewards
The loyalty plan is common to 888 (Cassava Enterprises) sites, and it consists of Rookie, Pro, Master, and Champ levels. As the Loyalty page explains, you can climb the levels by collecting Jewels, and you get twelve Jewels for every £1 you deposit. For Rookie members, there’s nothing to gain from the scheme, but once you collect your first jewel, you’ll be promoted to Pro and become eligible for 5% cashback, five free spins, and two free cards for the Big £10k game. The highest level of Champ requires 2,400+Jewels, and gives you 15% bingo bonus cashback, 10% games bonus cashback, fifteen free spins, and ten Big £10k cards.
There are no exclusive VIP rooms, but there are rooms for newbies and members who’ve made qualifying deposits in the past seven days.