Whilst reading our Bingo reviews, you may find references to the bingo platform or software which powers the site. But what exactly do we mean by bingo software? Is that the same as a network? And why does it matter to the player how the site is powered? In this article, we hope to answer some of your queries and also outline the pros and cons of playing bingo from sites on each platform.
Simply put, a bingo platform refers to the software that the bingo site and its games are powered by. Some bingo sites share the same network, which means you can be playing bingo against a range of players who have joined the game from another site. Some have their own standalone software, which are often referred to as proprietary software. The software can be part of a network, which vary in size. Some networks have their own software, such as Virtue Fusion or 888, others operate independently.
We will provide another article regarding the Bingo Networks shortly, but for now, here is a brief discussion of Shared vs. Standalone software.
Shared Bingo Software Platforms – Networks
The majority of online bingo sites have a shared network and therefore a shared gaming platform. The largest software provider is 888 Holdings, which is often known as Globalcom, Dragonfish or Cassava, although Virtue Fusion is a close second. These have more players and are busy, heavy traffic gaming sites.
Examples of the pros of playing bingo on a shared platform (such as Microgaming, Globalcom or Virtue Fusion) include:
- Bigger jackpots – more players mean more deposits and more cards purchased, and this means bigger prizes!
- Consistent, reliable play – players know what to expect.
- Similar promotions across the brands – You can play from varying sites and collect bonus or promotional points for the same wallet.
The cons would be:
- Boring – Gameplay can feel repetitive, dull and samey.
- Less chance of winning – Often as you are playing in fuller rooms your chances of getting Bingo can be lower.
- Bingo games can be limited – you may have less variety in games to choose from.
Standalone Bingo Software
Standalone software is that which is created in house for a specific brand, by an in house team of game designers. It is usually unique and will power one or possibly two sites at the very most. Some sites like to create their own software to ensure their game play does something a little different – for example, Rogers Bingo have designed standalone software in order to offer integrated social networking and chat functionality.
Some pros of this will include:
- Uniqueness – Gameplay will be specific to the site, and players will gain a feeling of exclusivity.
- Better and more functional gameplay – Often in house designers will work with their gamer at heart, and design games around the key demographic.
However, there are cons to this too, which include:
- Bad gameplay – Some software can be truly awfully designed and gameplay can be challenging.
- Low prizes and low ticket sales – If the site is new, the player numbers can be low and the jackpots just several pounds, making big wins out of the question.
It is up to the player to decide what kind of gameplay suits them better – depending on whether you want to play to win large jackpots, play for fun, play to chat, or whether you want a whole variety of accounts. We would always recommend having a good read through our online bingo reviews before signing up to any site, to make sure that site does what you want it to.
Conclusion
Finally, here are a few examples of your favourite bingo brands, and how they are powered.
- Gala Bingo: Used to be on standalone software and recently moved to Virtue Fusion (considered one of the best networks due to great variety of gameplay and a range of standalone instant games plus themed bingo games).
- Foxy Bingo: 888
- Mecca Bingo: Virtue Fusion
- William Hill Bingo: Virtue Fusion
- Sun Bingo: Gamesys
- Tombola: Standalone
We have now added a dedicated page for all of the various bingo softwares available online today. Click the link below to view the page:
If you want to know which site is on which network then our bingo networks page is the place to visit:
