You are in:
Smile… you’re playing bingo!
The speed and accessibility of online bingo with the social experience of live bingo. Is this possible? Bingocams.com thinks so…
When failing toy salesman, Edwin S. Lowe, first invited friends to balance beans on numbered cards for a quick round of ‘Beano’ (only later changed to ‘Bingo’ after an over-excited player shouted the wrong word) he couldn’t have imagined the lasting impact the game would have on the world.
Church hall bingo gave way to regionally- and nationally-linked organisations offering huge prize pools, and those in turn have been revolutionised by the online bingo business. However, up until now many live bingo players have found the online experience an unemotional one, lacking as far as the social experience of bingo goes. Some online operators have simply simulated the game while others have striven to deliver a product that makes the most of the online medium.
Sarah Jones, Head of Marketing and PR for OnGame Marketing, has been involved with one such operator – Bingocams – recently launched into the UK market after a successful operation in The Netherlands. “In most online bingo sites you don’t really play the game any more,” Jones says. “The numbers are filled out for you so there are a lot of side games that replace where people would normally have sat ticking off the numbers, having a chat and smoking together. Often the players know each other and the chat hosts, but that’s as far as the technology allowed.”
Key to Bingocams however is the use of web cams within the software to connect players. It took three years of development to perfect and allows online bingo to take a huge step towards offering the engaging social gaming experience that live bingo has always provided. Bingocams users can see each other play as well as have private video chats with other roomies. Another key USP to Bingocams is the ‘Live Win Moments’, bringing real emotion to the often unemotional online experience. Indeed, as I write this, a press release has just been issues announcing that the millionth ‘Live Win Moment’ is imminent.
Jones explains: “The moment a player wins, that ‘Live Win Moment’ is recorded in real-time from their web cam and broadcast to all the people playing in the same room. It may well be someone you know, and you get to watch them jumping up and down in front of the camera!”
As an added incentive, Bingocams awards £1,000 each month to the best or most creative recorded celebration, as well as two £500 runner-up prizes. In The Netherlands this has proved incredibly popular and a great incentive to players to create a funny moment, as Jones explains: “Players will do lots of very creative stuff just to win the additional prizes. It automatically creates more of a fun community feel.”
One particular focus of Bingocams is building genuine player friendships on the site, with real incentives to encourage private chatting between members. “As well as the main bingo games and side casino games, there are bonuses in play throughout the site,” explains Jones. “Something called the ‘Bouncing Bonus’ is an instant cash bonus ONLY available to players participating in private chat.”
When a Bouncing Bonus occurs, any player engaged in a private chat could find a ball appearing on their screen containing a cash bonus. That player then has ten seconds to click on the ball as it bounces around. During this time, that player’s webcam feed is shown to all the players in the room so that they can enjoy watching the player frantically chasing the ball, offer their own encouragement, and share in the excitement of the win (or the disappointment of a missed opportunity). This allows all players to enjoy the emotion of the moment, and also encourages others to participate in private chat to have a chance of playing the Bouncing Bonus.
“When people start chatting privately – even if only to qualify for the Bouncing Bonus – friendships are made,” explains Jones. “This is why players return to Bingocams. It’s not just to enjoy the experience but to interact with their growing number of online friends that also play at the site.”
Bingocams is also able to guarantee affiliates higher returns as the mechanics of the site encourage longer sessions and more play from each visitor. For players hoping to participate in the Bouncing Bonus, they have one chance to be picked for every card they buy. This leads to players buying more cards when they do play.
Fundamental affiliate support comes from the Bingocam Partners systems, supplying everything an affiliate would expect, but with some key additional features. For example, in the same way a Live Win Moment “Hall of Fame” will exist online so that people can enjoy the emotion of these big wins, affiliate banners will be dynamically updated with the latest, most exciting win video to keep the links fresh, fun and enticing.
