Bingo in Ireland

Pros and Cons of Online Bingo Deals

As with most gambling offers, online bingo deals come complete with pros and cons for players. Let’s take a quick look at some of the advantages and drawbacks you might encounter with online bingo bonuses and offers. 

Games and Variants of Online Bingo Ireland

Bingo may be a simple game, but that hasn’t stopped different variations emerging over the years. Check out some of the most popular formats below.

90-Ball Bingo

90-ball is the predominant bingo game in Ireland and the UK. It features a 9×3 bingo ticket which has five numbers and four blank spaces per row. Each column is separated by the first digit of each number, ascending along the card to help tick the numbers off, although this is done automatically when playing online. Players can win prizes for being the first to mark off a line, two lines, four corners, and a full house.

75-Ball Bingo

75-ball is the bingo game most commonly played in the US, but is played all over the world at online bingo sites. The ticket uses a 5×5 grid filled with numbers and a free space in the middle, which can help form winning lines. Winning lines include a row, a column, or diagonally across the ticket. In some 75-ball games, additional patterns may be included such as the four corners and a ‘blackout’, where all 24 numbers are marked off.

80-Ball Bingo

80-ball is similar to 75-ball in that it uses a square grid, but this time there are 16 squares filled with numbers up to 80. In addition to horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines, 80-ball bingo also uses additional patterns such as four corners, cross patterns, or the four middle squares.

Bingo Roulette

If you’re a fan of hybrid games that mix up usual gameplay, Bingo Roulette could be a great option for you. You’ll choose a selection of lucky numbers on the board by covering them with chips. The wheel will then start to spin and pick out numbers — if one of yours comes up, the chip will be removed. Remove all your chips within a certain number of calls to win the jackpot!

Progressive Jackpot Bingo

Progressive jackpots are popular in slot games and are starting to be incorporated into other genres at the best online bingo sites. The jackpot amount grows as players buy bingo tickets and take part in games. To win the jackpot, you’ll usually need to be the one to shout ‘bingo!’ for a full house in 36 calls or less.

Candy Hearts

Candy Hearts at Hearts Bingo takes the progressive jackpot concept one step further. There are three separate jackpots up for grabs when playing this game and each one grows until one lucky winner takes the lot: the Mini Pot starts from €10; the Midi Pot starts at €300; and the Maxi Pot starts at €700. The Mini and Midi Pots can be won several times a day, while the Maxi Pot can be hit just once at a particular time each day.

Slingo

Slingo is a popular choice for fans of online bingo Ireland as it brings together elements of bingo and slots. It was launched in 1994 and originally found popularity as part of AOL’s games network, before becoming a hit at online casinos and Irish bingo sites. The game features a 75-ball style bingo grid, with a slot reel underneath filled with numbers. Players spin the reel and attempt to match the numbers with those on the grid — by forming winning lines you’ll make your way up the slingo paytable and win prizes. Watch out for jokers, super jokers, devils, and free spins as — these are thrown in to spice things up.

Features of Online Bingo Ireland

Bingo has always been a social game, and many of our recommended bingo sites will offer certain unique features that help encourage this likeness to land-based bingo halls. You will, of course, find a great deal of familiarity across the board – games libraries, promotions and themes specific to the brand. But what other features are typically found at online bingo sites? Let’s take a look at some of the most common ones. 

Bingo Rooms

Adding more of a social feel to online bingo games, bingo rooms offer unique environments and a chance to socialise with your fellow bingo players. Within these rooms, participants have the chance to win prizes, and accept bonuses that may not be available elsewhere. They are typically themed and the best bingo sites will give you a rundown of what you can expect to experience in each one. For example, what type of bingo game will feature – perhaps 90 or a super fast 30 ball – as well as which cash prizes are available, if there are progressive jackpot options or perhaps if two sets of numbers are simultaneously in action or just the traditional one. 

Live Chat

Once in a bingo room, another great feature that improves the community feel is live chat. This facility comes in the form of a chat room that attaches to a bingo game and is available for all participants to engage with other players, either about the game itself or wider interests. Live chat conversations help us to understand the feel of a particular game and even give you a taste of whether the particular site, or game, is for you.

Through live chat bingo players are also able to interact with the host of your bingo game. They can be the first point of call if you need clarification on any aspect of the game, or a particular function. Hosts also typically use this facility to update participants on prizes or new online bingo deals that are available. 

Bingo Networks

Bingo networks are a group of sites working in collaboration to share a range of promotions, bingo rooms, software and even participants. Over time, some bingo players develop a preference for a particular room so will choose to play through providers within the same network. The benefit of these networks are largely community focused meaning that games are busier and have a social feel to them. This approach can also boost a progressive jackpot and provide a better experience for everyone all round. Some of the most famous bingo networks include Dragonfish, Jumpman, Pragmatic Play, Virtue Fusion, Microgaming, and Relax Gaming. 

Giveaways and Jackpots

Bingo rooms will have unique promotions, jackpots and prize giveaways. These are usually announced by the host within the chat room associated with your game, so it’s important to remain active in this aspect of the game as much as the number draw itself. Each bingo room will provide different opportunities, with the giveaways usually listed on the bingo site homepage – this allows you to choose the potential prizes that appeal the most before committing to a room.

Playing Free Online Bingo Ireland

Bingo is a fun pastime that’s popular with all ages, and while winning a sizable jackpot may be an exciting prospect, for many players the real excitement comes from counting down the numbers and the anticipation of a bingo call.

Naturally then, many players love playing bingo for free. With free bingo, you won’t have to worry about paying for bingo tickets. Instead, you’ll jump straight into the action and start playing, retaining the social aspect of this game thanks to chat functions available in online bingo rooms. For generations, bingo lovers have gone along to bingo halls to have fun with friends, and playing online offers a similar social experience.

So, where can you play bingo for free? For starters, free bingo is available to play through a range of apps on the Apple and Google Play stores. These are free to download and cost nothing to play. 

Alternatively, you can dabble in free games at real money bingo sites. With this option, you can still pick up cash prizes if you’re the lucky winner. One example is at Paddy Power, where the free bingo room is in action for six hours every day and offers €5 for a full house, €3 for two lines and €2 for one line.

Casino Games at Online Bingo Sites

Aside from a wide range of bingo games, many of the best online bingo sites offer a host of other games to their bingo players. Let’s have a look at the main ones you’re likely to see. 

Slots

The real draw for many online casino players are the slots. They cover a huge range of genres, themes and with the technology available, software developers are able to make some truly creative slots titles. Slots games provide a simple formula – spinning a reel and matching up symbols – but can also include other gems such as bonus rounds, tournaments, plus unique features such as scatter symbols, wilds and multipliers. NetEnt is a popular slot software developer with two of its most popular titles being Starburst, which holds an RTP of 96%, and Gonzo’s Quest which also offers a 96% RTP ratio. 

Table Games

Table games encompass many of the classic casino games of chance that we usually associate with land-based casinos, including blackjack, roulette, craps, and baccarat. In real life we play these with a professional dealer laying the cards, or rolling the dice against the spinning roulette wheel. Of course, the online version can’t exactly replicate this person to person experience except within a live casino setting. Instead, online table games use random number generator (RNG) technology which selects numbers, shuffles the deck and rolls the dice virtually, creating random, unpredictable outcomes. Some of the top software developers specialise in table games, such as Playtech which has a creative selection of titles, including the popular Age of the Gods Roulette. 

Live Dealer Games 

Providing a close-to-real-life casino experience, live dealer games are streamed from specially designed studios around the world. The live dealer game is managed by a professional croupier who calls the numbers and deals the cards themselves. There is also a live chat facility that allows you to interact with the croupier and other people in your game, adding  to the social element that many people miss when playing online casino games. 

Many of the top software developers create a live casino selection in their games library, however one particularly stands out over the others in the creativity and vast amount of games they produce. Evolution is the master of live dealer games, and has many fan-favourite titles across live roulette, poker, and live blackjack, along with some well-known game show titles like Monopoly Live, and Deal or No Deal Live. 

Scratch Cards

Online scratch cards work just like the scratch cards you can buy in land-based stores, offering you a chance to play and win in an instant, without needing to find a coin first! Like online slots, real money scratch cards come in different themes, with titles like The Walking Dead Scratch Card and Discovery Gold Rush Scratch giving you a good idea of the variety of options available. There’s a wide range of cash prizes on offer, too. With a top prize of €1 million for matching three symbols, Pragmatic Play’s Wolf Gold Scratch boasts one of the biggest payouts, though it comes with a price tag of €4 per card. You can also play online scratch cards like NextGen’s Irish Eyes 2 slot for as little as one cent a turn, which makes playing scratch cards a great pick no matter the size of your bankroll. Top developers like IGT, Playtech and Betsoft also offer real money online scratch cards worth watching out for.

Best Irish Online Bingo Deals

At Irish bingo sites, there are lots of bonuses available for both new and existing customers. These deals come in a bunch of different formats, so it’s helpful to familiarise yourself with what could be up for grabs. Let’s take a look at some of the main types of bonuses on offer.

Deposit x, Get y

Here you’ll pick up rewards when you deposit a certain amount of cash into your bingo account. For example at CasinoMega, you can receive a 40% boost on any Jeton deposit of €20 or more. The terms and conditions are clear and include a maximum bonus amount of  €500. To enter into this deal Irish players must first contact the casino via live chat. 

Bet x, Get y

Sometimes, you’ll need to buy bingo tickets or place bets on selected games to unlock the rewards. This type of promotion is less common than its deposit x, get x equivalent, but one current example comes from Boomerang Casino, where players will receive a €10 bonus on any Evolution game when they bet €300. This promotion is available once a day, and your bonus will be credited immediately to your account on completion of the requirements.

Matched Deposits

With a matched deposit, you’ll receive a certain percentage of bonus credit when you make a deposit – for example, a 100% match on a €20 deposit would leave you with €40 to play with. This type of promotion is found most commonly as a welcome bonus at all of the best Irish bingo sites.

Free Bingo Tickets

Free bingo tickets are often thrown in as part of welcome offers for new players, offering the chance to enter real money bingo rooms and play for cash prizes. PaddyPower offers nightly bingo boosts in Paddy’s Pad Room between 7pm and 10pm. There are daily variations of the offer, including a buy one ticket get another free on a Tuesday evening and on Fridays all prizes are doubled up to €20.

Free Spins

In addition to bonus credit, free bingo tickets or loyalty points, many of the best online bingo deals include free spins to be used on popular slots on their site. LeoVegas is one of these sites with a promotion that gives ten free spins on Wild Link Frenzy. As is the case with free spins bonuses, the eligible game or games will be listed within the terms and conditions, as well as any wagering requirements.

Existing Customer Promotions

At the best Irish bingo sites, current players are also well looked after. Whether it’s free bingo at certain times of the day, daily boosted jackpots, reload bonuses, cashbacks, or loyalty and VIP schemes, there’s plenty to play for each week. Bingo Bonga has a VIP programme that allows players to collect points that can be converted to site credit — the higher you move up the rankings, the better the bonus opportunities become. 

Terms and Conditions of Online Bingo Deals

Every bingo bonus will come with certain stipulations — it’s important to read these carefully before opting in so you know what to expect. Here’s a breakdown of the main T&Cs you’re likely to come across when claiming offers for online bingo in Ireland.

Wagering Requirements

Players will often need to wager a certain amount of their own money before their bonus can be converted into withdrawable cash. For example, a 20x wagering requirement on a €20 bonus would require you to wager €400 (20 x €20).

Minimum Deposits

Most bingo bonuses are unlocked by adding funds to your account. If that’s the case, there’ll be a minimum deposit required in order to claim the rewards — the amount can vary, but is usually in the region of €10–€20.

Time Limits

Time limits are another common stipulation you’ll need to watch out for. There’s often a limited amount of time to claim an offer, to use it, and then to complete any associated wagering requirements.

Payment Method Exclusions

When placing a deposit in order to claim a bingo site’s welcome bonus, be sure to look out for any payment method exclusions. e-Wallets like Neteller and Skrill often can’t be used to unlock offers.

Game Restrictions

Many casino bonuses are aimed at a few select games, so it’s a good idea to check this before opting in to avoid any disappointment. An online casino that hosts bingo won’t necessarily offer bingo bonuses.

Game Weightings

When it comes to bonuses, not all games are created equally. Game weighting refers to the wager’s contribution towards a bonus’s wagering requirements. Most slots are weighted at 100%, but table and live casino games can be as low as 10%, or sometimes even 0%. This means that if you wager €100, only €10 (10%) will count towards the requirements. 

Winning Caps

There will always be a limit to the winning potential of an online bingo deal. This will be stated in the terms and conditions as a max win level and will be proportional to the size of the bonus. 

Bingo Networks

When browsing the web for new places to play online bingo in Ireland, you may notice that there are common games across multiple different sites. This is because most online bingo games are actually part of wider bingo networks.

Bingo networks develop the games and then supply them to various sites. The benefit of this is that there are always lots of people ready to play in each bingo room, meaning there are bigger prize pools up for grabs and more players to chat to.

Some of the most popular online bingo networks include:

• Virtue Fusion, subsidiary of Playtech
• Dragonfish Software
• The Real Bingo Network
• United Bingo Network

Banking Methods at Irish Online Bingo Sites

The best Irish bingo sites offer a wide range of banking methods for players to choose from. Check out the most common services available below.

Debit Cards

Debit cards such as Visa and Mastercard are the most readily available payment methods at Ireland bingo sites. This means that if you’re happy to use them, you won’t need to create any additional accounts to deposit and withdraw funds. What’s more, they’re always accepted for unlocking deposit bonuses. The downside with this option is that withdrawals can take up to five days.

e-Wallets

The likes of PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller are popular alternatives for customers who’d prefer not to share their bank details. With an e-wallet, you’ll just need your email and password to deposit and withdraw funds. Plus, it’s one of the quickest methods available, with withdrawals generally completed within 48 hours. The main drawback is that you may not be able to use your e-wallet to unlock a deposit bonus.

Prepaid Cards

Prepaid cards such as Paysafecard allow you to deposit funds without sharing any account details. They can be purchased in different denominations, so they’re a handy method for tracking your spending. In the case of Paysafecard, you’ll just need the 16-digit code displayed on the card to authorise the payment.

AstroPay

AstroPay offers virtual prepaid cards, so you can buy one online quickly and easily. It also functions as an e-wallet, so you can use it to withdraw as well as deposit funds to and from your bingo account.

Trustly

Trustly works on an Open Banking principle, transporting your cash in the same way as a direct bank payment. Set up in 2008, Trustly is becoming popular at online bingo sites, allowing for immediate deposits, fast withdrawals and high deposit limits. Many people favour Trustly because there’s no need to set up an account, nor are there any fees associated with its use. Be mindful that Trustly isn’t always available for accepting bonuses.

Pay by Mobile

Pay by mobile is a deposit-only payment at some online bingo sites. To make a payment, simply select pay by mobile at the cashier and add the amount you’d like to deposit. Then, confirm the deposit via SMS and the amount will be added to your next mobile bill or deducted from your pay as you go account. It’s an easy and accessible way of making a quick deposit but be mindful that the limits are fairly low at around €30 a day.

Cryptocurrencies

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin can sometimes be used to fund your bingo account. Once you’re ready to cash out, you can link to your crypto wallet to withdraw the funds. Crypto transactions offer greater anonymity than other services, and fast, often instant withdrawals. We always strongly advise our readers to first conduct some research into cryptocurrencies if they’re interested in using them.

Playing Online Bingo on the Go

Bingo is an easygoing game that’s simple to play, making it perfect for playing on the go. Most bingo sites offer their full range of games on mobile, so you can join a room and start playing wherever you are.

The best Irish bingo sites offer their own downloadable apps for iOS and Android users. With an app, you’ll benefit from faster loading times and can turn push notifications on so you never miss out on an offer.

Looking for a new app to play bingo on the go? Try one of the following:

• LuckLand
• Casimba 
• 888casino 
• 10Bet 
• Paddy Power 
• LeoVegas

Sports Betting at Online Bingo Sites

Many of the best online bingo Ireland sites offer a selection of other games and sportsbook betting opportunities. One of the most popular additions to find is sports betting. If we take LuckLand as an example – all its options are conveniently labelled on tabs across the top of the page, including casino and sports betting. If you click on sports, the site loads up the best bonuses and betting opportunities available. 

One of the benefits to using a single site for both online bingo and sports betting is that there’s no need to repeatedly log into different places for different online betting options – it’s easier, and more convenient. The sports you will find available at the best online bingo Ireland sites are exactly the same as sportsbook-only sites. Best of all, you’ll be able to pool any loyalty points you’ve collected from the casino side of the site with those from the sportsbook.

Responsible Gambling 

It’s important to remember that playing bingo online should be fun and seen primarily as a source of entertainment. It’s easy to fall into dangerous habits, so keep your game play safe and in control at all times. Here are some of our tips on how to do this.

Top Tips for Gambling Responsibly at Online Bingo Sites

• Set a budget and stick to it
• Remember that gambling is for fun and never attempt to chase losses
• Set time limits on gambling sessions
• Be open about your gambling, particularly to close friends and family 
• If you find you are thinking about playing bingo online more than usual, take a break
• Finding it difficult to move away from online bingo? Make use of the site’s limiter function, such as GAMSTOP, which can lock players out of their accounts for periods of time. The presence of these on-site limiters is a requirement for all licensed operators

Where to Get Help

Help for gambling is available from several organisations in Ireland. Here are the details of some of the most popular places to access support. 

• Gamblers Anonymous — GA Ireland hosts meetings where individuals struggling with gambling problems can share experiences and offer support to each other. Meetings are also available for the friends and family of compulsive gamblers.  
• The Gambling Awareness Trust — An independent charity, The Gambling Awareness Trust works to understand gambling trends, harms and responses. It also offers direct support to problem gamblers via GamblingCare.ie.
• BeGambleAware – BeGambleAware.org offers a wide range of support services for problem gamblers. Though aimed at UK players, the site is packed with useful information relevant to all players in need of support.