Gone Bingo

GENERAL

This site is quite new on the online bingo scene and website won site of the year 2007 at the Which Bingo Awards. It offers similar bingo games to other sites and an online chat community.

LOOK OF SITE

The home page looks a bit full and complicated. Could definitely scare off first time bingo users as it's quite confusing.

OFFERS

At the time of this research they have a fantastic offer - register and get £15 in Bingo Bucks.

EASE OF BUYING TICKETS

This was also quite confusing compared to other bingo websites tested. I tried to buy the tickets but because it was not clear I had thought I bought 4 cards, but once the game started it transpired that I hadn't bought any! I had to wait until the next game and try again. There is a maximum of about 48 cards per game. The clock ticks down to buy tickets before the game starts and you usually get about 3-4 minutes between games to buy tickets. Although you can also pre-buy tickets for the next bingo game while the game is in progress.

GAMES

There is a good selection of games on this site. I tried the 75 ball bingo first. They were doing an offer where if you buy 2 cards you get another free. As I was using my free bingo bucks to play i bought 30 cards and got 15 free!

It is quite simple to follow the game once it starts and the numbers are automatically ticked off for you. Your cards move up so if you have more than one, the computer will put your card closest to winning at the front. You are advised of how many numbers you are waiting for and when you are just waiting for 2 numbers your card changes colour to alert you. This helps build a sense of excitement and anticipation.

The second game I tried on GoneBingo.co.uk was the 80 Ball Bingo. This was more expensive per ticket and we played first for the letter S shape and then on to a full house. There seems to be a number of formations to play for including a "School Tie" shape. This can be a bit confusing for beginners but helps to keep some variety for seasoned players.

The last game I tried was 90 Ball Bingo. This was for one line, two lines and then a full house. More like a traditional game of bingo.

PRIZES

As with most online bingo sites prizes vary according to how many people are playing bingo. And also the cost of the bingo game cards. The game I played first (75 ball bingo) the prize was £1000 but actually went down the longer the game went on and by the time there was a winner the prize money was just £75.00 which seemed like a bit of a con!

I stayed on to play another game after this one and the prize was £57.94 so it really seems to depend on the number of players.

For the last game of 90 Ball Bingo I tried the prizes were 21.81 for any line, £33.56 for 2 lines and £52.01 for a full house.

COST TO PLAY

This site is not expensive to play and I could buy about 45 cards for one game for about £3.00! This is very good value compared to other sites.

ONLINE BINGO CHAT

During the bingo games there is a section to the right where you can chat with other online players and there seemed to be a real sense of community on this site - a definite plus point if you are looking to make friends and chat and not just play bingo. One lady even commented on the chat board that she had won while she was doing the washing up!

OVERALL IMPRESSION

Good Points
Fantastic sign up offer
Good sense of community and easy to chat to others
cheap to buy cards

Bad Points
Confusing layout of site
Bit confusing to buy tickets for beginners

OVERALL SCORE 5/10

USER REVIEW

I discovered Gone Bingo through a review site. The add stated that Gone Bingo is a play at home bingo site offering £15.00 free bingo bucks and unusually no deposit is required to register. This add obviously had the desired effect on me and before I knew it I was at the home page looking for the quickest way to register and get my £15.00 free!

I found the home page attractive and brightly coloured but perhaps with a little too much going on. There were special promotions, winners info, and other adds displayed. Thankfully the registration button was easy to find. Registration for the site was very quick and easy to do requiring just a few personal details and taking only a minute. I was both impressed and thrilled to find that my bingo bucks appeared instantly. I was unable to find any information for new comers or clear game play instructions anywhere on the site so as i started my first game i was very unsure about what to do.

However once I had selected a game (75 ball bingo at 5p a ticket)it was fairly easy to buy cards (by moving the curser to the number I wanted to buy). The time left to buy tickets and time until game starts was clearly displayed on the screen. The chat box displayed throughout the game and although I chose only to join in briefly (to wish everyone luck) I enjoyed reading it.

As the game started it became clear that all i really needed to do was watch as the numbers were automatically filled in on my cards as they were called out. The cards were moved around in order of how well they were doing and the cards changed colour to show when i was only waiting for 4 , 3, 2 or 1 number.

At one point I was only waiting for 1 number and found myself on the edge of my seat as the numbers were called. We were playing for a "letter B" and the card was shaded to show which number were needed. The game prize was £47.00. Which I though was quite good given how cheap the tickets were.

I noticed from the chat box that some users were experiencing technical problems in form of slow graphics and the need to refresh frequently. Someone had already reported this to technical support who are apparently on had at all times to sort any problems out quickly. It was fine for me though.

After coming so close but not winning in 75 ball bingo I decided to have a go at an 80 and then a 90 ball game. Unfortunately although I played several games I did not win and my bingo bucks were gone before I knew it.

Although I did enjoy playing and it was very straightforward once I got in to it I found the whole site somewhat confusing and felt it looked a bit cluttered. A good choice for experienced players who like to chat throughout a game but not really a site for beginners although with £15.00 free there is no harm in giving it a try.

Click here to try your luck at Gone Bingo