Terms & Conditions
As a licenced bingo site, there is an expectation to have a set of sound, well drawn out, and fair set of terms & conditions for use. Admittedly, some bingo sites to a better job than others with respect to fairness and clarity. However, thanks to the efforts of the UKGC, the online bingo industry has made tremendous progress in providing clear, easy to understand terms of use.
While everything term should be spelled out in full, the UKGC has paid special attention to the following items:
- Bonus/promotional offers,
- Withdrawal restrictions,
- Confiscation of funds
Much of that list deals with clarity. More to the point, the Gambling Commission prefers that players have a crystal clear understanding of what exactly they are getting, what they as players need to do to get “it”, and how exactly they can “get it” (as well as what exactly could prevent them from “getting it”).
Bonus & Promotional Offers
In the “old days”, bingo sites could offer a bonus with vague terms and all kinds of restrictions while failing to mention the exact nature of the restrictions they have placed on you. Such practices would allow them to “freeroll” players at will.
Bingo sites would advertise a seemingly attractive bonus and players would accept the offer, playing as they saw fit. The players were mostly unaware that the bonus funds had any type of restriction. They would not know that the bonus funds could only be used on certain games or that they had some sort of wagering requirement attached to the bonus money (and often their own money). So the tale goes, the player hits the jackpot, moves to claim their winnings, and the site would easily find a way to cancel the cashout.
In today’s regulatory environment, such practices are not permitted. Each bingo site must spell out in no uncertain terms what exactly the bonus or promotional offer entails. They must also declare who exactly is eligible. Moreover, they must clearly define what sort of “hoops” one must jump through in exchange for receiving the promotion.
Said another way, bingo sites must break it down for the average customer so that they understand what exactly they are getting into. While clarity is expected, this does not mean that every offer is attractive. Although, it certainly makes our job better in determining whether an offer is “good”.
A portion of a bingo site’s mark in the terms and conditions category goes towards clarity of their terms. We additionally critique whether the promotional offers are favourable to the average player.
Withdrawal restrictions & confiscation of funds
The terms and conditions must spell out what type of restrictions you have on gaining access to your money. They must further define under what circumstances they are entitled to confiscate your funds. Throughout the years, we have encountered numerous sites that preserved the rights to confiscate as they saw fit and without much reasoning. We have named and shamed these sites throughout the years and have educated many players on how to spot potential scams. We are certainly grateful that industry expectation has caught up with our high standards.
In this category, we examine the restrictions bingo sites place on cashout requests. We rate the site on how restrictive they are in letting you at your winnings. Likewise, we look at promotions and determine whether the offer is player friendly with respect to your ability to cash out. We additionally examine what scenarios (if any) allow a bingo site to take your account balance in any fashion. If any scenarios are overreaching or unfair, the site’s mark will reflect this.
Fairness to all
A bingo site’s terms and conditions should be fair to the player as well as fair to the operator/game provider. We do not wish to see a player cheated. We also do not want to see a game provider cheated. Thus, it is essential that all terms and conditions are spelled out and preserves the rights of all parties involved.