Foxy Bingo Bonuses

Since its launch in 2005, Foxy Bingo has become one of the best known online bingo sites, helped in no small way by a huge TV advertising campaign. The site and games run on the Brigend software platform which is part of the 888 Gaming group and shared with numerous other bingo sites like Nutty, Shampoo and Loquax bingo. The set up is an unusual one as all these sites are actually operated by Cassava Enterprises, another part of 888, while being owned by the individual bingo companies. What this effectively means is that all sites have the same games, many of the same promotions and, when playing, the other players can come from all of the sites using this software.

It also means that licensing, customer support, banking facilities and regulations could be centralised for all sites, but it seems there has been some customisation to make each one slightly different. Cassava Enterprises holds a master license in Gibraltar, which guarantees independent auditing of the games for fairness and full financial security.

The site layout features lots of shades of purple, plus the Fox himself, but looking at the homepage and the links from it, there is no evidence of any side games. Players need to be signed up and depositing before they can even see what side games are offered. There is also no option to preview games or to see the schedule before registering.

Bonuses

The bonuses offered by Foxy Bingo are somewhat limited by the software but the new player welcome bonus tends to be towards the lower end of what can be provided, which is disappointing for such a major brand. As with most bonus offers of this type, players must meet certain wagering requirements before cashing out any funds and, in this case, the combined deposit and bonus amounts must be wagered 4x, and only the cash part and any winnings can be withdrawn. The actual bonus amount cannot be withdrawn and is for the purchase of bingo tickets only.

There is a good range of ongoing bonuses and promotions for returning players including a 50% bonus on all re-deposits, subject to a minimum deposit of £10, and the same terms and conditions apply to this bonus offer. Other promotions include a Foxy Membership Scheme, where players can earn cashback when wagering certain amounts each month, although to qualify, a minimum of £1,000 a month must be staked so this is for serious players only. Of more value is the Loyalty Points scheme, where players earn 1 point for every 10p spent on bingo tickets and can cash in 1000 points for £1, which may not sound like much of a conversion rate but is fairly typical for bingo loyalty programmes. Other offers will come and go but players can usually expect to see guaranteed jackpot games, free games and weekly specials.

Games

Foxy Bingo provides 90 and 75 ball games, plus free bingo and jackpot versions, but no 80 ball, which is a restriction imposed by the software that they use. Once signed up, players will find around 40 rooms with games starting every couple of minutes and prices from as little as 1p a ticket but, as mentioned, they cannot see any details until they have registered at the site. Having so many players online at any one time means that the chat rooms can be quite lively and entertaining and, as always, it's a trade off between the bigger prizes that can be found with more players in a game, and the fact that a player is less likely to actually win.

There is a good range of side games, like

• Roulette
• Blackjack
• Slots
• Bejeweled 2
• Cops and Robbers
• Pharaoh's Luck

The full range is not apparent when first browsing the site which must surely put some prospective players off. To see what games are available, a player must have registered their details and deposited which is frustrating, particularly as the range of games is actually quite good.

Banking

Like many bingo sites, Foxy Bingo only accept a limited range of deposit and withdrawal options, although they do cover the most popular credit and debit cards, plus e-wallets and prepaid vouchers. Withdrawal requests will be processed in two business days, although the payment processor may need to further review the transaction, so it can take at least a week for requested funds to appear back into a bank account. Withdrawn funds will normally be sent back to the card or e-wallet used to make the deposits, which is the normal procedure at online bingo sites, and players will usually have to provide some proof of identification before requesting their first withdrawal.

Customer Support

Again, Foxy Bingo have let themselves down here as they will only aim to answer emails within 48 hours, and the phone lines are only open between 10am and 6pm Monday to Friday, which are not their peak hours.

Conclusion

Foxy Bingo is a frustrating site which has used the power of massive advertising to become one of the UK's most played at bingo sites. The homepage is not very informative, the welcome bonus is poor and the customer support team are off-line when they are most needed. On the plus side, the games are well attended, with good chat facilities and, once you can actually find the side games, there is a good range. Although only 90 ball and 75 ball bingo are offered, there are plenty of games in lots of rooms.