As bingo has increasingly become a staple of the online casino landscape, online bingo sites need to find ways to keep players engaged and returning. Step forward, loyalty and VIP programs. These reward players for returning regularly by offering bonuses and benefits. But are these programmes really worth your time, or are they just clever marketing?
What Are Loyalty and VIP Programs?
Loyalty and VIP Programs are designed to reward regular players and encourage them to return to the online bingo site. The more players play, the more benefits they unlock. They come in different forms, but the basic idea is simple. Players collect points or progress through membership tiers by spending money on games. They can then redeem those points for prizes, bonuses, or other perks.
In online bingo, loyalty programmes often cross over with the rest of the casino. The same account can accumulate rewards from bingo games as well as slots games, casino games, and other linked offerings. This is especially true with casinos that offer a plethora of gambling options under one website.
Online bingo sites with a physical presence may also offer crossover reward schemes, allowing players to earn points in person and redeem them online, or vice versa. The exact details of loyalty programmes vary from one brand to the next, but the idea is always to make returning players feel valued.
Types of Loyalty Programs
Types of Loyalty Programs
Loyalty and VIP systems in bingo come in all shapes and sizes, but the majority will fall into one of the following categories:
- Tier Systems - A common type of loyalty structure where players start on the bottom tier and climb through the ranks as they make deposits, spend money, and play casino games like bingo. The rewards increase at each tier, so progressing levels might bring bigger bonuses, more dedicated customer support, or special promotions that aren’t available to new players.
- Points - Every time you play a game or spend a certain amount of money, you earn points. You can then exchange those points for rewards like bonus funds, free bingo tickets, or free spins. It is a simple play-more, earn-more system.
- Regular bonuses - Some online bingo sites offer small regular bonuses to keep players engaged. The bonuses could be simple bonus funds, but you might also get free bingo cards or free spins.
- Exclusive Benefits - Bingo casinos may offer benefits that are only available to members of the loyalty scheme. These could be a better reload bonus, personalised offers or completely exclusive bonuses that no one else can claim.
- Cashback Programmes - These schemes give players a percentage of their spending back on a particular area of the website. It might be a percentage of your losses or your total overall spending within the specified vertical. The cashback is usually paid weekly or monthly.
Pros and Cons of a VIP/Loyalty System
Loyalty programmes and VIP systems are designed to enhance the player experience, but they’re not without the occasional trade-off. The programmes can come with caveats that you should be aware of. Let’s take a look at the key pros and cons.
Pros
- Access to exclusives - VIP members can get early access or exclusive access to bonuses or better promotional rates.
- Value for Regular players - If you regularly use a particular casino, then it feels like a missed opportunity not to partake in a loyalty scheme.
- Recognition - Being part of a loyalty scheme allows casinos to recognise their most valuable customers, in turn, creating a better sense of community.
Cons
- Limited value for casual players - Loyalty rewards are geared towards regular or high-spending players. It can be difficult for casual players to progress through membership tiers or rack up enough rewards to claim prizes.
- Encourages overspending - The biggest downside of VIP and loyalty schemes is that they can encourage irresponsible gambling habits. This can lead to players overspending to chase points or rewards.
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Conclusion
Whether bingo loyalty and VIP programs are worth it really depends on how often you play. If you’re regularly playing bingo and logging in multiple times a week to do so, these programmes might prove rewarding. However, if you’re a casual player only dropping in to play occasionally, the benefits will be limited.
Of course, Gambling Zone would like to remind our readers always to gamble responsibly, and not be swayed to play recklessly by a bingo VIP or loyalty program.
