Bingobase owner Digital Prophets becomes operator
Bingo affiliate Digital Prophets has become an operator, launching its own bingo product on the Virtue Fusion network, TeaAndBingo.com.
BINGO AFFILIATE Digital Prophets has become an operator, launching its own bingo product on the Virtue Fusion network.
The bingo super affiliate behind the Bingobase portal launched its TeaAndBingo.com site today, and will run a UK TV advertising campaign for the site on the More 4, E4, ITV2 and Comedy Central channels after Christmas.
Digital Prophets Guernsey managing director Raj Ramanandi (pictured) said: “We felt we had enough traffic and knew how to make a decent splash in the UK market. We also felt future opportunities lie in new territories, and now we have the capital and experience behind us, we would rather move into those new territories as an operator.”
Ramanandi added the partnership with Virtue Fusion would enable the company to enter key European markets. “Once we are up and running in the UK, we will be entering markets Virtue Fusion is in. They are already in Spain and Scandinavia, and are preparing for the Italian market to open.”
Digital Prophets follows rival super affiliates such as affiliate site Casino Choice, whose Richard Skelhorn launched bingo product Costa, of which he is chief executive, earlier this year.
However the company will eschew the free bingo model which made such inroads into the UK bingo market over the past 12 months and is used by Costa Bingo.
“We will be offering some free bingo, but while people’s appetites were whetted by the free money available and that grew the market, the free bingo experience is often not that enjoyable, with often far too many people in a room, not able to chat and chasing very small jackpots,” Ramanandi said.
Digital Prophets will instead invest in brand building. “If you look at the purely online bingo brands, the only one which has created a new, recognisable brand identity is Foxy. We will be looking to create a brand that works hard for itself by being easily remembered and different to everything else out there,” he added.
The television advertising campaign for TeaAndBingo will air from Boxing Day, featuring stop-frame animation produced by ad agency Tim & Michael, whose client list includes McDonald’s, Sony and Walkers Crisps.