Power 50 affiliates: Bingo
The top affiliates in bingo: who they are and what they do.
Balls Up Bingo
Related domains: Ballsupbingo.co.uk; Ballsupbingo.com
Yorkshire-based Take That Ltd operates five bingo portals driving traffic mainly to UK but also some US sites. Key personnel include founder Nickie Shute.
Bingo Hideout
Related domains: BingoHideout.co.uk
Parent company Solid Digital marketing also operates Nobullbingo.com and sister Hideout brands for poker, casino, betting and skill games.
Bingobase
Related domains: Bingobase. com; Bingobase.es; Bingobase.it; Freebingo.net; SuperFreeSlots.com; CasinoBase.co.uk
Headed by founder and MD Raj Ramanandi, parent company Digital Prophets runs UK, Spain and Italian-facing portals, including freebingo.net. Recently bridged the affiliate/ operator divide, launching TeaAndBingo on the Virtue Fusion network.
Bingoport
Related domains: Bingoport.co.uk; Bingopals.com; Ladybirdbingo.com
Creator Scott Logan’s three-year-old portal was the first to gather together and present data in a way that enabled bingo players to make properly informed decisions about where to play. Top of most operators’ lists.
Bingo Street
Related domains: Bingostreet.co.uk
The Greg Gomes-run portal with Spanish offshoot driving traffic to brands including Daub’s El Cartonazo and Wink Bingo.
Free bingohunter
Related domains: Freebingohunter. com; Bingominis.com
Relative newcomer which has rapidly made inroads into the market off the back of the UK’s free bingo explosion. Also runs Bingominis.com.
Online Bingo Club
Related domains: Onlinebingoclub.co.uk
Netherlands-based Rob Hutchison’s main brand has been driving traffic to UK bingo sites since 2006. Also runs the Unlucky For Some portal.
Online Bingo.co.uk
Related domains: Onlinebingo.co.uk
Bingo portal owned by Cashcade driving traffic to all brands but with a focus on the PartyGaming-owned bingo business’s main sites including Foxy and ITV Bingo.
Superfreebingo
Related domains: Superfreebingo. com
Heavy hitting UK-focused portal owned and operated by Milton Keynes-based marketing company Little Star Media. Headed by managing director Chris Wesson.
PROFILE: WHICH BINGO
Established: 2000
Key principals: Phil Fraser, founder (pictured above)
Parent company: Focus Online Management
Employees: Nine
Portals: Which Bingo.com ; Freebingo.co.uk; QueBingo.com
eGR: You position yourselves as media owner rather than an affiliate business. Why is this?
Phil Fraser (PF): When we started taking advertising for the US, we were dealing with a lot of offshore companies in Antigua, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. Affiliate marketing has a trust element, and that wasn’t as strong as it is now, so we said, “You pay for your ads or they don’t run!”. We use affiliate banners for low-traffic areas or areas of our site we are testing.
eGR: Do you see the consolidation play on the operator and provider side spreading to bingo portals?
PF: We’ve been approached a number of times over the years by bingo software providers, operators and have spoken to other portal owners as well. There are half a dozen main players, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a couple get together to make a bigger site, or if someone comes in from outside and pulls several together.
Read the Power 50 affiliates main feature here. Or for more on bingo or affiliates, click the tag in Popular Searches on the news, blog or features pages.