Guide to Bingo Budgeting

It feels like the world is upside down at the moment and with so much uncertainty, many of us are turning to bingo for a bit of fun and escapism. The fact that we don’t have to get dressed or catch a taxi to our nearest bingo hall can only be a good thing!

In fact, the costs of playing a fun game of online bingo are actually really low, so it can be a great way of making a little extra money. And of course, there is also the social aspect of it which a lot of bingo fans enjoy.

However, although bingo is one of the most fun games out there, even the most frugal of us sometimes struggle to stick to a budget.

If you’ve ever had your fun bingo day ruined by that sinking feeling of guilt when you’ve spent more than you should have done – then don’t worry, here at BingoSites.com we’ve got your back.

As we are complete and utter bingo nuts, you can count on us to give you the best bingo budgeting tips around. Crucially, this will help you have fun whilst also keeping an eye on your spending!

Have a Bingo Action Plan

Whether you are playing for a bit of extra cash, or you just love the thrill of the bingo chase, it is really important to give your online approach a bit of careful consideration.

It’s always good to know what makes you happy, and choosing the right bingo site for your bingo personality is a good place to start. But, also having a bingo plan is going to aid you in having the best and least stressful experience possible

We think the best way to create your own bingo plan is to keep it simple. To start with, you can set yourself some guidelines when it comes to your bingo budget. You need to ask yourself how much you can really justify losing (in the worst-case scenario, of course).

Don’t ever risk putting your rent money or food budget into your bingo fund no matter how sure you feel that you are due a big win. It is not worth the risk, not least today might just not be your day.

Set yourself a maximum bingo budget every month, and stick to it. This should be the case no matter how much of a winning streak you seem to be on. Failure to do this might result in you landing yourself in hot water.

Another top tip is to set yourself a specific amount of time you are willing to spend playing bingo per day, week or month. We at BingoSites.com find a daily time limit easier to stick to than a monthly one.

By displaying restraint and giving yourself a cutoff point both in time spent playing and financially – there should be nothing to stop you from making that bingo budget go much further.

Do Some Shopping Around

You don’t need to put all of your eggs in one basket, so it is always worth shopping around when it comes to bingo sites. You might find that whilst one site might offer a great welcome bonus, another offers better promotions for existing players.

In other cases, one might have a poor selection of games, or just not have the kind of bingo software that typically takes your fancy. Another thing to consider is how many different ways you can win. This will, of course, depend on the game you’re playing.

For instance, if you would rather have a bigger payout, then stand-alone bingo games might not be right for you. Instead, you will be better suited for bingo sites that are part of a much bigger network.

When it comes to 90-ball bingo, there are two ways of winning (1 line or a full house), which is great. At the other end of the spectrum, 30-ball bingo games typically only allow you to win via the house, so again, bear this in mind.

Understand the Rules

Make sure to take the time to properly understand the rules and paytable of the bingo site in question. Knowing what fees to expect puts you in better stead for the management of your bingo budget.

For instance, you might join a bingo site for its impressive all-singing all-dancing platform, only to discover the minimum deposit is out of your bingo budget. The best way to avoid temptation is to be mindful of that budget you’ve set yourself.

Always try not to be tempted by bingo sites which won’t be suitable for you in the long term. These will be sites with higher fees or sites which might tempt you into breaking your own rules.

Free Bingo Games

There are conflicting messages when it comes to bingo freebies. On one hand, you have the sentiment that “nothing in life comes for free”. On the other, we would argue that “the best things in life are free”!

In all seriousness, free bingo does exist – and with no deposit or risk involved either, our BingoSites.com team think it has to be worth a try. In most cases, this comes in the form of free bingo tickets when you first open an account or a matched deposit bonus that amplifies your initial funding amount.

Either way, there are actually a lot of bingo sites out there willing to give you a free test drive. As such, it really is a great way of finding your feet on the bingo platform without spending a single penny.

It’s not just a great way of tightening the purse strings, as it’s also a lot of fun! Even some of the most seasoned of bingo veterans like to play bingo demos to try out games they haven’t played before, just to get a feel for it first.

Loyalty Schemes/Programs

Loyalty schemes can be a godsend for special bonuses because the more games you play, the more you are rewarded. After all, this is why it is called a loyalty scheme!

The vast majority of bingo sites do offer loyalty scheme options and it can be a great way of accruing free bingo points and bonuses.

We find that a lot of bingo sites tend to offer loyalty points with every bingo card purchased. And, what’s more, those points can be transformed into bonus funds and more bingo tickets.

One example that we recently came across is that for every 10 pence spent on bingo cards, you get 1 loyalty point. So essentially, when you reach 1,000 loyalty points you can magically transform it into £1.

This can help greatly with bingo budgeting, as you will have access to freebies when you reach each milestone.

As a side tip, always check out the wagering requirements, as each bingo site will differ.

Choosing Deposit Amounts Wisely

Keep an eye on your bingo account balance. It can sometimes be hard to resist those all singing and dancing admission packs (or buy-ins), especially with a big bonus thrown in.

You should be aware though that although a welcome bonus might sound great, there is also a chance that in order to be entitled to that amazing promotion, you have to meet a bigger deposit amount. This can be extremely harmful to your long-term bingo budgeting plan.

For example, let’s suppose that initially, we planned to deposit just £5. But, you then spot a £30 matched deposit bonus being offered. In some cases, in order to get your hands on this, you will need to deposit and spend £30.

In other words, the bonus on offer might be great, but it is important to remember that there is no guarantee that you are going to win.

It’s all well and good convincing yourself that it’s okay to go over budget because you’re going to win all of your money back. But, if you don’t, then you’re left in a position where you’ve actually spent a lot more than you set out to. Ultimately, this will take the shine off things.

To counter this, a lot of new bingo players set up deposit and spending limits at their chosen bingo site. Essentially, this lets you cap the amount of money you deposit into the site per day, week, or month. Some platforms also allow you to limit the amount that you wager on bingo games. Again, this is at a time interval that suits you.

Play Lower Stake Games

If you want to play for longer periods of time, or you would like to get a good win from your first go at trying, you could try lower stake games such as penny bingo.

Playing penny bingo (or 5p and 10p games) doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t win big prizes. Instead, it’s actually known for bingo sites to pay as much as £30. While that might not sound overly impressive, it is when you have only staked 2p per ticket. In fact, it’s a pretty good day at the bingo office!

Having a good understanding of the winning ratio will be also very helpful for you when it comes to getting the most out of your odds. If, for instance, you play a bingo game five times and win once, then you know that you are averaging 1 win in every 5 games at that point.

Of course, there is no guarantee that you will win 1/5 games, but it’s a good way to understand the ratio for the specific bingo game you are playing.

To Conclude

Hopefully, by now you feel confident enough to play bingo sensibly and feel like you’re in a position to better stretch out that bingo budget so that your fun lasts longer.

Whether that’s by playing free bingo games, low stake games, or just having a good bingo plan in place – we think having a sound strategy is crucial. In doing so, it will allow you to get the most out of bingo on a budget.

We at BingoSites.com think that you should go ahead and harness your bingo budget power. You can do this by taking full advantage of bingo bonuses, albeit, always check the wagering requirements and terms and conditions!