I see lots of questions about online bingo and read them all with interest. What I really want to know is how easy is it to set up your own bingo site (stand alone).. I am sure we are talking big bucks here.. but can a small time newbie make it into this market or is it only for the high flying business corps. and established casino owners?. I know a lot of sites have been outsourced to India and they seem to be doing things right. I have already been in touch with a couple of people out there and 2 problems.. 1 India does not issue licences nor 2. allows hosting of gambling on its servers. I am guessing one needs to get a gaming license from somewhere and that is where the major costs are involved. The software does not seem to be out of the range price wise... infact I was a while back offered the software by a developer which is being used by a UK online bingo site right now.. and it was offered for a mere $5000.. so does anyone have any ideas re:
* Cheap place to get a license
* Any company that allows the hosting of gaming sites on its servers.
I do have a lump sum stashed away .. not looking to make millions .. just a steady income.
Your ideas and comments would be much appreciated.
Well... Not to put a dampener on it, but the general consensus at the last online bingo summit was that to succeed as a standalone now you need deep pockets and to offer something different to stand out in the market place. There are a few standalone sites out there succeeding (Crown, The Sun) but generally, it's going to cost a lot of money when you take into account things like licenses, hosting, payment processing, etc. I think a figure of around a quarter of a million was mentioned at one point.
I think entry level getting a network site is also pretty pricey. I think getting a skin with someone like St Minver would set you back about £15,000, but then you get all the payment processing and newsletter stuff taken care of as well. Given the saturation in the market, I'd think long and hard about it.
DioBach@ is that right £15,000 with St Minver white label site when was you quoted that price?
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DioBach@ is that right £15,000 with St Minver white label site when was you quoted that price?
They mentioned that figure back in September (also at the online bingo summit). I think that's the entry level basic site. I'd check with St Minver first though as I'm not 100% sure on that.
Invest the cash in your affiliate site, do well, then you will be offered free bingo skins, think I have been offered about 5 so far but still haven't taken on a skin on myself yet, don't really see the point and more hassle than they are worth IMO, some people do very well with them tho, if you do get a skin, see how you do with one of them first before even thinking standalone.
Invest the cash in your affiliate site, do well, then you will be offered free bingo skins, think I have been offered about 5 so far but still haven't taken on a skin on myself yet, don't really see the point and more hassle than they are worth IMO, some people do very well with them tho, if you do get a skin, see how you do with one of them first before even thinking standalone.
Yeah, I've been offered a few myself, usually on lesser platforms - I don't see the point or fancy the extra work to be honest.
A skin or standalone - whichever you choose - still requires advertising and promotion, and with the big brands chucking a lot of cash into things it's tough to make a breakthrough.
With a skin, you're kind of ok if you can fire your own traffic into it (e.g. you have a brand name).
Biggest problem I've had with skins is getting good affiliates - so that's another element to take into consideration.... and then when you get a good affiliate, they inevitably get their own skin and stop promoting you.
Ah well .. thats that then I guess .. just a piped dream ...... BUT.. I am sure there must be a way for small-timer to break into the market... I know it was possible about 5 years back when I was offered some good deals but chickened out.. serves me right I guess.... The only thing I really want to know is.. which countries are offering reasonably priced gaming licenses still ??.. any ideas about greece ?...by the way .. when you all refer to a "skin" do you mean like a portal site for a gaming network?
In 2005 I opened up a skin on the 'Bingoroom Network' and was given the opportunity based on the work i had done with affiliate marketing, gaming in particular. However, with the free skin came loads of headache as well. Setting up a proper affiliate marketing team can be a hassle and if the back-end reporting is poor then there is bound to be problems.
If you can drive significant traffic (like the Sun via a newspaper) then these programs are going to be more enticed to give you a skin. However, make sure that you don't neglect your portals!
The biggest mistake I see super affiliates make is they forget about their current sites and focus solely on the branded room. Having a skin is a great way to get a 10-20% commission boost and can be fun to operate; however with the right revenue share super affiliates can make just as much or more.
when you all refer to a "skin" do you mean like a portal site for a gaming network?
A skin is just a different coat of paint on the same bingo site... for example Littlewoods Bingo, Butlins Bingo and Woolworths Bingo are all the skins of St Minver's bingo system... Loquax Bingo, Bingo Ireland and Ballroom Bingo are all skins for a Globalcom bingo system.
Different coloured doors that lead to the same place!
Greg makes a good point above... getting good affiliates is hard work - especially if your skin is the same as many others.. so you may well find your time is better spent promoting others than trying to get people to promote you.
Owning your Own Bingo Site!
.. just a piped dream 
...... BUT.. I am sure there must be a way for small-timer to break into the market... I know it was possible about 5 years back when I was offered some good deals but chickened out.. serves me right I guess.... The only thing I really want to know is.. which countries are offering reasonably priced gaming licenses still ??.. any ideas about greece ?
...by the way .. when you all refer to a "skin" do you mean like a portal site for a gaming network?