Are Online Bingo Chat Rooms Safe & Moderated?

Chat ButtonAsk any player for their top 3 reasons why they enjoy bingo, and you can guarantee that the word ‘sociable’ will come up.

Bingo players love a natter (but not too loud if you are in a real bingo hall or you will get shushed), and the online bingo world caters to that need with the use of chat rooms where players can talk to their hearts’ content.

However, you obviously have no idea who is on the other end of chat room handle, so you can’t know exactly who you are talking to, and this can feel uncomfortable for some people.

Are bingo chat rooms safe? We will answer that question and more below.

Online Bingo and Safety

Let’s cut to the chase, online bingo chat rooms are perfectly safe. But you will probably want a bit more information than that before you take our word for it.

However, different people might have different things in mind when they use the word ‘safe’, so we have broken it down into a few categories.

Technical

Online SecurityIf you are concerned about all of the confusing computer/data/internet wizardry then this little section should put your mind at ease.

Firstly, the chat rooms themselves are built into the interface of the bingo site that you are using, so you are at no greater risk by using them than if you were just browsing the bingo site.

These sites have the highest levels of security and encryption too, which basically means that all of the computer code is disguised and impossible to read unless you have the key. That means you are safe from nasty computer viruses and hackers and things like that.

This protection is actually multi-layered, so it is practically impenetrable. Even if someone could break through – why would they want to? There isn’t much in it for them.

These sites have to use the highest levels of protection as they are handling customer’s money, so they are as secure as an online bank and just as unlikely to be hacked. In the extremely unlike event that they were breached and your bank details were somehow accessed, your money is protected by the FSCS anyway up to £85,000, so you wouldn’t lose anything.

When you think about it, you have already trusted the bingo site with your personal details by signing up with them, so you really don’t need to worry about using their online chat room.

Personal

Cyber BullyingWe are talking about things like bullying and offensive or inappropriate content now.

There is no facility to upload images or documents to the chat room which means there is no way that anyone could post anything indecent, so that’s that out of the way.

Of course, people could be mean or type rude comments, but every chat room has a moderator who is there specifically to deal with this sort of thing and shut it down before it gets started. The moderator is a real person who works for the bingo site, and they can even remove people if they need to, so you can highlight anything you are not unhappy with and they will deal with it.

Another thing to remember is that everyone in the chat room has been through the same verification process that you have, so the bingo site knows exactly who they are.

The chat room has no impact on the game either.

Responsible Gambling

Time to StopLastly, it’s important to keep track of what’s going on with your gambling while you are chatting in the bingo room.

We have all been guilty of enjoying social occasions so much that we lost track of the time and left later than we should have. It’s the same thing here.

Online bingo is fun, and the chat room makes it even more so, but do not let that encourage you to spend more on bingo than you normally would or more than you can afford.

Set a timer, or set a loss limit at the site itself, and stick to your guns about when you will stop. There’s no rule saying you have to play bingo to talk in the chat room, so you could stick around once you are spent up if you wanted to, just don’t let temptation get the better of you.

General Tips for Online Safety

Online Security

While your safety and security is nothing to worry about when it comes to everything the bingo site has put in place, the biggest risk to your online safety is probably yourself.

People unwittingly give away personal information all the time. Ever shared one of those copy and paste posts on social media where you have to answer questions about yourself such as where you were born, favourite food etc? They are designed to collect info on you so people can guess your passwords.

It’s much less likely that someone will be in a bingo room trying to get this info, but it always pays to keep the following advice in mind:

  • Never give personal information out in the chat room such as passwords, address, full name, anything someone could use to identify you.
  • Never swap email addresses with someone you meet in an online bingo room.
  • Don’t mention your kids/grandkids names or anyone else in your family.
  • Do not discuss financial details in chat.
  • Alert the moderator to anyone asking probing questions or behaving suspiciously.

In all honesty it is extremely, extremely unlikely that you will have any issues like this in a bingo chat room, but if you keep this at the back of your mind you won’t get sloppy and slip up.

Bingo Chat Etiquette

Chat RoomIt’s worth mentioning this here because if you are a new player it is possible to unwittingly upset other players by not following the online bingo chat code.

Don’t worry, it’s not as serious as we are making it sound, but it does pay to follow a few simple rules:

  1. Listen to the Host – If the moderator gives you some advice on your conduct then do follow it. Everyone has to play by the same rules and the host is there to keep things friendly.
  2. Don’t Beg – Asking other players or the host for favours, handouts, or bonuses, doesn’t go down well.
  3. DON’T USE ALL CAPS – TYPING LIKE THIS WILL VERY QUICKLY MAKE YOU THE MOST IRRITATING PERSON IN THE CHAT ROOM!!!!!!!
  4. Don’t Promote Other Brands – In the same way your Grandma wouldn’t use a Sainsbury’s shopping bag in Asda, don’t talk about other bingo sites in the chat room.
  5. Careful With Your Username – You can choose your own chatroom name but don’t abuse this power. Keep it tasteful.
  6. No Spamming – Everyone is there to play bingo and have fun. They don’t want to sign your petition, buy a raffle ticket, or donate to your local Church fayre.
  7. Use English – If you speak a second language that’s awesome, but don’t do it in the chat room.
  8. No Impersonations – This is with regard to other players and the host.
  9. No Personal/Contact Details – This is to keep everyone safe. Don’t try and swap phone numbers or email addresses or anything like that.
  10. Be Nice – This should go without saying really, but be polite, congratulate players on wins, don’t complain when you don’t win, and welcome new players into the chat when they join.

Most of them are common sense, and they may differ slightly from one site to another, but now you know the general rules you can’t say you weren’t warned.

There is also a lot of bingo chat terminology which you can learn more about here.

If you do accidentally break one of the rules it will probably be pointed out by the host/moderator and a quick apology will see it forgotten, so there is no need for any drama – bingo players are a forgiving lot!

Bingo Chat Games

Happy Winner

Another great reason to get involved in the chat room are the chat games.

Now these aren’t guaranteed to be going on in all rooms at all bingo sites, so don’t get cross with us if you give them a try and nothing happens, but if you can’t figure out if chat games are active you can always ask the moderator. You might even twist their arm.

These are games run by the moderator in the chat window, and they might be linked to the bingo or they might be totally separate. They are always always free though, and we like free!

Prizes might include free tickets or other small rewards, so they won’t make you rich, but they are great fun and a fab way to increase engagement and add a dose of extra playfulness to proceedings.

Here are a few chat games you might come across:

Game Name Description
Anagram The chat host will post an anagram and give say 5 seconds to work it out. First person to type ‘ANAGRAM’ and the correct answer wins.
Birthdays Give the host your birthday like this: 24/02. When both of those numbers have been called type BIRTHDAY to win.
Trivia Games A lot like a mini pub quiz. The questions will often be themed and you just have to be first to answer.
Fill the Blank The moderator will type a well known phrase and leave out one word. The first person to type ‘BLANK’ and the answer wins.
Devils Watch out for numbers ending in 6. Once three have been called you can type DEVIL to win this game

There are a tonne more of these but they will usually follows the same steps as one of those listed above.

The diversity of these chat games means you can’t get bored of them, so we highly recommend joining in. Fastest finger first!