So Bingo have made it known that they will be closing their site on the 6th of November, so it looks like another brand has bitten the dust.
I’ll cover pertinent information for existing So Bingo customers shortly, but just know that there is no need to panic, and your account funds are safe. Obviously though, anyone looking for a new place to play bingo should keep looking.
The company have put out an announcement on their website claiming that although they are closing, it is not the end… I have no idea how both of these things can be true, but I would say it is safer to assume that this is most definitely the end for the brand, despite that uplifting yet empty statement.
In all honesty it’s difficult to be down about this closure; not because of anything in particular, but because So Bingo never really captured the imagination in the same way as some of the popular brands do.
Nevertheless, there will be people that miss it, so here is everything we know.
Why Did So Bingo Decide to Shut Down?
While it’s always sad to hear of a bingo site closing down, this one is just a white label that is part of a much larger company, and while it’s been around for a fair while, it doesn’t have the same sort of nostalgic impact of the likes of Tombola for example, or Gala.
In fact, So Bingo’s lack of a strong identity is probably part of the reason it is closing down in the first place.
New bingo sites open seemingly every week, so if you want to survive you have to stand out, be that through branding and personality or by innovating new products and marketing campaigns.
So Bingo sort of falls into the ‘just another bingo site’ category, and I mean no offence in saying that – there’s nothing wrong with So Bingo, but I don’t know why anyone would specifically choose to play there over somewhere else.
Bingo sites cost money to run, so if they aren’t pulling their weight they won’t stay online, it’s that simple. In this case, it looks like a lack of identity may have contributed to lower player numbers.
So Bingo Customer Funds
This is a strategic closure, the company behind the brand aren’t in danger of going under or anything, so customers don’t have to worry about their accounts or any funds still in there.
So Bingo remains open until the 6th of November, so you have solid month to either use or withdraw any money you have on site, before your account will stop being accessible.
After November 6th the site will start the process of shutting down and going offline, but if you have somehow missed this deadline, you should still be able to get in touch via email, although their statement about using funds and bonuses before then as “they will not be carried over” does raise an eyebrow.
With that in mind, it’s best to get everything squared away before then to avoid any delays or possible issues.
Who Were So Bingo?
So Bingo are one of the online bingo brands run by The Broadway Gaming Group, who you might know as the people who bought the Dragonfish bingo network from 888 along with all of their bingo sites.
This only happened in 2021, and So Bingo was one of the brands that came with the package.
However, while the site runs as a white label via Broadway Gaming’s license, the brand itself is actually owned by The Rank Group.
The Rank Group are best known as the owners of the Grosvenor Casino chain and, more importantly to us bingo fans, Mecca Bingo clubs.
As you can imagine, they have had a rough few years what with covid and a cost of living crisis, because even though they have been trading more and more online, the vast majority of their business takes place in brick and mortar venues.
They have been closing bingo halls too, and are having to make cuts and do some restructuring to help the business through this rough patch, so while no official reason has been given for the closure of So Bingo , we can assume the site is simply not making enough money to warrant keeping it open.
Scaling down will also make the business easier to manage, and shedding any dead weight is part of that.