In terms of online bingo, the names Playtech and Virtue Fusion are synonymous with each other.
It’s easy to see why.
Both were very successful companies in their own right before coming together through acquisition in 2010, and once they had, they took the online bingo world by storm. Now, it is impossible to talk about one without talking about the other, and as far as the average player is concerned, they have always been one and the same.
Officially, the bingo network provided by this partnership is now known as the Playtech Bingo network, but it wasn’t always that way.
For a long time the two companies ran on their own individual gambling licenses, even after joining forces. But Playtech’s strategic vision changed, and as the parent company, they made the decisions. Playtech are now focussed on B2B trade, and Virtue Fusion was always historically about powering white label brands.
As a result, Virtue Fusion has been allowed to wind down, although the team and technology acquired in 2010 (and developed since) is still in use, just no longer under the Virtue Fusion moniker.
I’ll talk about both companies separately before bringing them together.
New Bingo Sites on the Virtue Fusion Network
Playtech History
In 1999 a 27 year old Israeli entrepreneur by the name of Teddy Sagi identified a gap in the market – right at the beginning of the dot com boom.
His timing could not have been better.
This was at a point when every serious business was appearing online, and Sagi realised that in order to survive and thrive, the gambling industry had to make that shift, too.
He knew online gambling was coming, and he knew they would need as yet undeveloped software to run their sites and games. So he created Playtech to fill that need.
He put together a team of talented coders and mathematicians and began focussing on the online casino industry. They created their own online casino sites, their own games, and also created tech they could sell to casino operators.
In 2006, Playtech entered the online bingo market for the first time, but since they had been casino and poker focussed, they did not have any bingo software of their own.
They decided to enter into a licensing arrangement with a third party who would supply the bingo games and network to Playtech’s sites, and that third party, was Virtue Fusion.
Virtue Fusion History
Launched in 1999 by an ex sterling trader, Alex Haig Thomas, Virtue Fusion was created to provide bingo and gaming software and services.
You would have to say they did it well (for their time) because just two years later they developed the software of Gala Bingo’s first online offering – one of the biggest bingo brands in the country.
Like Sagi, Haig Thomas spotted the opportunity that was brewing with the online revolution, and timed his entry to market perfectly.
However, they were only creating soft games and bingo platforms on a case by case basis. It wasn’t until 2005 that Virtue Fusion first networked all of their bingo sites, and this is when things got big for them.
In the 5 years that followed, they were able to offer a full turnkey solution with built-in CRM tools, fraud prevention, KYC compliance, customer support, chat hosting, and affiliate marketing services to its licensees. That may be standard these days, but back then it made them industry leaders. Their bingo network became the core of their business.
Some of the biggest names in the industry used the Virtue Fusion network: William Hill, Paddy Power, Mecca, Virgin, bet365, and more. Not to mention the many smaller white label brands also operating o their license.
By 2010, there were regularly more than 6,000 players accessing the network at any one time, and more than 285 staff worked for the company. This is when Playtech moved in with an acquisition offer.
Playtech Acquires Virtue Fusion
Playtech paid £29 million to acquire Virtue Fusion in 2010, rising to £36 million based on performance.
The Virtue Fusion network was merged into Playtech’s broader product ecosystem, meaning a larger number of players being shared across all sites. The impact of this was more frequent games, busier rooms, and bigger prizes – all things players love to see.
The network had over 40,000 daily players by 2012, and Playtech brought every element of their offer together under one centralised management system. For clients, this was game changing. They could see customer activity, tailor marketing strategies, and manage their sites with more detail than ever and with simplicity, too.
From this point on, Playtech began to downplay the Virtue Fusion name in an attempt to unify the brand under the Playtech Bingo name. It has taken a long time because Virtue Fusion was so well known, but they are finally getting there.
Despite still having its own gambling license, the white label contracts made between Virtue Fusion and smaller bingo brands were allowed to lapse, and now there are barely any left. Soon the name will be entirely historical.
Playtech officially announced a move away from white label solutions in 2020, with their interests shifting to B2B clients only. Tightening industry regulations probably pushed them in that direction, as allowing other brands to operate on their license now carried extra risk. However, by supplying their product minus their license, they bear no responsibility for the actions of each brand, the license holder does.
In 2025, Playtech announced a significant deal with Progress Play, another huge platform provider but lacking their own bingo capabilities. Playtech would become the exclusive bingo provider across all of their brands, which just goes to show how much respect and trust has been earned from the rest of the industry after all these years, and is a perfect example of the direction they wanted to move in.
What the Network is Like
The Playtech network is known for its range and depth. Basically, it has more games and bingo rooms than most other networks.
You can still find Playtech powering the bingo sections of many of the biggest brands in the industry. Many of these partnerships are long standing too, showing that what Playtech offer is working for these brands, which in turn, means it must be working for players, too.
So what is it they like so much?
When I said range and depth is good, I meant it. You can find as many as 25 different bingo rooms at some of their bigger sites, and they come in variations of:
- 30 ball bingo
- 50 ball bingo
- 75 ball bingo
- 80 ball bingo
- 90 ball bingo
Some of these are branded slots, too. Playtech have always been good with branded content, although they are more selective with it these days.
Nevertheless, their branded bingo content is perfect for the typical bingo fan: Loose Women Bingo, X Factor Bingo, Deal or No Deal Bingo, and then you have the branded slot bingo games like Age of the Gods bingo and Fluffy Favourites bingo.
On top of all the regular rooms with their unique twists and features, this is an absolute mountain of top quality bingo content, and with approximately 40% UK market share, these rooms are always full of players.
Bespoke Games
Another element of Playtech Bingo’s offering, is their ability to provide bespoke games, be they bingo games or slots.
Playtech have been making online casino games for decades, and operators can request titles or bingo rooms that are specific to a single brand or their entire network of brands. This means not all Playtech networked sites are the same.
In the online bingo industry this is unusual. Anyone in the know can go to a new site and figure out the network in a few seconds just by looking at the content. Playtech sites aren’t all like that.
Of course they can also differentiate with the side games and slots each operator chooses, Playtech have a leading game aggregator, but all network providers offer this.
The bespoke angle is a real USP for them.