Red Bus Bingo Review:

Owned and operated by the mighty Cassava Enterprises Ltd (888 Holdings), Red Bus Bingo has been a prominent fixture on the online bingo scene since its launch in 2010. Back then, it received warm reviews from players. But, how does it hold up in today’s cluttered bingo landscape? Have the wheels come off the bus? Read our review to find out all you need to know about Red Bus Bingo.

Many players are naturally inclined towards feeling safer playing at a gaming site backed by a visible, big-name parent company, so we assume they would be happy to learn that Red Bus Bingo is operated by 888/Cassava. However, we expect more than just a big brand name to assure us that player safety and fair gaming is a top priority.

Of course, the most important factor is that they site is properly licensed and regulated. Red Bus Bingo (operating under 888 UK Limited) has received its license from the UK Gambling Commission, usually regarded as one of the world’s toughest regulators. For players outside of the UK, Red Bus and its parent company are regulated by the Government of Gibraltar.

However, the bit we really like is that Red Bus has provided a link to the latest eCOGRA report at the bottom of its homepage. eCOGRA is one of the world’s most trusted independent bodies to carry out testing for game fairness, so this – and the fact that 128-bit SSL encryption is used on the site to protect your personal and financial details – is a good thing.

Red Bus Bingo gets a decent reception from player reviews across gaming forums. Although, it must be pointed out that a company as ubiquitous as 888 will always draw fire from a handful of disgruntled players, whether it’s warranted or not.

The only gripe we have with the deposit and withdrawal options is that Skrill is not offered. However, PayPal and Neteller are both viable alternatives. Red Bus also operates a rather convoluted policy centred around what they term a “Transaction Balance”. In brief, it means that you may have to spread out some of your withdrawals over multiple methods if you have initially deposited using different methods.

As a member of PlayRight, you can get your hands on an exclusive enhanced bingo deposit bonus that’s bigger than the standard offer. Use the promo code TOP5 when you make your first deposit of £10 and you will get £40 to play with, plus 30 Free Spins on Jurassic Juniors slot. A larger deposit can be made, with a max bonus of £100.

The bonus is broken down into £15 for bingo and £15 for games (casino). Before you can make a withdrawal, you must wager the bingo bonus (£15) and the initial deposit (£10) two times, i.e. spend £50 on bingo. The games bonus must be played through 50x. This excludes the initial deposit, so you are looking at £750 of slot and casino play. Bonus wins are capped at £100, and winnings from the free spins are capped at £10, then added to the games bonus wagering requirements.

While the bingo terms are pretty fair, we would really like to see the casino games bonus wagering a bit lower – 40x is usually seen as the industry standard. We are not altogether thrilled about the cap on the free spins winnings either; most of us who play slots aim to shoot for the stars, so a £10 max win cap doesn’t really feel like we are getting our feet off the ground.

Once you have signed up to Red Bus, there are various promotions and loyalty schemes to take advantage of. For example, there are some treats for new players in the New Free Ride Tab. In short, it’s a chance to win up to £300 each day for your first three days as a registered player (no deposit necessary).

Additionally, every time you make a deposit and enter the promo code WHEEL, you can spin the Wheel of Wins for a guaranteed prize of free slot spins, bingo tickets etc. There is also plenty of focus on guaranteed and progressive jackpots in the Daily Unwind and Sweet Stack Up Rooms.

At a time when many gaming, poker and bingo sites are having an existentialist crisis over their VIP/High Roller programmes, it is good to see that Red Bus players still have the option of joining the Joy Gem VIP Club. There are three levels: Sapphire, Ruby, Diamond and Black Diamond. Depositing £2000+ over a 90-day period qualifies you for Sapphire membership, the others are by invitation only. All the usual perks – account managers, special bonuses, event invitations – are covered.

The Red Bus Bingo sign up page looks pretty basic, but once you launch the bingo and games lobby you will see that they have put a lot of effort into creating a user-friendly site. Experienced players will want to skip the tutorials, but it’s nice to know they are there.

There are 18 different bingo rooms where you can play 90-ball, 75-ball, 5-ball and some special variants. We would probably like to see some 50-ball and 80-ball options in there too, but there is enough going on to keep us happy. Having plenty of jackpot games under the Hot Spots Jackpots tab is also a major plus point.

There are just under 400 casino games available, with slots making up 278 of those. 42 of the slots are progressive jackpot games, including big hits like Mega Fortune and Fluffy Favourites. Other top slots include Starburst, Twin Spin, Ted and Da Vinci Diamonds. There are some cool bingo-themed options too, such as the new Love Island Slingo and Rainbow Riches Slingo instant play games. Fans of the classics will also find a range of card and table games, and live dealer games powered by Evolution Gaming.

Red Bus Bingo is available to download as a free app from the iTunes store for Apple devices. However, it does not seem to be yet available as an app for Android. You can still access your account and play bingo games on your Android browser, but it’s a little bit jumpy and not as well-laid out as the desktop site. A nice, slick app for Android would be really appreciated. In the end though, you don’t miss out on any of the action in the rooms, nor is your choice of slot games limited.