Dragonfish Bingo Sites

Dragonfish Bingo Sites

All bingo sites on the Dragonfish software are listed on this page, including bingo sites like Robin Hood Bingo which are powered by the Dragonfish software but were NOT originally on the Dragonfish network. You can also find Dragonfish bingo sites on the Cassava Bingo Sites page. Confused? Read on….

1. What Is Dragonfish?
2. The Dragonfish Platform and the Dragonfish Network
   • The Platform
   • The Network
   • A Source Of Confusion?
   • Even More Confusion!
   • The End of the Confusion?
3. Just Another Dragonfish Skin?
4. Pros and Cons of Dragonfish Bingo
5. The Future of Dragonfish
6. Alternatives To Dragonfish

What Is Dragonfish?

Dragonfish started out as part of 888 Holdings and is a B2B operation that provides online gaming services.  B2B means business to business and what Dragonfish does is supply the software platform that was first used by 888 owned online gambling sites, to a very large number of 3rd party owned sites.  The software (and we aren’t just talking about bingo software – historically they also supplied poker and sportsbook solutions, casino software and slots) came complete with management and licensing courtesy of Cassava (historically), 888 UK Limited (for UK players from November 2014 onwards when the requirement for regulation in the UK was introduced) and the Gibraltar based Virtual Global Digital Services (outside the UK).

This has all completely changed now following the sale of 888’s entire bingo business to Broadway Gaming.  Since 9th June 2022, the licence for all Dragonfish sites has been held by Broadway Gaming Ireland DF Limited (previously known as Grand Battery Holdings Limited) whose head office is in Dublin.  The Dragonfish branding remains and there appears to be no plan to change that, at least for the time being.

The Dragonfish Platform and the Dragonfish Network

The Dragonfish Platform

The award winning Dragonfish bingo software has certainly stood the test of time. It has been around for getting on for 15 years and for most of that time, there has been a steady stream of new Dragonfish bingo sites launching; some have fallen by the wayside but many remain in operation today.  The Dragonfish platform was especially popular with fans of 75 ball bingo as they used to run hundreds of different 75 ball patterns (this is no longer the case unfortunately).  The popularity of the software is in itself a big selling point as it means that when someone signs up to a new Dragonfish bingo site, they will almost always already know how to find their way around, how to buy bingo cards and what games and promotions to expect.

The Dragonfish Network

Bingo sites that were on the Dragonfish network (also known as Globalcom) had bingo rooms and promotions that were shared right across the network and those were the ones to look for if you were interested in bingo games such as the daily Late Night Show, the monthly Big £10K and the Chatterbox 90 ball room.

A Source Of Confusion?

The distinction between the Dragonfish platform and the Dragonfish network could be quite confusing.  Not all bingo sites that had Dragonfish software were on the Dragonfish network and indeed there were some very well known ones that weren’t.  In fact there were entire other networks that were powered by the oh so familiar software – such as the United Bingo network which included Moon Bingo and Ted Bingo.

Not being on the main network gave sites more freedom over their bingo rooms and promotions.  However, it was also possible for bingo rooms to be shared between ALL Dragonfish powered sites regardless of ownership or which network they were on. This was done for the first time during 2015 and 2016 for massive £200K jackpot games. Following this, in August 2016 a widely networked 90 ball room was introduced, available not just across the Dragonfish network but at many other Dragonfish powered sites including 888 Ladies, Gossip Bingo and later Costa Bingo; it was still around years later, known as 90s Extreme at Dragonfish network bingo sites and under various other names at other Dragonfish sites.  A widely networked 75 ball room soon followed.  By 2022, most of the free bingo rooms and many jackpot bingo games were also shared across networks and this was not always easy to spot as they had different names at different sites.

Even More Confusion!

As if that wasn’t confusing enough, in Summer 2017 Dragonfish announced a second network, the Real Bingo Network – some months after the launch of its first site Blighty Bingo!  The Real Bingo Network was mobile/HTML5 only from launch and (even more confusingly) turned out NOT to be a new network after all as it had most of its cash only bingo rooms in common with the original Dragonfish network (where they were also cash only). Indeed the name Real Bingo Network was swiftly dropped and the main distinguishing feature of this particular group of bingo sites in 2023 is that they offer no bingo bonuses and therefore have no wagering requirements (they give out free spins and free bingo tickets instead).

The End Of The Confusion?

At the start of November 2022, the Dragonfish lobby was reconfigured to change the lineup of bingo rooms and effectively merge all of the Dragonfish networks together.  Although some multi brand operators still have exclusive bingo rooms on their sites, all of the main bingo rooms (some of which are newly created) are now shared across all bingo sites on the Dragonfish software. And yes, 90s Extreme is still on the list but it’s now called Top of the Shop or Linked & Loaded 90.

Just another Dragonfish skin?

A few years back there were a great many sites on the Dragonfish network that were virtually identical to each other and only had the network bingo rooms, online chat and promotions.  The only real differences between these sites were the name, the design of the home page and the colour of the bingo lobby and the only real incentive to join them, the welcome bonus.  It’s hard to see why anyone would want to play at one of these identikit type sites now though, because other more recently launched sites have so much more to offer:

• Exclusive bingo rooms and bingo games, such as the Freezer Room and Prize Rooms at Prize Land Bingo.
• Exclusive promotions – slots tournaments, leaderboard races and guaranteed jackpot or prize games that run at one site only or on a small group of sites area are a common way for Dragonfish network site operators to try and set themselves apart from the others.  Prize draw promotions are less common on this network.
• Exclusive bonus games – these used to be written in Flash so worked on computer only, but are now available on mobile/tablet as well thanks to the magic of HTML5.  They give players the opportunity to collect extra bonuses or slot spins and have largely replaced more conventional loyalty schemes.

The best Dragonfish network sites such as Chit Chat Bingo have a bespoke design as well as exclusive rooms and promotions.

There were no new bingo sites launched on the regular Dragonfish network between April 2018 and autumn 2019; all new launches were on the No Wagering Real Bingo Network which shares some but not all rooms with the main network.  This changed shortly before the launch of Tickety Bingo and there were several more Dragonfish launches with bingo bonus offers in 2020 and 2021.  We hoped to see this trend resume in  2023 (after the lack of new launches in 2022) so we could bring you new Dragonfish bingo sites with both types of welcome offer – but alas, 2023 has seen further closures of Dragonfish sites.

One thing which has changed for the better following Broadway’s acquisition of Dragonfish is that there is much more transparency about who is behind all of the Dragonfish skin sites; in most cases the About Us page now contains information about the Brand Owner as well as about the licence.

Pros and Cons of Dragonfish Bingo

Plus points

• Due to the number of sites on the network, Dragonfish have decent amounts of liquidity so they can offer substantial prizes when they run a jackpot game (which is no so often, these days)
• Dragonfish bonuses rarely have an expiry date as such, although any queued bonuses will be removed if cash winnings are withdrawn
• There’s a decent choice of slot titles including progressive jackpots (and daily jackpots at some sites)
• Apart from jackpot games their bingo rooms are generally quieter than other platforms.  This means smaller prizes that you’re more likely to win
• The newer versions of the bingo lobby are very user friendly especially on mobile
• The slots wagering requirement (which used to be excessive) is never more than 35x bonus
• Dragonfish sites all have medium level insolvency protection which is safer for players than at many other bingo and slot sites

Minus points

• Claiming our exclusive Dragonfish offers from a mobile phone can be a confusing process as the offer you are claiming and the code you need to use may not be shown on the page you land on.
• The pre-buy arrangements at Dragonfish are pretty rudimentary.  Basically, you can only buy tickets for the next game that is due to take place in any given bingo room – so no buying tickets in advance for a series of games.  Dragonfish get round this when they run jackpot games by running them in a room of their own and opening it days or weeks in advance.  There aren’t many big money games at Dragonfish in 2023, however.
• The only types of bingo on offer at Dragonfish are 90 ball, 75 ball (coverall and 5 line), and 52-5.  There’s no 80 ball, no 50 ball, no 30 ball, no 75 ball patterns, no single ticket bingo games and no bonus features.
• Many of the Dragonfish bingo rooms are not hosted and even when they are, unless the room is exclusive to a particular site it’s the same chat host for every site on the network and there’s rarely any player participation in the chat.
• Some bingo rooms and some slot games are cash only and can’t be played with bonus, but it is not possible to find out which they are until after you’ve signed up. The slot games are marked real money only in the lobby and with the bingo rooms, you’ll find there are some you cannot enter if you have no cash in your account “due to room restrictions”
• From November 2023, Dragonfish remove all bonuses, loyalty coins etc if you don’t log into your account at least once every 5 days (it used to be a very reasonable 90 days)
• Dragonfish can be very slow to add new slot game releases.
• Dragonfish limit players to a total of 20 accounts across the network so there will come a point where you can’t open an account at any new Dragonfish site.
• Slot spins offers at Dragonfish sites almost always have a win cap and this is typically just a couple of pounds.
• Even after completing the wagering requirements on a Dragonfish slot bonus, the maximum winnings you can withdraw is £100 + the original bonus amount.
• Customer support for Dragonfish network sites is centralised with the same phone number for all sites on the network, and they can take up to 72 hours to respond to emails

The Future of Dragonfish

We expect to see many changes at Dragonfish during 2023 as the new owners (and bingo specialists) Broadway Gaming continue to develop their new acquisition.

The first indication of the direction things might go in came in February 2022 when they experimented with streaming live video with an interactive bonus game into the Nutty Ninety bingo room at 888Ladies.  To get into the room and play the game, you needed to be funded (i.e. have at least 5p cash in your account).

This sort of content could really revitalise the ageing software and bring in more players which in turn would make the prize money more attractive, especially if coupled with more investment in the chat and an overhaul of the product to add the proper pre-buy facility it currently lacks.

Starting in summer 2022 Broadway paused player acquisition on most of the 45 or so Dragonfish sites that they own directly and began a process of consolidation resulting in fewer, better brands.  Rank have also started a process of consolidation on the many Dragonfish sites they own and other multi brand operators are also pruning their line-up.

Perhaps the most obvious effect of the Broadway purchase is that no new Dragonfish bingo sites were launched in 2022 (although some of the little known older sites were spruced up and relaunched) and although a couple launched early in 2023, we’ve now heard they are going to be closing.  Now that the bingo room reorganisation has been completed, we hope to see more new Dragonfish bingo sites appear in 2024.

Consolidation and reorganisation alone are not going to be enough to breathe new life into Dragonfish, though – the bingo software itself is looking pretty old and stale and the bingo rooms quieter and quieter.  It is very much in need of a major update and it is to be hoped that Broadway are working on something of that nature to bring it up to date.

Alternatives to Dragonfish

So what if you’re finally fed up with Dragonfish and want a change?

• Virtue Fusion by Playtech is an extremely sophisticated bingo platform that powers household names including Paddy Power Bingo.  It’s known for its busy bingo rooms, big prize money and lively communities.
• tombola‘s bingo software only powers their own site, but what a site!
• Pragmatic Play bingo powers all Grace Media and Jumpman bingo sites and several others.  It’s a great product with a fully featured pre-buy (which Dragonfish lacks) but apart from at Heart Bingo, PlayOJO and a couple of other sites there’s no chat in the bingo rooms.
• Entain’s own bingo platform which powers Foxy Bingo, Coral Bingo and a couple of others is an evolution of the old Cozy bingo software.  It’s got hosted chat, several unique bingo games and is generally going from strength to strength.
• Gamesys bingo sites have busy bingo rooms with great chat hosts.
• Relax Gaming bingo is only available at two UK sites but has a number of lively bingo rooms with substantial prizes.

Last updated: November 23, 2023

Sue Dawson

Head of Content

Sue Dawson has been writing about (and playing) online bingo and slots since 2013, putting her unique spin on everything.  She has written pieces for iGaming industry news sites, appeared on panels at industry events and on podcasts, helped to judge industry awards and is a member of industry think tank Ampersand Plus.

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