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Dragonfish Bingo & Slot Sites

In its heyday Dragonfish was the most popular and widespread bingo software. It still powers dozens of UK bingo sites with widely networked bingo rooms. We also have listings for Dragonfish slot sites.

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Dragonfish Bingo Sites

All  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, and slot sites that don’t have bingo. Confused? Read on….

Dragonfish Bingo

  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?
    • What About Dragonfish Slots?
  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 in an arrangement that works a bit like a franchise.   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.

Some Dragonfish sites are B2C rather than B2B which means they are owned as well as operated by Broadway.

The Dragonfish Platform and the Dragonfish Network

A bingo network is a group of bingo sites which all use the same bingo software and share some or all of their bingo rooms, so that players from lots of different bingo sites can buy tickets for the same game.  In the case of Dragonfish bingo sites, there were originally several such networks, only one of which was THE Dragonfish Network.

The Dragonfish Platform

The award winning Dragonfish bingo software has been around 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 during the 2010s 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 (all of which have since fallen by the wayside).

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 (including all of the B2C sites such as Wink Bingo).  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. and the Ignite network which included Costa Bingo and Sing 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.  Going into the 2020s, 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 B2B 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 2024 is that they offer no bingo or slot bonuses and therefore have no wagering requirements (they give out free spins and free bingo tickets instead).

The End Of The Confusion?

In 2022, the Dragonfish lobby was reconfigured to change the lineup of bingo rooms and effectively merge all of the Dragonfish networks together to improve liquidity (although the very fact that they needed to do that shows how Dragonfish bingo is waning in popularity).  Although an increasingly small number of Dragonfish bingo sites still have exclusive bingo rooms on their sites, all of the main bingo rooms 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.

What About Dragonfish Slots?

Dragonfish slot sites have been around since the mid 2010s.  Essentially, they are exactly the same as Dragonfish bingo sites but without the bingo rooms.

Just another Dragonfish skin?

In the heyday of Dragonfish there were well over 100 Dragonfish bingo sites available to UK players.  The reason that there were so many was that historically 888 made it easy for small time operators to open an off the shelf Dragonfish bingo site; the financial outlay to get started was relatively modest and all the licensing, payment processing, account verification and other admin was handled centrally.

A downside of this was that 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. Other Dragonfish sites had 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.

Chit Chat Bingo and its sister sites were an excellent example of this, with their bespoke design, exclusive Royal Room and many player promotions.  Unfortunately, as part of Broadway’s network consolidation exercise some of these brands have moved to different software and the rest have been transferred to a new owner who hasn’t continued with any of the exclusive stuff.  As the consolidation continues and exclusive bingo rooms and promotions disappear, it looks as if we are back to most Dragonfish sites being exactly the same as each other.  This has been exacerbated further by the removal of chat from the Dragonfish bingo product in 2024.

What about new Dragonfish bingo sites?  The steady stream of Dragonfish launches came to an abrupt halt immediately after the Broadway purchase and hasn’t resumed; in fact, they have been closing Dragonfish brands instead of opening any new ones (see below for a fuller explanation of why) and (apart from the occasional spruce up and relaunch of old and little known Dragonfish sites) we do not expect this to change in 2024.

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 enough liquidity to be able to offer substantial prizes when they run a jackpot game (but these days they hardly ever do)
  • 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 a few progressive jackpots
  • Apart from occasional jackpot games their bingo rooms are generally much quieter than other platforms.  This means smaller prizes that you’re more likely to win
  • The  bingo lobby is very user friendly on mobile devices
  • 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

  • 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 these days, 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.
  • There’s no longer any chat at Dragonfish bingo sites – the chat window has been removed completely.
  • 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 “due to room restrictions”.  They don’t explain what the room restrictions actually are but it is usually a requirement to have some cash in your account.
  • Dragonfish now 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 and they can take up to 72 hours to respond to emails

The Future of Dragonfish

We expect to see further changes at Dragonfish during 2024 (not necessarily good ones) as the new owners (and bingo specialists) Broadway Gaming continue to develop their acquisition.

The first indication of the direction things might go in came all the way back 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).  More of 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. We haven’t seen any further signs of innovation since, though.  And far from investing in the chat, they’ve got rid of it.

As soon as the transfer of ownership was complete Broadway paused player acquisition on most of the 45 or so Dragonfish sites that they owned directly and began a process of consolidation resulting in fewer, better brands.  Rank Digital have also pruned some of the many Dragonfish sites they own.  As for other multi brand operators, Broadway have now embarked on a program of terminating agreements with white label partners and either bringing those sites back in house (probably resulting in further closures down the line) or closing them immediately.  Exclusive bingo rooms and promotions have been a casualty of this process.

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 are getting 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.

An update of sorts did arrive in summer 2024; although the bingo rooms themselves are unchanged (and getting quieter and quieter) the lobby has had a design upgrade making it easier to navigate.

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 busy bingo rooms with substantial prizes.  There’s no chat though.
Last updated: November 29, 2024
Sue Dawson
Sue Dawson
Creating iGaming content since 2013

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 iGB Executive, an industry think tank.  In her spare time she enjoys gaming, hiking, dancing, watching motorsport and reading science fiction.

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