Hippo Bingo Review

If you, like us, bore quite easily, then chances are you feel the same as we do about online bingo halls. Some of them are just so awfully dull in their design you can easily forget that you’re here for one (or two) main reasons – to have fun (and win money). We’re not quite sure what the problem is, but evidently there is a very big problem in communicating those desires as the users to those who hold the key to developing new sites.

You would assume that purely based on the amount of people that sign up for individual casinos and bingo websites that others would be able to gauge what works and what doesn’t work, thus avoiding terrible looking things that make you want to run away and hide your head. Sadly, this does not seem to be the case, as we even come across brand new websites that have ignored the need to have plenty of visual stimulus.

Thankfully, though, Hippo Bingo is definitely not one of those. OK, so for one thing it’s actually not that new – developed in the last few years – but certainly not recently. But, on the flip (and more positive) side, it’s really rather appealing, if you like things that have an overwhelming sense of cartoonish fun. Those who want their websites a bit more slick and cool will probably find it pretty garish. We don’t, or at least we don’t all the time, meaning it’s right up our more silly streak. Or should that be street?

Fun Focus

When the homepage first loads up you will immediately see what we’re talking about. The top section of the screen is dominated by the brand name, Hippo Bingo, along with a delightful ‘toon image of a hippo kicking back and relaxing in a hammock, under two palm trees, on what appears to be a small islet located off the shore of another sandy beach. Let’s face it, nobody is winning any points for accuracy here, and nor should they be trying to. Granted, hippos have as much to do with desert islands as bingo has to do with the Houses of Parliament in London, UK, but let’s not get caught up in this sort of rhetoric. Keep focused on fun instead.

Below that there are several boxes with prompts to play and sign up for an account. The largest of these contains rolling ticker information regarding the sign up promotions and ongoing offers that may be available to current members. The rest are snapshots of different games that are available to play. Finally, at the bottom of the screen there is a rather impenetrable box of information about the site, which is in the kind of font that really doesn’t make you want to start reading. Reassuringly, you don’t really have to, because most of the information can be gleaned from a little exploration of the more colourful and picture-based parts of the site.

Forget Bingo

Well, that’s perhaps not the best way to put it, but we’re going with it nonetheless. If you click on the ‘Games’ option from the homepage menu row (just beneath the hippo image) you’ll see that there’s a lot more to this website than bingo alone. Indeed, you’re immediately confronted with a load of slots, which we absolutely love and in this case there are some lovely slots.

So we’re big fans of the format, and big fans of some of the titles which more experienced players will have seen before. Wizard of Oz is a big favourite in this office, and no doubt will be for many of you too. X Factor is on half the bingo and slot websites we come across these days, even if hardly anyone anyone knows actually watches the show anymore. On top of those, there’s a Roland Rat game, which will appeal to those who have not been born in the last three decades. The list could go on, but let’s leave it at this- there are plenty of good slots to go at.

Additionally, you’ll also be given options for Coverall Jackpots, Progressive Jackpots, and Featured Games. These are pretty self-explanatory – progressive, for example, means a continually increasing jackpot even when you’re not winning. Features, on the other hand, are the games the website thinks deserve some extra limelight, presumably based on popularity amongst members.

What About Bingo?

In all honesty, this section of the website might disappoint some avid bingo players. There are many bingo rooms open for you to try out, but these are focussed entirely on 90 and 75-ball games. It’s not the biggest selection we have ever seen, in fact it’s one of the smallest, and considering this is a bingo website, or sells itself as a bingo website, that’s not really ideal. Still, at least the bingo action itself is quite high standard.

The promotions, though, is one area in which Hippo Bingo really does excel. There are lots, and lots, and lots of different promotions on offer, some changing every season, some that are constant, others that will come and go and come back again on rotation. One of the most appealing of these will undoubtedly be the 200% sign up bonus, meaning if you deposit a £10 maximum to begin with, you’ll have £30 to play with. That’s not a bad offer no matter what kind of generosity you’re used to, and as such we can safely say that Hippo Bingo is definitely competitive within its marketplace.

Hippo Bingo, like many of its rivals, is also keen for members to spread the love a little. This means that if you manage to get a friend (or even just an acquaintance) signed up, you will receive a tasty bonus. Whether this is hippo in scale is another question, but it’s better than finding yourself in a hippo watering hole, surrounded by the great beasts in an angry mood.

When You Need Help

Indeed. Unfortunately, though, Hippo Bingo’s help is about as much use as referring to a guidebook in order to work out what to do about all the hippos you’re surrounded by. All there is in this section is a walkthrough guide for each type of game on offer. You may be able to contact the site directly, but the capacity to do that isn’t obvious at first, second, or indeed third glance.

Bingo sites are often poor when it comes to allowing you to get in touch and get some real time support, certainly when compared with their casino counterparts, but that reality hasn’t and won’t stop us from criticising as a result. Put simply, players will have more faith in the site if they think they can actually rely on someone to help them out instantly, and so this is clearly a case of the site owners shooting themselves in the foot, presumably to avoid having to pay for staff or automated bot technology. A bad move.

Hippo Conclusion

Despite ending badly, and the distinctly limited bingo options on the table, we actually do feel pretty fond of Hippo Bingo overall. We like the silly way it looks, we love the expansive slots and other games side, and while a casino section would be nice it’s by no means essential. Perhaps expanding beyond the two bingo games that are there would be a good idea, but this should be easy enough to do, if the developers are actually listening.