Gamesys was founded in 2001 by Noel Hayden with the help of some software developers and friends; nice move for Noel as he’s now worth around £70m and his technology powers some of the biggest and best bingo brands in Britain and the world. As you can see in the table below, we’re talking about the most “famous” bingo sites going, ones that even non-bingo people have heard of – probably due to a relentless and slightly annoying TV ad campaign!
Gamesys has an excellent reputation and with over 10 years in the industry has earned its spurs through the consistent provision of a quality product. The company gained its 100,000th member in 2005 and has been growing even more quickly in the last couple of years through the acquisition of new sites. In 2012 revenue grew by 25% to £168m, with wagers of a whopping £4.1bn!
About Gamesys
The overall group has fingers in many pies, with Gamesys Limited being the parent company. Based in central London they are essentially the primary business and are also responsible for the bingo software and technology itself which is used to power hundreds of partner bingo sites. Other parts of the group directly operate online bingo sites (using Gamesys software of course) and these include Profitable Play (which runs Jackpotjoy using a license from Gibraltar), Entertaining Play (Sun Bingo, Caesars Bingo, Heart Games, again with regulation and licensing from Gibraltar) and others.
The company and its partner sites have won numerous industry awards, with some of the more recent and prestigious being: TV Advert of the Year, Bingo Site of the Year and Bingo Operator of the Year. They were also listed as the fastest-growing private technology company in the UK in 2006 and their rate of expansion is indicative of their success, which in turn is testament to their class and attention they give to their products and the customers who use them.
Gamesys Bingo Games
Gamesys place a big emphasis on innovation and as they both produce software and operate bingo sites that use that software it is clearly in their interests to produce a good range of easy-functioning games.
- 75, 80 and 80 ball bingo – You know the score, all the usual bingo lingo in the chat rooms alongside a fine user interface for the games themselves.
- Speed bingo – The games come thick and fast with speed bingo so less waiting around, more fun and – hopefully – more winnings!
- Progressive bingo – Offers huge jackpot prizes by linking games together. The chances of winning are lessened, but those who do win can collect fortunes!
- Free bingo – Many of the Gamesys sites regularly offer free bingo to members, which is always handy if your running short of cash.
Gamesys Features
Gamesys is a huge company and either directly runs or works with some of the biggest names in the business. As such, they also offer plenty of little extras, some of which you won’t find anywhere else. All of their software is offered “in-browser”, meaning no download is ever required and so this makes playing on Gamesys sites as easy as it is fun.
In addition to bingo, including the aforementioned progressive games where you can win hundreds of thousands of pounds, the company also power a massive range of slots, instant win games, scratch cards and games designed uniquely for the specific site you’re on. Session bingo is another feature that Gamesys have introduced, whereby you pay a flat fee for a session of bingo, rather than per game, again, making the experience easier and quicker and often cheaper.
Finally, showing they are genuine innovators, Gamesys are at the forefront of social gaming, in 2012 launching the first real money gaming on Facebook. This is an area that could grow exponentially and sits very well with the social and community aspect of bingo.