FuntimeBingo

Cyalater8 · **Posted:** Mon Jan 18, 2010 11:36 am

Note: The following is a copy of a post NAVYMANS-MOM posted, but was lost when we changed hosts

I received a postcard in the snailmail yesterday from this site. Did a search in BPU and all my text files I've accumulated over the last couple of years, and didn't find anything about this place, good or bad. The card boasts that it's been around for a number of years, but I find it hard to believe that a site could be 'off the radar' for so long without somebody knowing it even exists. So I went to the site and first went to LiveHelp. The following is my conversation with them:

Quote:

Please wait for a site operator to respond.
You are now chatting with 'Pablo'
Pablo: Welcome to our live chat service!
Pablo: What can I do for you today?
ME: I made up an id number in order to get to talk to you. Can you check via my real name to see if I already have an account with you or one of your sister sites if you have any?
Pablo: Please hold one moment, while I check into this for you
ME: my real name is XXXX XXXX
ME: and it would have been quite a while ago that I registered here if I even did
Pablo: Full address, email and phone?
ME: XXXXXX, XXXXXX
ME: the email address and phone numbers would not be the same now if I had registered years ago
Pablo: Try with your any previous one. We need you to confirm it
Pablo: f not you will have to send us a copy of your picture ID
ME: I've had many server changes for my ISP over the years. I cannot recall who I might have had. Sending you a picture of me is NOT going to tell you anything other than my name and address which I just gave you
ME: I am trying to avoid have a multiple account situation by registering again here. What are your sister site names, that could tell me more?
Pablo: Please hold one moment, while I check into this for you
ME: ty
Pablo: This is funtimebingo.com you don't have an account with us yet. You are more than welcome to create an account and play with us. We have many great promotions. For the initial deposit we can offer you a 200% bonus.
Pablo: Plus a 150% every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Pablo: and a 50% on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday
ME: I'm not too concerned about bonuses. I just wanted to make sure I was 'legal' here.
ME: Am I allowed to opt out of bonuses here?
ME: By not accepting bonuses, some sites are letting you do away with playthru/wager requirements
Pablo: You want to create an account but you don't want any bonus to avoid any rollover requirement?
Pablo: There is no charge for the bonuses, you just have to complete the rollover requirement.
ME: If I am allowed to open an account and refuse bonuses so I don't have a playthru, I would love that option. lol
Pablo: Let me double check
Pablo: Please hold.
ME: That avoids alot of confusion about whether I have met wager requirements, since I wouldn't have any to meet.
Pablo: One moment please: ty
Pablo: We will have to wait with upper management, please go ahead and create an account (its for free).
Pablo: You are going to be able to create a ticket from there.
Pablo: We will forward your inquiry to management.
ME: tyvm. Also, can you tell me if you have any sister sites so I can avoid registering with any of them that I may not be aware of? That way I won't create any multiple accounts also.

A few minutes later:
Please wait for a site operator to respond.
You are now chatting with 'Duncan'
Duncan: Welcome to our live chat service!
Duncan: What can I do for you today?
ME: Hello. I just registered and a couple of things I need info on, plz
Duncan: ok
ME: How do I change my username since all that is showing is my real name?
ME: Also, I cannot open a ticket. The page doesn't load up for it with the link on the right hand size of the first window
Duncan: is not possible sorry
ME: other people in chat don't show their real names, how did that happen for them?
Duncan: you can send an email to:
ME: ok..last thing. The $10 signup bonus isn't showing up either. Do I have to close all windows and re-enter?
Duncan: when they open the account they have the option for placed an alias
Duncan: like you did
ME: I didn't get that option for an alias only a password
Duncan: correct
Duncan: no there is an option
Duncan: Your account has been credited with our $10 signup bonus.
Duncan: Remember that our BONUS money is for BINGO games only.
Duncan: Enjoy our games!!!
ME: OK. I'll ask support if they can change my alias manually since I can't go back to change it. Is there a link to my account anywhere or will all changes, such as phone number etc have to be made thru support?
Duncan: we can change those things
Duncan: except the alias
Duncan: and we are support
ME: since I just registered, everything is correct for now except the username. I hate having my real name exposed publicly. I can't understand why it can't be changed, but ok
Duncan: sorry for that but is not possible

I left Live Help, closed all site windows, and re-entered and played in their dime room for a little while, won a few, lost the rest. I have more to post about this site regarding other questions I had and funding/withdrawal methods, and will do so in another posting under this site as it is all part of my 'review'.

All in all, the rules don't seem to be much different than most sites altho the wagering requirements seem to be slightly higher, but the software is neat (definitely not Parlay), support is nearly immediate via LiveHelp or email or a 24/7 phone number. The links for My History and for creating/viewing a TT would not work for me at all (another visit to Live Help had them first suggest I use Firefox at their site, but also said that it must be a problem with IE settings at my end because Andy used IE and it worked for him, so perhaps another member here at BPU can confirm that those links actually work with IE???? I tried changing some of my security settings and even allowed popups at their site (which I never had one pop up), and I still couldn't get the links to work).

Chat was available in the dime room when I first registered, but once I closed out the windows to reboot the site to have the $10 signup bonus show up, chat was disabled in that room. I don't know if that is an automatic thing to prevent non-depositors from accessing the room and disrupting it, but it wasn't just a glitch...the top of the chatroom area specifically said it was disabled, so unless you deposit there, it seems you don't get access to chat to see anything being said (for those of us who monitor chatrooms lol). The winner box does show up so 'same winner' syndrom can be tracked tho.

They have a number of deposit methods available, including American Express and Diner's Club cards, along with a few I never heard of before so assume they are for 'other than USA' members.

The bonuses for depositing seem to be pretty reasonable, although I am not sure if I misread the initial rules or not. It seems my memory is saying that the first deposit and bonus must be wagered 10X for bingo but after that the requirement is 4X (casino is 15X). This makes them higher than most sites now at 3X/12X. I asked about an opt-out option for bonuses....will post that reply separately as well.

Didn't have chat available so couldn't get a feel for the room, but out of 15 players in the dime room (I was only playing $1 per game in order to have more time), I won two or three times (two were splits), a few others won the same number of times, and I got the feel that the 'same winner' syndrome might not be too bad here. Couldn't get access to My History to see the total number of games I played, but figure it to be somewhere around 25.

I'm not recommending this site to anyone....just giving a few observations that I took in during a very short period of time, but this site could use some more scrutiny before making a deposit (at least for me) mainly because of the playthru requirements involved being higher than most.

_________________
A J (TONI)
"People may not always remember what you said, but they will always remember how you treated them"

NAVYMANS-MOM · **Joined:** Fri May 25, 2007 9:29 am **Posts:** 696

There have been changes to their playthru rules that members here should be made aware of (please take note of the dates at the end of each quote as the 'first deposit' dates are long expired but they haven't issued anything new on their site....you would have to check with Live Help or a TT and get it in writing since my first post above indicates there is 'only' a 10X rule for a first time deposit...see below also from their FAQ's as this is in direct contradiction to what I quote below for a first deposit):

Quote:

200% On Your First Deposit:Get a 200% Bonus on Your First Deposit

We would like to welcome you to our FunTimeBingo community with a 200% bonus on your first deposit - we hope that you'll stay a while, meet some new friends and have a good time yelling BINGO! Have questions? Ask us!

Conditions & Restrictions

*200% bonus applies to your first deposit only.

*200% bonus applies to deposits of $25 or more only. *Deposit bonus roll over is 15 times the bonus amount. *Casino games do not apply toward roll over fulfillment. *If you request a payout before the 15 times rollover requirement is met, you will forfeit the bonus.
Promotion valid from 11/28/2008 to 05/31/2010

Quote:

150% on every deposit every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday:Get a 150% Bonus on Deposits Every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Stretch your dollar every hump day to make that push through the week, and every Friday to kick off your weekend - receive a 150% bonus on every deposit you make all day long! Have questions? Ask us!

Conditions & Restrictions

*150% bonus valid on every deposit WEDNESDAYS, FRIDAYS, SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS ONLY.

*150% bonus applies to deposits of $25 or more only. *Deposit bonus roll over is 15 times the bonus amount. *Casino games do not apply toward roll over fulfillment. *If you request a payout before the 15 times rollover requirement is met, you will forfeit the bonus. This promo applies only to players who haven't had a withdrawal sent in the last 7 days.

Promotion valid from 10/01/2008 to 03/31/2010

From their FAQ's as of 1-19-10:

Quote:

How do I collect my winnings? Answer:
Jackpot prizes are deposited directly into a Player's Account every time a player wins our game. For games where there is more than one winner (multiple simultaneous winners) the jackpots are shared evenly amongst all the winners of a game. NOTE: Under no circumstances will the FunTimeBingo Corporation issue payment from a winner's account to an address other that which corresponds to the address in the player's registration information.
Withdrawals will be processed out in 2 to 4 business days hours of request. If deposit was made by credit card Players need to print out, fill out and send us the Credit Card FaxBack Form that can be found at http://www.funtimebingo.com/cashier-withdrawals.aspx (bottom of page). All payout will be sent out via check, with a flat fee of $10 if the payout is less than $300, or $60 if it is more than the said amount. Please note that a deposit will have to be rolled over once in order to qualify for a payout. If a withdrawal request is made before, a 5% fee will be deducted.
If you play winnings for which you have requested a withdrawal before the withdrawal has been processed and the winnings have been removed from your account, your withdrawal request becomes void.

Quote:

Please note that any winnings from bounced checks will be forfeited.

Bonus Rules Answer:
Bonus money is not available for withdrawal, so you cannot request the portion that corresponds to the bonus money. Only the winnings on the bonus money are available for withdrawal.
Players must spend 95% of there deposit, OR wager 10 times their deposit amount (on first deposit – bonus 150%) and 4 times their deposit amount (for any subsequent deposits – bonus 20%) in order to OBTAIN, the BONUS (Please note that casino games do not count as wagers to obtain the bonus, therefore it will take longer for the bonus to qualify.)
Example
A player who makes a $25 sign up deposit would have to wager ($25 x 10) ~ $250 before the 150% deposit bonus becomes "qualified" to your account. If the player was to lose ($25 x 95%)= $23.75 before meeting this requirement, the bonus would automatically become "qualified" and made available for wagering.
A player who makes a $20 second deposit would have to wager ($25 x 4) ~ $100 before the 20% deposit bonus becomes "qualified" to your account. If the player was to lose ($25 x 95%)= $23.75 before meeting this requirement, the bonus would automatically become "qualified" and made available for wagering. Please note that this wagering requirement may change on days when special promotions, with higher bonus percentages.
Players who cash out any winnings prior to having obtained there bonus (i.e.: before it has been added to your bonus balance) will have their bonus cancelled. Your Bonus balance may not be cashed out but can be used to play our Bingo game only any winnings resulting from using your bonus will become available in your cash balance and can then be cashed out. Please note that your cash balance will always be used first and can be used to play any of our games your our system will always play the banking balance before it starts playing our bonus balance; your banking balance is the balance you are able to cash out. Please note if you have met the Bonus requirements (ie: it has diverted to player account, you will NOT lose any bonus upon cashout.
Any withdrawal requests made before the bonus rules have been satisfied will result in a reduction of the payout by the amount of the bonus. For example, if $100 is deposited, and the current promotion is 30% bonus, a $30 bonus is put in the account. A payout request for $70 that is submitted before the bonus rules are satisfied will result in a reduction of the payout by $30.
On any bonus given on casino games, 95% of the deposit must be played or rolled over 30 times in order to qualify for the bonus.
The maximum amount of a player’s winnings that are obtained while playing with any casino bonus that can be withdrawn in any thirty-day period is $1000. If a player’s winnings from a bonus exceed $1000, additional amounts over and above $1000 will be paid in $1000 increments each 30 days after the first payment – as long as at such subsequent 30-day intervals, enough winnings remain in the player’s cash account to honor the withdrawal request.
All casino bonuses either pending or qualified will be deleted from your account once winnings are requested and processed from a casino deposit or bonus.
A deposit must be made at least once every 14 days to be active, for bonus and promotions.

I'm getting the strong impression that this site makes up the rules as they go along, and change this on a whim without any regard to conflicting rules on their own site. Be careful.

NAVYMANS-MOM · **Joined:** Fri May 25, 2007 9:29 am **Posts:** 696

Got this in my email this morning: (please take note of the very last sentence that I've highlighted in red but was in extremely small print in the email notice)

Quote:

Dear XXXXXXX,

Starting today, Thursday 28th and ending the Sunday 31st, we will be giving you a whopping 500% bonus on your first deposit with Funtimebingo. So if you deposit $25, you will receive an incredible $125 FREE. Deposit $50 and receive an unbelievable $250 FREE.

This 500% deposit bonus is for a limited time only and will end on the 31st of January, so deposit today to take advantage of this generous offer.

Just log in with your username "XXXXXXX" and the password you signed up with and start playing bingo today while making friends in our chat room.

With best regards

Your FunTimeBingo Staff

Please note: The maximum bonus that will be given for this promotion is $250.[/quote]

For those of us that normally fund with $100, we wouldn't get the actual 500% bonus they advertise and if you miss this last sentence, you wouldn't suspect anything until you complained. Also, please take into consideration that the playthru requirements have been changed drastically recently per my post right above this one. This site, along with a few others that offer these ridiculous deposit bonuses, should just have a garbage can icon on their home page so you can deposit directly to it and leave the site without ever playing because that's what your deposit and then chances of winning there actually amounts to. 15X your deposit of $50 PLUS the $250 bonus comes to having to wager $4500....and that ONLY pertains to BINGO playing. Your wager requirement easily could be much higher if you play the slots or casino games (I haven't checked THOSE requirements lately but per my previous post, it stated clearly

Quote:

*Casino games do not apply toward roll over fulfillment..

amyhop · **Joined:** Sun Mar 14, 2010 12:01 pm **Posts:** 227

ugghh ripoff! Love the garbage can idea!! ;-)

cutiger95 · **Joined:** Sat Mar 13, 2010 9:57 pm **Posts:** 47

NMM - Totally awesome catch. Also I tried doing a little snooping on the site using a internet time machine

http://www.archive.org/web/web.php

If you ever need it to see what a site once was in it's history.

PokerPrincess · **Joined:** Sun Mar 21, 2010 9:00 pm **Posts:** 362

Very interesting comments and digging. However, did you ever find out how long they had been around? It seems that they avoided any kind of answer that would give you an idea of where they came from or sprang from.

It would be interesting to know what sister sites they have out there. If you find out please let us know.

FuntimeBingo

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