In April 1999, the domain name Bingo.com sold for $1,100,000, making it one of the highest prices paid for a domain name in the late nineties. While the name has been dwarfed by sales of other gambling domain names like Casino.com for over $5,000,000, Bingo.com has evolved into something much bigger than the original owner probably ever imagined when he purchased the name.
Since the nineties, no other bingo domain name has fetched a seven figure price or even close to it.
Bingo.net, which sold for $56,500 in 2006 through Sedo GreatDomains, is the next highest sale but that blockbuster .net domain, cannot compete with a fully developed, fully operational gaming site like Bingo.com.
Bingo is a game of chance played with randomly drawn numbers and is an extremely popular game played all over the world and especially in the United States, where it is also the basis for many state lotteries.
In 1997 before the name was sold, the website Bingo.com was no more than an Under Construction page. That all changed in 1999 when the name sold for a seven-figure dollar amount and the new owners transformed the domain name and web site into what it is today: a site with nearly 2 million registered members averaging upwards of 80,000 players per month and total revenues for the year ended December 31, 2009, of $5.8 millions.
And while Bingo.com took a loss in 2009, it recently announced to have partnered with leading European sportsbook and gaming operator Unibet to create one of the largest and most international online bingo systems in existence.
“Today marks a milestone in the development of Bingo.com,” said Bingo.com’s CEO. “Through this partnership with Unibet, Bingo.com has the ability to maximize the value of its international traffic as it will now support over 20 languages and 10 currencies. Bingo.com will also realize cost savings in technology, finance, customer service and other departments that are included services in the Unibet partner program. Bingo.com, in partnership with Unibet, is now in a position to help lead the expansion of online bingo in the dozens of countries where bingo is played and loved.”
“Signing a partnership with Bingo.com, one of the strongest bingo brand names in the industry, is obviously very positive for us. It shows that we really have a quality bingo network with great understanding for local needs. We look forward to growing our business together on existing and new markets,” commented Peter Nylander, CEO of Unibet.
