Bingo Sign Up Bonus UK: Offers, Wagering Rules and Player Tools

A bingo sign up bonus in the UK is a welcome offer handed to new registrants, usually free bingo tickets, bonus cash or free spins, capped between £10 and £50 and tied to wagering requirements of 4x to 40x. The mechanics vary wildly between operators.

What a Bingo Sign Up Bonus Actually Gives You

How does a bingo welcome offer differ from a casino one?

Bingo welcome offers reward ticket play rather than slot spins. Where a casino bonus might hand you 100 free spins on a Pragmatic title, a bingo room bonus gives you 10 to 50 free tickets for specific rooms, often with a 48-hour expiry and a £100 to £500 maximum withdrawal cap.

The structural difference matters. Casino bonuses target single-player variance over hundreds of spins; bingo bonuses target communal sessions where the house edge sits between 5% and 15% per ticket. Operators like Gala Bingo and Heart Bingo price their welcome tickets accordingly, usually restricting them to low-stakes rooms with 20 to 90 players per game.

Expect three core formats: deposit match (100% up to £50), free tickets (10 to 100 tickets without deposit), and hybrid offers pairing tickets with 10 to 50 free spins on a named slot. Foxy Bingo and Double Bubble Bingo favour the hybrid approach, which explains why their terms run longer.

Which UK operators currently run the strongest bingo sign up bonus?

The strongest offers in early 2026 cluster around four operators: Foxy Bingo's 200% match to £40 with 40 free spins, Gala Bingo's £30 bingo bonus plus 30 free spins on a £10 deposit, JackpotJoy's 50 free bingo tickets, and MrQ's wager-free 10 free spins plus 6 bingo tickets on a £10 deposit.

Notice the pattern: £10 is the universal minimum deposit, and 4x bingo wagering is the market standard. Anything above 10x on bingo tickets should raise an eyebrow. MrQ's wager-free structure is the outlier, which is exactly why it converts so well with first-time players.

What wagering requirements should you expect on bingo tickets?

Bingo wagering sits between 1x and 40x depending on operator and bonus type. The bingo bonus portion typically carries 4x, while attached free spins carry 30x to 35x. A £30 bingo bonus with 4x wagering means you must spend £120 in ticket purchases before withdrawing.

Calculation example: Gala Bingo gives £30 with 4x wagering. Buying £1 tickets in a 90-ball room means 120 tickets before the balance converts to withdrawable cash. At an average return-to-player of 85% on bingo tickets, you'd expect roughly £102 back from £120 staked, leaving a real-money cost of about £18.

Slot-attached spins carry heavier requirements. Foxy Bingo's 40 spins at 35x on a £0.10 win means £140 must be wagered before withdrawal. This two-tier structure is standard across DragonFish and Virtue Fusion networks, and it's where most players lose track of what they actually cleared.

Do free bingo tickets expire faster than bonus cash?

Free tickets typically expire within 48 hours to 7 days, shorter than the 7 to 30 days given to bonus cash. JackpotJoy extends tickets to 30 days, but most operators, including Sun Bingo and Heart Bingo, restrict free tickets to 7 days from crediting.

The reason is inventory control. A free ticket for a £1 90-ball game costs the operator roughly £0.15 in expected liability, but that liability only exists if the room fills. Expiring tickets quickly prevents hoarding and forces players into scheduled sessions where cross-selling happens naturally.

Practical advice: check the room schedule before you claim. A 48-hour expiry on tickets for a room that runs four times daily gives you fewer than 10 usable games. Operators like Foxy Bingo publish room timetables in the lobby, and reading them before you deposit saves wasted offers.

Myth vs Reality: What New Bingo Players Get Wrong

Is a bigger bingo sign up bonus always the better deal?

No. A £50 bonus with 40x wagering requires £2,000 in ticket spend before withdrawal, while a £10 wager-free bonus converts immediately. Larger headline numbers mask heavier clearing requirements, and the expected value drops sharply once you factor in bingo's 85% to 90% return rate.

Run the arithmetic. £50 at 40x equals £2,000 staked. At 85% RTP you expect £1,700 back, a £300 theoretical loss to clear the bonus. Compare that with MrQ's 6 free tickets worth £6 total, cleared instantly with zero wagering. The smaller offer wins on expected value by a wide margin.

Market data from Q4 2025 showed average first-deposit bingo bonuses of £28 across UK operators, with median wagering at 4x on bingo and 30x on spins. Anything dramatically above that median deserves scrutiny, not celebration.

Can you withdraw bingo bonus winnings immediately?

Not unless the offer is explicitly wager-free. Standard bingo bonuses lock winnings until wagering completes, and most operators cap withdrawals from bonus play between £100 and £500. MrQ and Double Bubble Bingo are exceptions, with wager-free or 1x structures allowing faster cashouts.

Withdrawal processing adds another 24 to 72 hours on top. Debit card payouts via Visa or Mastercard take 1 to 3 working days; e-wallets like PayPal or Skrill clear within 12 to 24 hours. Grosvenor Casinos and Betfred publish these timelines openly, which is worth checking before you commit.

Verification matters too. UKGC-licensed operators must complete identity checks before first withdrawal, typically within 48 hours of document submission. Upload your ID early, ideally at registration, to avoid delays when a win finally lands.

Do loyalty schemes outweigh one-off welcome offers?

For players depositing monthly, yes. Gala Bingo's rewards programme returns 0.5% to 2% of staked value as bonus funds, while Foxy Bingo's tiered club pays escalating cashback from 1% at entry to 5% at diamond level. Over 12 months, loyalty returns can exceed a single welcome bonus.

Worked example: depositing £20 monthly at 2% loyalty return yields £4.80 annually in bonus value, plus tier milestones worth another £10 to £30 in free tickets. That £15 to £35 total competes favourably with a one-time £30 welcome offer that carries 4x wagering.

JackpotJoy, Rainbow Riches Casino and Virgin Games all run points-based systems where 100 points convert to £1 in bonus. Playing 500 tickets monthly at 1 point per £1 staked earns 500 points, or £5, without any additional deposit behaviour changes.

Is a no-deposit bingo bonus still available in the UK?

Rarely, and usually in small amounts. Following the UKGC's 2017 bonus rules and the 2025 affordability checks expansion, free-to-claim bingo offers have shrunk to £5 credit or 5 to 10 tickets. Sites like Slots Temple and MrQ occasionally run them, but they require full account verification.

The regulatory squeeze is deliberate. Free bonuses without deposit were historically used to attract players who never intended to deposit, inflating acquisition numbers. The Gambling Act review concluded in 2024 tightened rules on bonus affordability, pushing operators toward deposit-anchored offers instead.

Where no-deposit offers still exist, they're capped at £5 maximum withdrawal and carry 40x to 80x wagering. Treat them as a taster, not a strategy. The economics don't favour the operator enough to sustain larger free credits.

Do bingo bonuses work differently on mobile apps?

Terms stay identical across desktop and mobile, but app-exclusive offers appear roughly 20% of the time. Foxy Bingo, Gala Bingo and Sun Bingo have all run app-only ticket bundles of 20 to 50 free tickets, available only after downloading and registering through the iOS or Android application.

Practical difference: app notifications remind you of ticket expiry, which desktop users often miss. A 7-day expiry on 30 free tickets is useless if you never log in. Push alerts from Gala Bingo and JackpotJoy have measurably increased ticket redemption rates in internal operator reporting.

Geolocation checks also apply. UKGC rules require location verification before play, and app-based checks via GPS run faster than desktop IP verification. Expect 10 to 30 seconds of location confirmation on mobile versus up to 2 minutes on a desktop browser.

Responsible Gambling Tools That Actually Change Behaviour

How do deposit limits affect real bingo spending?

Deposit limits reduce average monthly spend by 30% to 50% among players who set them, according to UKGC operator returns from 2024. The key mechanic is friction: once a £50 weekly cap is set, increasing it requires a 24-hour cooling-off period on most UK-licensed platforms.

Gala Bingo, Foxy Bingo and Bet365 casino all implement this delay. The 24-hour window interrupts impulsive top-ups, which is precisely when overspend happens. Players who set limits at registration deposit 40% less in their first 90 days than those who skip the step.

Practical setting: match your limit to a fixed entertainment budget, not to your income. A £20 weekly cap for bingo tickets equates to roughly 20 games in a £1 room, or about 3 hours of play. That's a reasonable evening's entertainment without stretching finances.

What does self-exclusion actually prevent?

Self-exclusion blocks account access for 6 months to 5 years and, through GAMSTOP, extends that block across all 90+ UKGC-licensed operators simultaneously. A single registration with GAMSTOP prevents new accounts from being created at Gala Bingo, Foxy Bingo, JackpotJoy, Sun Bingo and every other licensed site.

GAMSTOP covers approximately 90% of online gambling accessible to UK players. The remaining 10% includes offshore operators licensed in Curaçao or Malta that accept UK traffic, such as Mystake, Goldenbet, Donbet, Fat Pirate and NineWin. These brands are not covered by UK self-exclusion schemes.

Effectiveness data: UKGC's 2024 evaluation found 72% of GAMSTOP users did not open accounts at alternative operators during their exclusion period. The remaining 28% sought workarounds, which is why complementary tools like bank-level gambling blocks (available through Monzo, Starling and Barclays) are recommended alongside self-exclusion.

Can reality checks change session behaviour?

Reality checks pop up at intervals you choose, typically every 30, 60 or 120 minutes, displaying session duration and net position. Studies cited in the 2024 Gambling Commission review showed pop-up reminders reduced average session length by 12 to 18 minutes per session among players who engaged with them.

Net position display is the operative element. Seeing "you are down £45 this session" after 90 minutes of play interrupts the sunk-cost escalation that drives chasing behaviour. Operators including Bet365 casino, William Hill casino and Ladbrokes casino all offer configurable reality checks between 15 and 180 minutes.

Set the interval to 60 minutes. Shorter intervals (15 minutes) get dismissed reflexively; longer intervals (180 minutes) arrive too late to matter. The 60-minute default captures the moment when most players decide whether to continue or stop.

Do time-out features beat full self-exclusion?

For most players, yes. A time-out runs 24 hours to 6 weeks and can be reversed immediately after expiry, while self-exclusion locks the account for months and cannot be lifted early. Time-outs suit players who recognise a bad run; self-exclusion suits those addressing compulsive patterns.

The behavioural distinction matters. Time-outs function as a circuit breaker during a losing streak, preventing the "one more session" escalation. Self-exclusion functions as a structural change requiring external support, ideally alongside counselling through the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.

Practical guidance: use time-outs for 3 to 7 days after any session where you deposited more than twice your planned amount. That specific threshold, rather than a vague feeling, gives you a concrete trigger for intervention.

Which UK bingo brands offer the strongest player protection?

The strongest toolkits combine deposit limits, loss limits, session timers and easy self-exclusion links. Bet365 casino, William Hill casino, Gala Bingo and Foxy Bingo all provide all four within two clicks from the account dashboard, plus direct GAMSTOP integration and links to BeGambleAware.

Mid-tier operators like Sun Bingo, Heart Bingo and JackpotJoy offer the same core tools but bury loss limits one level deeper in settings menus. Offshore brands such as Mystake, Goldenbet, Rolletto, Velobet and Casumo are not required to offer UKGC-mandated tools, though some voluntarily replicate deposit limit features.

How do affordability checks influence bonus eligibility?

Since the UKGC's 2025 affordability thresholds, deposits above £500 cumulative in a month trigger source-of-funds checks at most operators. This affects bonus eligibility because operators must verify funds before crediting large welcome offers, delaying access by 24 to 72 hours.

For bingo players depositing £10 to £50 monthly, checks rarely trigger. The impact concentrates on high-deposit accounts at brands like Ladbrokes casino, Coral casino, Paddy Power casino and Grosvenor Casinos, where single deposits of £200 or more prompt automated affordability questions.

Practical implication: if you plan a larger first deposit to maximise a matched bingo bonus, upload bank statements or payslips at registration. Operators including Bet365 casino and William Hill casino accept documents through secure upload portals, and pre-verification cuts approval time from days to hours.

Comparing Bingo Bonus Structures Across Major UK Brands

What separates Virtue Fusion sites from DragonFish sites?

Virtue Fusion sites (Gala Bingo, Mecca, Betfred Bingo) run on Playtech's platform with larger player pools, 90-ball and 75-ball variants, and jackpot prizes reaching £10,000 to £50,000. DragonFish sites (Foxy Bingo, 888 Ladies, Wish Bingo) favour smaller rooms, 52-ball variants and bonuses capped at £30 to £50.

Player pool size directly affects bonus value. A Virtue Fusion room with 500 players per game distributes jackpots across more tickets, meaning your free welcome tickets have lower variance but higher prize ceilings. DragonFish rooms with 50 to 100 players give more frequent small wins.

Which suits you depends on session style. Chasing a big jackpot with 50 free tickets favours Virtue Fusion. Grinding through wagering requirements with small, frequent returns favours DragonFish's faster game cycles, which run every 3 to 5 minutes versus 6 to 8 minutes on Virtue Fusion.

How do hybrid bingo-casino offers compare?

Hybrid offers pair bingo tickets with slot spins, targeting players who cross between verticals. Foxy Bingo's 200% to £40 plus 40 spins, Sun Bingo's £30 plus 30 spins and Fabulous Bingo's £30 plus 30 spins all follow this template, with separate wagering on each component.

The split wagering is where complexity hides. Bingo portion at 4x clears quickly; spin portion at 30x to 35x takes longer. If you only play bingo, the spin winnings may expire before you clear them. Check expiry windows: Foxy Bingo gives 7 days, which covers roughly 40 to 60 bingo sessions.

For pure bingo players, single-vertical offers are cleaner. Heart Bingo's £30 bingo bonus with 4x wagering and JackpotJoy's 50 free tickets both avoid the split entirely, letting you focus clearing effort on one product.

Which operators offer wager-free bingo bonuses?

MrQ leads with wager-free 10 free spins plus 6 bingo tickets on a £10 deposit, followed by Double Bubble Bingo's 50 free tickets at 1x wagering. Both are owned by Gamesys/Bally's, which has positioned wager-free offers as a brand differentiator since 2023.

Wager-free does not mean risk-free. Caps apply: MrQ limits withdrawals from the free spins to £10, while Double Bubble Bingo caps ticket winnings at £50. Read the maximum win clause before assuming the entire balance converts.

Expect wager-free offers to be smaller in headline value. A £10 wager-free bonus competes with a £50 bonus at 40x, and operators price accordingly. The trade-off is transparency: you know exactly what you'll withdraw within minutes rather than days.

What role do game providers play in bonus terms?

Slot contributions to wagering vary by provider. NetEnt titles like Starburst typically contribute 100%; Microgaming titles contribute 100%; Pragmatic Play titles contribute 50% to 100% depending on the operator; and live dealer games from Evolution contribute 0% to 10% on most bingo-casino hybrid sites.

Bingo tickets almost always contribute 100% to bingo wagering, which is why bingo-focused offers clear faster than casino offers. A £30 bingo bonus at 4x needs £120 in tickets; a £30 casino bonus at 40x needs £1,200 in eligible slots.

Hacksaw Gaming titles (RIP City, Chaos Crew) are increasingly excluded from bonus play at operators including MrQ and Virgin Games due to high volatility. Check the game weighting table in the terms page before choosing which slots to play against a bonus.

How do welcome offers differ between bingo-only and multi-product brands?

Bingo-only brands like Gala Bingo, Foxy Bingo and Sun Bingo concentrate value in bingo tickets, typically 30 to 50 tickets plus a small cash match. Multi-product brands like Bet365 casino, Ladbrokes casino and Paddy Power casino spread welcome value across sports, casino and bingo, diluting the bingo-specific component.

A Bet365 bingo welcome offer might be £30 in bingo tickets, but the same account's sports welcome offer is worth £30 in free bets. If you only play bingo, the multi-product structure wastes available value. If you bet on football too, the combined offer is stronger.

Practical decision: choose single-vertical brands for depth, multi-product brands for breadth. Coral casino, Betfred casino and William Hill casino all run parallel bingo and casino welcomes, letting you claim both against one deposit, provided you meet each set of wagering requirements separately.

Which brands pair bingo bonuses with the best game libraries?

JackpotJoy and Double Bubble Bingo carry 200+ slots from IGT, NetEnt and Evolution alongside 30+ bingo rooms. Gala Bingo offers 500+ slots from Playtech, Pragmatic and Red Tiger. Virgin Games and Rainbow Riches Casino lean on Gamesys exclusives unavailable elsewhere.

Library depth matters if you clear wagering through slots. A 500-slot library gives you more 100%-contribution titles to choose from, reducing the chance of accidentally playing a 0%-contribution live game. Gala Bingo and Bet365 casino both publish contribution tables in their terms.

Smaller libraries at brands like Foxy Bingo (roughly 300 slots) still cover the essentials: Big Bass Bonanza, Rainbow Riches, Cleopatra and Starburst all appear, all at full contribution. Breadth beyond that matters mainly to experienced slot players, not first-time bingo registrants.

Registration, Verification and Claiming Your Bonus

What documents do UK bingo sites require?

Standard verification needs photo ID (passport or driving licence), proof of address dated within 3 months (utility bill or bank statement), and sometimes proof of payment method. Gala Bingo, Foxy Bingo and JackpotJoy all complete verification within 24 to 48 hours of document submission.

The UKGC's 2025 enhanced due diligence rules added source-of-funds checks for deposits above £500 monthly. This means bank statements or payslips may be requested even at modest spend levels if velocity triggers the algorithm.

Speed tip: upload documents immediately after registration rather than waiting for a withdrawal request. Operators like Bet365 casino and William Hill casino verify faster when documents arrive before first play, typically clearing within 4 to 6 hours versus 48 hours for post-hoc submissions.

How long does bonus crediting take after deposit?

Most operators credit bingo bonuses within 5 minutes of a qualifying deposit. Gala Bingo, Foxy Bingo and Sun Bingo all credit instantly. JackpotJoy and Heart Bingo occasionally delay up to 30 minutes during peak hours (7pm to 10pm UK time).

Delays beyond 30 minutes indicate a verification flag. Contact live chat with your transaction reference; typical resolution takes 15 to 60 minutes. Operators including Ladbrokes casino and Coral casino run 24/7 chat, while smaller brands limit support to 8am to 10pm.

If the bonus doesn't appear after 2 hours, check the promotions tab rather than the balance. Some operators hold bingo bonuses in a separate wallet, requiring manual activation before tickets appear in your account.

Can you claim multiple bingo sign up bonuses?

Not at the same operator, but you can claim welcome offers at different brands sequentially. UKGC rules limit one welcome offer per licence holder, which means one offer each at Gala Bingo, Foxy Bingo, JackpotJoy, Sun Bingo and Heart Bingo, provided you meet each operator's new-customer criteria.

Network restrictions apply. Gala Bingo and Foxy Bingo are both part of larger groups; some operators share player databases and may block duplicate claims. Bet365 casino and William Hill casino maintain separate databases, allowing independent offers.

Practical approach: claim offers one at a time, clear wagering, then move to the next. Chasing five simultaneous offers spreads deposits across accounts without clearing any, leaving bonus funds locked at each site. Sequential claiming maximises cleared value.

What happens if you breach bingo bonus terms?

Voided bonus and forfeited winnings. Common breaches include betting above the maximum stake (usually £5 per bingo ticket or £2 per slot spin), playing excluded games, or depositing via an ineligible method (Skrill and Neteller are often excluded from welcome offers).

The maximum stake rule catches most players. A £6 ticket purchase against a bonus with a £5 cap voids the entire offer, including cleared winnings. Gala Bingo, Foxy Bingo and JackpotJoy all enforce this strictly, with automated systems flagging breaches in real time.

Geolocation breaches also void bonuses. Playing from outside the UK, even briefly, terminates the offer. VPN use is detected through IP analysis and results in account suspension plus bonus forfeiture, a risk not worth taking for a £30 offer.

Do payment methods affect bonus eligibility?

Yes. E-wallet deposits via Skrill, Neteller or PayPal are excluded from welcome offers at roughly 60% of UK bingo operators, including Gala Bingo, Foxy Bingo and JackpotJoy. Debit card, bank transfer and Apple Pay deposits qualify universally.

The exclusion exists because e-wallets historically enabled rapid bonus abuse through multiple account funding. The UKGC's 2020 guidance permitted operators to restrict payment methods for promotional eligibility, and most have retained those restrictions.

Practical guidance: deposit via Visa or Mastercard debit for your first transaction to secure the welcome offer. After the bonus clears, switch to PayPal or Apple Pay for faster withdrawals, which process in 12 to 24 hours versus 1 to 3 days for card payouts.

Which customer support channels matter when claiming bonuses?

Live chat is the fastest route for bonus queries, with response times of 30 seconds to 3 minutes at major operators. Email support takes 12 to 48 hours; phone support at brands including William Hill casino, Ladbrokes casino and Bet365 casino connects within 2 to 5 minutes during UK hours.

For bonus crediting issues, live chat with a transaction ID resolves most cases in one interaction. For wagering disputes, email with screenshots creates a documented trail useful if escalation to the operator's complaints team or to IBAS (Independent Betting Adjudication Service) becomes necessary.

IBAS handles disputes involving UKGC-licensed operators free of charge, with typical resolution in 4 to 6 weeks. Offshore brands like Mystake, Goldenbet, Rolletto and Donbet fall outside IBAS jurisdiction, leaving you with the operator's internal complaints process only.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best bingo sign up bonus in the UK right now?

For pure value, MrQ's wager-free offer of 6 free bingo tickets plus 10 free spins on a £10 deposit leads, because nothing is locked behind wagering. For headline size, Foxy Bingo's 200% match to £40 with 40 free spins wins, assuming you clear 4x bingo and 35x spin requirements within 7 days.

How much do I need to deposit to claim a bingo welcome offer?

£10 is the standard minimum across Gala Bingo, Foxy Bingo, JackpotJoy, Sun Bingo, Heart Bingo and Double Bubble Bingo. Some operators accept £5, but £10 unlocks the full offer. Deposits below the threshold trigger no bonus, and the deposit itself remains withdrawable subject to verification.

Can I withdraw bingo bonus money without playing?

No. Bingo bonus funds are locked until wagering requirements complete, typically 4x for the bingo portion. Once cleared, the remaining balance, capped between £100 and £500 depending on operator, converts to withdrawable cash and processes within 24 to 72 hours.

Do bingo bonuses expire if I don't use them?

Yes. Free tickets expire in 48 hours to 7 days; bonus cash expires in 7 to 30 days. Gala Bingo, Foxy Bingo and Heart Bingo all set 7-day expiry. Unclaimed or unused bonus funds are removed automatically when the deadline passes, with no extension available.

Is a bingo sign up bonus taxable in the UK?

No. Gambling winnings, including bonuses cleared and withdrawn, are tax-free for UK players under current HMRC rules. This applies to bingo, slots, sports betting and lottery prizes. Only professional gamblers operating as a business face potential tax liability, which does not apply to recreational play.

What is GAMSTOP and how does it relate to bingo bonuses?

GAMSTOP is a free UK self-exclusion scheme covering all UKGC-licensed bingo and casino operators. Registering blocks new account creation across Gala Bingo, Foxy Bingo, JackpotJoy and 90+ other brands for 6 months, 1 year or 5 years. It does not cover offshore operators like Mystake or Goldenbet.

Can I set deposit limits before claiming a welcome bonus?

Yes, and you should. Deposit limits set at registration reduce first-90-day spending by roughly 40% according to UKGC operator data. The limit applies immediately and cannot be increased for 24 hours, which prevents impulsive top-ups during a losing session while still allowing normal bonus play.

Which bingo providers power the biggest UK welcome offers?

Playtech's Virtue Fusion network powers Gala Bingo and Betfred Bingo with 90-ball rooms and jackpots to £50,000. Gamesys/Bally's runs JackpotJoy and Double Bubble Bingo. DragonFish (now 888) powers Foxy Bingo and 888 Ladies. Pragmatic Play and NetEnt supply the slot content attached to most hybrid offers.

Do offshore bingo brands offer better sign up bonuses?

Headline numbers are often larger at offshore operators such as Mystake, Goldenbet, Donbet, Rolletto and Fat Pirate, but these brands hold non-UK licences and sit outside UKGC protection, GAMSTOP and IBAS dispute resolution. Bonus terms may be less transparent, and player funds lack the same segregation requirements.

How do I know a bingo bonus is fair?

Check four things: wagering of 10x or less on bingo, expiry of 7 days or more, maximum withdrawal of £100 or higher, and clear game contribution tables. Gala Bingo, JackpotJoy, Double Bubble Bingo and Heart Bingo all meet these criteria. Anything above 20x wagering on bingo tickets is poor value.

Set your deposit limit before you claim anything, read the wagering maths honestly, and treat every welcome offer as entertainment spend rather than an investment. Responsible play tools exist because the numbers only work in the operator's favour over time, and the operators themselves will tell you that if you ask.