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Where to Play Backgammon Online?

Written by: Yehuda Zargarov

Like many other board games, the backgammon game has also joined the trend, and today more and more people all around the world prefer the online alternative over the physical one. So I've decided to take matters into my own hands and compare five leading Backgammon online programs. I’ve downloaded such programs, which enable you to play Backgammon with other users across the world, and potentially bet some money on it, and I shell explore them here. Five important aspects were compared: minimum bet required, payment options, graphic user interface, number of users and system requirements. If you like the game and you’re good at it, why not make some easy money off of it?

The most famous program in the field is with out a doubt "Play65", which has more users than any other program by far. The other four programs are the ones developed by: "FIBS" (First Internet Backgammon Server, Which is true - They came up in 1992, and were the first to offer online Backgammon games), "NetGammon", "GamesGrid" and the well known "MSN", which includes its Backgammon game in the game-package of Windows operating system.

To a gambler, the most important criteria in such programs is the minimum amount of money required to invest in order to start playing against other players. Well, Play65 makes the best offer there. It requires you invest at least 0.5$, but gives you 2$ to start playing with, so actually you start with a 1.5$ credit. FIBS offers various servers for connecting to the program, some are free and some cost money. You shouldn’t necessarily choose the free ones - believe me, you pay for it with the speed you get… NetGammon seems to be the simplest program out of the five since its registration is free and there is no minimum fee. GamesGrid also demands no minimum bet, but its registration costs 12.95$. MSN's program doesn't involve betting.

When deciding how much money I should invest, another important question came to mind - what are the payment options? Play65 takes it big time, once again. Almost every paying option you can think of is possible there: All credit cards, three online paying programs and the western union bank. In NetGammon's program you can pay using all credit cards. FIBS and GamesGrid make you pay using an online paying program, PayPal and E-Jackpot respectively. MSN is out of the race here since no bets are involved.

For many players, the most important aspect is not the minimum betting price or the payment options, but the graphic user interface (GUI) of the game. Those would probably be the users who just play for fun. As for Play65, the user's game experience is almost perfect. The 3D graphics along with the sound effects create a pleasant playing environment. And if you get tired of the sound, turning it off is simple. The interface is very user friendly, and it includes all the details you need. The main page presents all the rooms, tournaments, online and offline players, and many other details, but not so much that it gets confusing. In FIBS you can also watch other matches and compare skill levels. The advantage here is the web interface which is lighter and so a bit faster then regular programs (though when I lost my internet connection, I lost my game). However, the GUI is a bit too simple here. At NetGammon, the GUI is also very simple, but it offers free chatting rooms to chat with your opponent. This can be a great plus for some players. As I found, GamesGrid invest most of their efforts in their poker game. It is very noticeable in the differences between their web sites. However, their GUI is very friendly and easy to use. New players and old timers alike should find it suitable. The last program I used, the one of MSN, was the only 2D program out of the five I used, a fact which affects the program's GUI directly. This was the weakest program I used in terms of GUI.

Technically speaking, Play65 has the highest number of average online users. Their total number of users, according to their site, is more than one million. The other four programs are left behind with (using average numbers) - 500,000 (FIBS), 200,000 (NetGammon), 100,000 (GamesGrid) and 50,000 (MSN). Regarding system requirements, most programs require the same more or less. In FIBS you only need to have internet explorer, and in NetGammon you can do fine with even Win 3.1. GamesGris'd game is the only one which can be played on a Macintosh computer.

To sum up, I can say that I mostly enjoyed playing Play65, with no real competition. The other programs are nice, but, in my opinion, Play65 is the most professional and fun program, when taking into consideration all the five aspects compared. For players who just want to play for fun and don’t invest a lot of effort, I would recommend the simple MSN program. FIBS is meant for those who travel around the world and prefer not to be bothered with download the programs. But none of the four "nice" programs can compete with the game experience available to you by using Play65.

Developer	Minimum Bet	Payment Method	GUI	How Many Users?	System Requirements	Total Grade
	Free Membership + You Get 1.5$	All Credit Cards, PayPal, MoneyBookers, Neteller or Western Union	9	Over a Million	Win 98	9
	Various Registration options (lowest is free) + 0$	PayPal	8	500,000	Win 98 or IE	8
	Free Registration + 0$	All Credit Cards	7	200,000	Win 3.1	8
	No Bets	-	5	50,000	IE or Netscape	4

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