It all started as a normal summer evening for hundreds of Gala Bingo players. During the Summer Nights Bingo promotion, a game costing £1 per ticket with a usual maximum jackpot of £150, a miracle seemed to happen: all participants were mistakenly credited with huge winnings.
Dreams shattered in a click
Those who thought they had hit the jackpot rushed to cash in, filled with excitement and hope. Like Emma Wills, a mother of three, who was mistakenly credited with £920 and thought she could pay off a loan. For Adam Wall, the blow was even harder. He had withdrawn £7,200 (three winnings of £2,400) to finance his wedding. The next day, his account was closed and his money was gone.
A technical glitch, a jackpot inflated from £150 to £1.6 million?
What happened? Gala Bingo attributes the chaos to a technical error that occurred on Monday 4 August during the promotion, turning the planned jackpot (£150) into a mirage of £1.6 million. Some players saw winnings of up to several thousand pounds, up to £18,000 according to some sources.
In a matter of moments, hundreds of players celebrated, screenshots in hand, before receiving a chilling message:
“Unfortunately, due to a technical error that occurred on Monday, 4 August, your account was mistakenly credited with bingo winnings.”
Reactions: anger, incomprehension, online action
More than 170 people joined a Facebook group called Justice for Gala Victims to share their stories and exchange views. In the media, some expressed their dismay and even outrage. Jill Douthwaite, 72, thought she could finance an operation to save her dog’s eye, convinced that the winnings were real after receiving confirmation from a live chat agent.
Customers posted their frustrations on TrustPilot, describing their incomprehension and loss of trust in the company.
A spokesperson for Gala Bingo apologised, explaining that their terms and conditions allow for the cancellation of winnings in the event of a malfunction. They offered a £20 credit to affected players. They also informed the UK Gambling Commission.
“We apologise to our customers for a technical error that occurred for a short period during our Summer Nights Bingo promotion, which resulted in incorrect winnings being paid out to all players. Our terms and conditions clearly state that in the event of a malfunction, winnings may be cancelled. The players affected have been contacted directly with a gesture of goodwill.”
Investigation and reform on the horizon?
For Gala Bingo and regulators, the challenge is clear: to prevent a similar incident from happening again. This will involve strengthening technical oversight of promotions, improving real-time communication with players, and probably revising the terms and conditions to make them more protective.