Gala Bingo players awarded share of £1.6m winnings by accident after 'glitch'

Online bingo players were incorrectly awarded a share of £1.6m in winnings after a “technical glitch”.

Players reported seeing their accounts debited with money as part of a share of £1.6m during Gala Bingo’s Summer Nights Bingo promotion.

It is understood that all players received incorrect payouts via consolation prizes due to the error on Monday.

Due to the glitch, the prize pot became inflated, with winnings seemingly handed out over the course of two hours.

The promotion had a max prize pot of £150, and it was 1p per ticket or bingo card to play.

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Gala Bingo’s terms and conditions state that if an account is credited with winnings due to a “malfunction”, the relevant transaction will be void, and any resulting winnings will be withheld.

This applies whether the malfunction was clear to customers and Gala Bingo or not.

“If you have withdrawn any such winnings, you agree that you will pay them back to us as and when we ask you to,” the T&Cs state.

Hundreds of affected players have joined groups on social media, with some claiming to have been debited as much as tens of thousands.

Users have reported being able to withdraw the winnings into their bank accounts.

The incident has been reported to the Gambling Commission, who are investigating the circumstances.

A Gala Bingo spokesperson said: “We apologise to customers for a technical error which occurred during our Summer Nights Bingo promotion for a short period of time, resulting in all players receiving incorrect payouts.

“Our customer terms and conditions clearly state that in the event of a malfunction, winnings can be voided.

“Affected players have been contacted directly with a gesture of goodwill.”