Gala Bingo Glitch Leaves Player Without £7,200 Wedding Win

_{Gala apologised to customers for the glitch. Image: Gala Bingo)}

A Gala Bingo player who believed he had secured more than £7,000 during an online promotion says he was left “feeling scammed” after the win vanished due to what the operator called a technical malfunction.

Adam Wall, 45, from Deeside in North Wales, was among hundreds of players affected by a fault during Gala Bingo’s Summer Nights Bingo event on 4 August. The glitch awarded unexpected “runners-up” prizes to 797 of roughly 1,200 players in one game.

Wall said the error brought him three separate £2,400 wins, a total of £7,200, which he immediately withdrew from his account. 

“We went to bed that night thinking we were going to go and get married, as we hadn’t had the chance in the 10 years we’d been together, and that that money made it possible,” he said.

By the next morning, his account had been closed, the winnings removed, and no explanation given. “Then waking up the next day and feeling like I’d been scammed. It’s really horrible,” Wall said.

Account Closure and Restrictions

When Wall contacted Gala Bingo, he was told the payout was due to a malfunction. His account was later reinstated with £67, about £50 more than he expected to have before the glitch, but after raising another complaint, it was suspended again.

Once reactivated, the account contained just £15 and new gambling restrictions. 

“The last couple of days have been horrible. I can’t stop thinking about it because it was going to change our lives, and now it’s just not. I’m frustrated, disappointed, down about things and low,” he said.

Gala Bingo Response

In a statement, 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.”

According to The Mirror, the glitch led to thousands of players sharing in an incorrect £1.6 million prize pool, with some receiving up to £18,000.