![\"Victoria](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SEC_261415003-25ac.jpg\")
\n\t\tVictoria Geer thought she\u2019d won three jackpots in a row \u2013 but the prize money didn\u2019t exist<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tVictoria Geer thought she\u2019d won three jackpots in a row \u2013 but the prize money didn\u2019t exist<\/p>\n
More than 1,000 Gala Bingo players have been left in the lurch after being told their winnings of thousands of pounds did not actually exist, it\u2019s been reported.<\/p>\n
The players were taking part in bingo games on Monday with a huge prize pot of \u00a31.6million \u2013 but the top prize should have only reached a maximum of \u00a3150.<\/p>\n
Some players thought they\u2019d won up to \u00a39,600, and others has started to spend their winnings, before being told the prize pot was a system error and they would not be able to withdraw their winnings.<\/p>\n
Gala Bingo sent an email to the 1,188 players affected, explaining the wins were the result of a technical fault and they would not be receiving their prizes.<\/p>\n
One woman did manage to withdraw her prize within minutes of the win \u2013 but most have been left feeling disappointed and out of pocket, with some pledging to never play with Gala Bingo again.<\/p>\n
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Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates<\/a> newsletter or get Breaking News<\/a> alerts the moment it happens. <\/p>\n A Scottish<\/a> woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, planned to spend their winnings on a funeral for her partner\u2019s mum, who passed away recently.<\/p>\n \t\t They were left disappointed after discovering their accounts had been frozen and the prize money was nowhere to be seen.<\/p>\n The woman told MailOnline<\/a>: \u2018My partner went up to get his medication and when he came back and sat down he looked shocked. I double checked and it said we had won \u00a32,400.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018We thought we could take care of the funeral with no worries about the expense.<\/p>\n \u2018I wasn\u2019t sure about it all but then the host said \u201cenjoy your winnings\u201d \u2013 they obviously didn\u2019t realise what was happening.<\/p>\n \u2018My partner is angry and it\u2019s become all-consuming, especially at such a difficult time. this has just knocked him sideways.<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s all been dealt with so badly, it wasn\u2019t right.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t Another player, 28-year-old Victoria Greer, was left \u2018shocked and disappointed\u2019 when she found out her winnings didn\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n The full time mum from Oxford<\/a> thought she\u2019d had a lucky streak and had won a pot worth \u00a32,400 three times in a row \u2013 but when it came time to withdraw her winnings, her account was frozen.<\/p>\n She called the company\u2019s decision not to pay out as \u2018very sneaky and crafty\u2019, adding: \u2018I was going to spend the money on my 18-week-old boy and get him some lovely things for Christmas<\/a> and go away on holiday with my partner to Spain<\/a> for a week in March.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018I wanted driving lessons and a test because I don\u2019t drive at the moment so I\u2019m disappointed.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t Mum and daughter Susan, 64, and Beth, 31, were playing Gala Bingo together and thought they\u2019d won \u00a39,600 each.<\/p>\n However, after seeing the winning notification pop up, the payment never made it to their accounts.<\/p>\n Susan said: \u2018We were playing and then Emily said she had won something and it turned out we had won \u00a39,600 each and I just couldn\u2019t believe it.<\/p>\n \u2018I was worried it wasn\u2019t legit and so I tried to withdraw it but after about four hours it said the payment was cancelled.<\/p>\n \u2018I was going to spend my winnings on changes to my cottage to help now that I\u2019ve had a stroke.<\/p>\n \u2018Somebody has to pay for this and something has to be done.<\/p>\n \u2018Why did no one flag the error? How did no one spot this mistake?\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t Beth and Susan each received a voucher for \u00a396 \u2013 just 1% of what they thought they\u2019d won \u2013 and the vouchers must be spent on Gala Bingo within a week. <\/p>\n \u2018To only give people 1% back \u2013 it\u2019s not enough, it doesn\u2019t cover the stress this has caused. We\u2019ve only got \u00a396 out of the \u00a39,600 we thought we had,\u2019 Susan added.<\/p>\n One lucky woman did manage to cash in her full \u00a32,400 prize and has already been spending the money on clothes and other items for her eight-year-old daughter.<\/p>\n But the woman, from Manchester<\/a>, now feels \u2018awkward and guilty\u2019 after finding out so many other players weren\u2019t able to claim their cash, and is now scared Gala Bingo will try to get the money<\/a> back.<\/p>\n \t\t She said: \u2018I was playing and realised I\u2019d won at 7.44pm and withdrew the money to my bank<\/a> account at 7.46pm and it was there within 10 minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t even think there was anything wrong or it was a glitch because I\u2019ve won a few times before and once won \u00a31,500.<\/p>\n \u2018I can\u2019t sleep \u2013 I didn\u2019t get to sleep until 4.30am on Monday and it\u2019s put me off spending the money.<\/p>\n \u2018I went to the Old Trafford Centre but I couldn\u2019t buy anything, I\u2019m scared that if I spend it and they ask for it back \u2013 I can\u2019t have that kind of debt.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019m just trying to buy sensibly for my daughter for the holidays.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n Gala Bingo has been contacted for comment<\/p>\n Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n For more stories like this, check our news page<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SEI_261376468-2790.jpg\")
\n\t\tVictoria thought she\u2019d won thousands of pounds<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SEI_261376466-9e8f.jpg\")
\n\t\tVictoria was left disappointed after being told it was a glitch<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SEI_261376566-7213.jpg\")
\n\t\tShe received pop-ups on the app saying she had won<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SEI_261376620-2cc9.jpg\")
\n\t\tOther players thought they\u2019d won more than \u00a32,000<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SEI_261358271-ffcb.jpg\")
\n\t\tSome winners had their accounts closed down after trying to claim their winnings<\/p>\n