Bingo Winner Less Than Impressed After Being Told She Won’t Be Getting her Winnings in Full

Imagine for a second you’ve just won £3K playing bingo. You’d be buzzing. I would be. Three grand is a hell of a lot of money, but for one (un)lucky bingo dabber, her win wasn’t what it seemed. Rhiannon Hawkins from Gloucester scooped a £3K full house prize right before Christmas in 2018. Understandably, she was thrilled at the thought of all that cash. However, her big win was about to set in motion a disappointing chain of events…

…starting with not being paid her full winnings. Sure enough, she had indeed won the full house – she marked all 15 numbers off on her ticket before anyone else. The rules are the rules; call house before anyone else to win the prize, but Buzz Bingo in St Ann Way decided not to give her her rightful winnings.

Once the initial shock of winning such a large wad of cash had sunk in, staff presented Rhiannon with £2K instead of the £3K she had won and stated that there had been an ‘error on the system’. According to staff, she had been given too much even with that two grand.

With this, Rhiannon sought legal advice and has been waiting on an outcome ever since. Buzz Bingo are adamant she should have only won £750, but as a gesture of goodwill, they allowed her to keep the money she had been given.

Cheque it Out

Reliving that frightful night, Rhiannon said: "On the night of winning the prize money I was with my mum and a few of our friends were dotted around the bingo hall. We played the main game and then the link-up which links to other clubs around the UK. I called 'BINGO' on a full house which showed on the matrix board as £1,000 for a line, £2,000 for two lines and £3,000 for a full house and I won on the full house which the caller over the link said 'Congratulations Gloucester, £3,000 is coming in your way.'

She continued: "I was very excited at my win, especially before Christmas. After winning I had a gentleman approach me with the Buzz Bingo uniform on asking if it's okay for £2,000 to be paid in cash and £1,000 via cheque which I could collect in a couple of days. I said that was fine and he handed me paperwork stating this. I went back in a couple of days later and they said that the prize money was wrong which should have been stated at the beginning of the game and the prize money should have been changed on the matrix board."

Can you imagine being this woman! I would have been mortified. When speaking to local news outlets, Rhiannon concluded with: "The manager said that he was not going to pay me the £1,000 I was owed and that I should get what was stated on the board. He tried to say that the prize money was meant to be £350 for a line, £500 for two lines and £750 for the full house and after this I told him I was going to take it further and get legal advice."

But undeterred by this major set-back, the unlucky winner decided to dig around a bit. She contacted other bingo halls who all agreed that the prize stated on the bard is the prize that is to be paid. If there is an error with the prizes, it should be rectified on that board prior to the bingo game commencing.

As far as Buzz Bingo are concerned, the matter has been resolved. According to Rhiannon, the manager claims the prize is never higher than £750, but, a few weeks after this unfortunate event, the winnings were advertised as £3,000 yet again – in the same link-up!

Keep Your Ears Open!

The next time you’re visiting your local bingo hall, remember to keep your ears open for the prize announcements, because this is crucial. According to Buzz Bingo, you shouldn’t believe what you see.

A spokesman for the company said: "In Buzz Bingo Gloucester Club on Tuesday 7th November 2018, there was an error on the system and as a result the customer was paid out too much. The customer took home part of the winnings and a cheque request was sent out for the remaining amount. The customer was notified the following morning of the error and came down to the club to meet with the General Manager who apologised and played the audio from the link on the night where the presenter announced the correct prize money for that session.”

The statement continued: "It was mutually agreed that the customer would keep the money she had already taken home, but the additional cheque would be cancelled. As a gesture of good will, the customer and her mother were offered a complimentary night of bingo. The customer agreed to the resolution and came on Sunday 2nd December 2018.

"The customer was also made aware at the time of our Complaints and Disputes Procedure, which offers independent alternative disputes resolution by a third-party company recommended by the UK Gambling Commission. The customer did not proceed with this option which was available to them. The customer has continued to make several visits to the club in the year and three months since this incident."