Bitter Legal Battle Over Who Owns Bongo’s Bingo Intensifies on Final Day of Hearing

Ever heard of Bingo’s Bingo? If you’re a regular here, you’ll know I’ve reported on the subject a few times, from the evolution of bingo to the latest crazy party venues. The high-energy, bingo-dabbing party nights are renowned globally for their insane prizes and side-splitting tasks, but, a bitter legal row has broken out between two companies who both claim they own the brand.

Lawyers acting on behalf of both Johnny Bongo and (Baltic Triangle) Camp and Furnace took to a court in Manchester last week to out their case across to the judge. Both parties claim they own the brand, and neither is backing down. On the final day of the hearing, lawyers pulled no punches in the hope the court would rule in their favor…

…but surely, they both know who started the brand? A judgment will now be made over who has the rights to stage the bingo events. Camp wants exclusive rights to host Bongo’s Bingo in Merseyside and also wants a share of the profit from Shua Ltd, the company run by Mr Lacey and Joshua Burke, but they are adamant Shua Ltd ‘conceived and designed’ the brand and are trying to stop Camp hosting events…

…but in a surprising twist, it was revealed to the court that the pair initially launched the bingo game event in the spotlight whilst working at Camp, before Mr Burke left the company to take Bongo’s Bingo on the road and it’s been a huge success with events popping up as far afield as Dubai and Australia!

Mine, All Mine

Neil Berragan QC representing Camp said it was “not in dispute” that Bongo’s was Mr Burke’s concept before continuing with: “It's his idea, that is the genesis of this. As it happens there was already a similar event established in London in 2014. All that means is it's not an original idea - but an idea therefore that Mr Burke claimed credit for bringing to Camp and Furnace.”

“It was his idea and he who contacted Mr Lacey, and together they worked it up. But we had control of events, and he promoted them in his role as our events manager. The equipment was being bought on our behalf; the fuel was bought on our behalf.”

"Bongo's Bingo was entirely new concept. Held for the first time at Camp's premises, it was an idea conceived by Mr Burke, and would not have taken place had Mr Burke not provided the idea, and Camp provided the facilities."

The case has been in hearing since September and will come to a conclusion shortly, but the judge has picked up on some questionable statements from Camp, one being that if they claim to own the brand, why would they request exclusivity in Liverpool?

We’ll bring you the ruling on probably the best bingo rave as and when it happens.