Is Bingo Fixed?

Whether you play bingo online or at your local bingo hall, you will have at some point or another heard references to the bingo game being fixed. Popular comments include ‘The same people are winning all the time’ and ‘it’s only the regulars that seem to win’ but is there any truth in it? Back in 2009, a Gala Bingo caller was sacked for their part in a £10,000 bingo scam and this became the first case of alleged number fixing.

Suspicions started to circulate…

…when the woman staff member who was thought to be the girlfriend of the caller, called house to claim a large cash prize. This then led to an investigation which uncovered a rather lucrative plot of controlling numbers – aka; game fixing. Instead of the numbers being randomly generated, the staff member was manipulating them so her partner could win and as a result of this, Gala reported the allegations to the UK Gambling Commission but didn’t go as far as making a complaint to the police.

An unnamed source connected to the Gala Bingo club in Sunderland said:

“There was a lot of money involved and that meant Gala had to report it to the Gaming Commission. It is believed a secret code was used to make a set of numbers come up instead of the ones randomly generated. The prize was substantial but could have been more. The Gala High 5 game has top prizes of up to £600,000.”

However, a Gala Bingo spokesman said:

“The incident was brought to the attention of the manager, who carried out an investigation. As a result, one member of staff has been dismissed and the other suspended pending further investigation. It is the first time anything like this has happened and it is a matter we are treating with the utmost seriousness. We can confirm the money has gone back on to the prize board.”

So, after reading this, would you think bingo is fixed?

Many would, but over the last decade, since this incident occurred, there have been no other instances of bingo-fixing and that goes for both online and land-based bingo venues.

Who and What is the Gambling Commission?

The Gambling Commission was set up under the Gambling Act 2005 to regulate commercial gambling in Great Britain in partnership with licensing authorities, and they also regulate the National Lottery under the National Lottery etc. Act of 1993. The Gambling Commission is an independent non-departmental public body (NDPB) sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), who currently have over 300 employees, mostly based at offices in Birmingham, but there are around 40 home-based colleagues working across England, Scotland and Wales.

According to the website, the Gambling Commission permit gambling, but only if they think it is reasonably consistent with the following licensing objectives:

• ‘Preventing gambling from being a source of crime or disorder, being associated with crime or disorder, or being used to support crime.

• Ensuring that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way.

• Protecting children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling.

In respect of the National Lottery, their objectives are to ensure that:

• Every lottery that forms part of the National Lottery is run with all due propriety.

• The interests of every participant in the National Lottery are protected.

• Subject to the above two duties, to do our best to make sure that the proceeds of the National Lottery are as great as possible.’

Proof is in the Daubing:

Bingo is a form of gambling and to say gambling is heavily regulated within the UK is a complete understatement. UK bingo sites are among the most reputable in the world and believe it or not; all gaming outcomes are completely random. Industry awards are dished out annually and Mecca Bingo and Tombola are just two sites who have been recognised for fair play and social responsibility.

Okay, so they wouldn’t be in the business if it wasn’t making money, but many online bingo sites operate a safe play format where you’re encouraged to place spending limits on your account and take regular time outs.

A random number generator (RNG) is a digital device used by all gambling establishments – from bingo to video slots, live casino games and everything in between, but what is it and how does it work?

This device generates a sequence of numbers (or symbols depending on the game being played) that cannot be reasonably predicted better than by random chance. Several sophisticated methods are packed into the piece of tech to ensure all gaming outcomes remain random and that there is no possible way of the bingo site (or gambling website) being able to manipulate these outcomes.

How do the Same People Keep Winning Then?

With all this information on RNG’s in mind, it is possible for the same person to win more than once – I’m sure you wouldn’t object if it was your name in the spotlight! There are many ways this can happen and one of which is this specific player has far more tickets in play than the rest of the players.

More tickets mean more chances of winning, you should all know that by now. Another way this can be achieved is if you’re in a bingo room during off-peak hours because it’s far easier to win (and win more than once) when there a considerably fewer people in the rooms.

Busy periods could see hundreds if not thousands of players competing for the cash prize, which means a win is unlikely, but make your way to a bingo room during the wee small hours of the morning where there are a handful of people playing, and your chances of winning are increased drastically.

Each bingo site has its own policy on the fair play; this is Bingo Idol’s:

“To assure the integrity of our games, a trusted Random Number Generator (RNG) is always used to determine the outcomes of our games. Whether it’s the bingo ball selection, a roll of a dice, a hand of cards, or a spin of the wheel, in each event an RNG is utilized to ensure compliance with relevant standards. The system has been rigorously tested by running millions of rounds and examining their results. The system is systematically tested by the Company.”

Hopefully, all this information will put your mind at rest when it comes to bingo being a fix, plus we hope you make use of the tips on how to maximise your chances of winning.