Gala Bingo players who had thousands of pounds credited to their accounts were left devastated when they were informed that their winnings did not exist.
Several players received notifications saying they had won an online bingo game, with some able to withdraw the money.
But they were informed there had been a “technical error” and they would not be receiving the winnings.
Emma Wills, a 34-year-old mother of three from London, was mistakenly credited £920.
She told Sky News: “I was shocked, I was thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, I can take the kids out somewhere nice while they’re with me for the holidays, I can pay off a few of my debts, and I can give money for a car,’ and obviously that quickly went out the window.”
Technician Adam Wall, 45 and from north Wales, added that he believed he had won enough money to start planning his wedding after winning £7,200.
Those affected by the glitch were playing the Summer Nights Bingo promotion, which costs 1p a ticket and has a maximum prize pot of £150.
But the error meant the prize pot increased, and players were instead credited with a share of more than £1.6m over the course of two hours.
More than 170 people have joined the Facebook group “Justice for Gala Victims” to share their experiences.
Players have shared screenshots showing their winnings in the Facebook group, with some apparently receiving prizes of more than £2,000.
However, players later received a message that said: “Unfortunately, due to a technical error on Monday 4 August, your account was incorrectly credited with Bingo winnings.”
Some customers affected by the glitch have complained to Gala Bingo, with many receiving £20 in compensation.
Gala Bingo has said it has informed the Gambling Commission of the incident and has apologised to those affected.
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.”
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