More than 200 jobs under threat at Sunderland bingo giant Tombola

Dozens of jobs are under threat at Sunderland on-line bingo giant Tombola less than two years after its new owners pledged not to cut employee numbers.

Gambling firm Flutter Entertainment bought out the Wearside business in November 2021, for an eye-watering £402million.

At the time, a company spokesperson said the move was unlikely to affect any of the 600 jobs at Tombola;'s Wylam Wharf head office, telling the Echo : "We are committed to running Tombola as a distinct company within the UK and Ireland division

“We are not in the business of making any changes.”

But today, Friday, October 13, the firm has announced it is in talks with staff over possible cuts.

A spokesperson said: "Today we have communicated a number of proposed changes to our customer service teams following an extensive operational review.

"As a result, a number of colleagues will now take part in a formal consultation process that will include significant opportunities for redeployment within the business, but will also unfortunately lead to a number of redundancies.

"The colleagues involved in this process have been informed and our priority is to support them and their teams through this period of change.

"Tombola is a progressive and widely recognised leader in customer protection, which include max stakes of £2 for all our online bingo and arcade games. We are also deeply proud of our role as a key employer in the North East and Sunderland, with plans to continue investing in the region in the future.”

The Echo understands around 250 posts are at risk across offices and home workers, though the firm says there will be 'significant opportunities for redeployment, including into newly created roles in the North East'.

Tombola's founder Phil Cronin set up the firm 18 years ago. He left the business after the acquisition.

Flutter chief executive Peter Jackson said at the time of the take-over: "Tombola is a business we have long admired for its product expertise, highly recreational customer base and focus on sustainable play.

"The brand aligns closely with Flutter's safer gambling strategy, a key area of focus for us."

Tombola was the first major UK-focused operator to introduce both mandatory staking and deposit limits.