Tombola Review

Tombola review: judging it like a normal online casino misses the point

Tombola doesn't have thousands of third-party slots, Evolution live tables or a giant provider list.

Its bingo and arcade games are developed in-house, which makes the whole site feel different from the usual UK casino template.

The welcome offer matches your first deposit 100% up to £50 and adds one 10p Free Play for every £1 deposited. Put in the full £50 and you get £50 of bonus funds plus 50 Free Plays worth £5.

The important detail is that the matched bonus itself cannot be withdrawn. Winnings can.

Daily free games and a deliberately limited cashier reinforce what Tombola is: a bingo-first alternative rather than a conventional slots supermarket.

Is Tombola a legitimate and licensed site?

Tombola is run by Tombola (International) Plc - now part of the Flutter Entertainment group.

• Licence number: 038613-R-319397-013
• Status: Active (since 1 November 2014)
• Activities: Remote Bingo, Remote Casino, Remote General Betting Standard (Virtual Events)
• Publicly verifiable on the UKGC register

All card transactions are protected by SSL encryption and PCI-DSS compliance. GAMSTOP is fully integrated. Game results rely on a certified random number generator, independently checked by approved testing labs.

In short: Tombola is a legitimate, fully licensed operator, with nearly 20 years under the UKGC's eye.

What games can you actually play at Tombola?

This is where Tombola stands apart. There are no third-party providers - every game is put together by Tombola's own team in Sunderland, so you won't find these titles anywhere else. We appreciated seeing something different, though it may feel limited if you're after variety.

Bingo is the main event: Tombola's official bingo pages show 42 bingo game pages, including bingo90, bingo80, bingo75, bingo75 Lines, bingo60, bingo30, and bingo Lite (with tickets starting at 1p). There are also themed variants like Cinco, Bloom, Reel Bingo, and licensed Deal or No Deal rooms for a bit of variety. Its arcade section adds 41 arcade game pages across spin games, scratch cards, pick games, and bubble games - plus a progressive jackpot network called Jackpot Champions. After deduping overlapping titles, the visible official library sits at 75+ unique Tombola games.

You'll find RTP info in each game's rules, but there's no site-wide average published. Tombola says its games offer "some of the most competitive return to player rates in the industry," though with everything being proprietary, we found it hard to compare directly to the big-name providers.

If live casino or branded slot games are on your must-have list, Tombola won't fit the bill. There's a total absence of Evolution, Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, Play'n GO, and all the other major studios. But if you're here for bingo, the exclusive library is the draw.

Click to zoom

How long does Tombola take to pay out?

Deposit methods

You'll need a debit card for your first deposit. Apple Pay only becomes an option from your second deposit onwards.

If your account balance hits £250 or more, you can't add any more funds. There's also a weekly net deposit cap of £300.

Withdrawal methods

Withdrawals follow a closed-loop policy, meaning your money goes back to the card you used to deposit. Card withdrawals usually take 3-5 working days, though sometimes it's as quick as an hour. If there's an issue with your card, bank transfer is the backup - also 3-5 working days.

There are no withdrawal fees, and once you've made a request, it can't be cancelled - by law, Tombola can't put the money back. Withdraw more than £2,000 and you'll need to prove your identity.

Payment options are seriously limited - no Skrill, Neteller, PayPal (for new players), Paysafecard, Google Pay, or Revolut. If you're on Android and don't have a debit card, you're out of luck.

How does the Tombola app perform on iOS and Android?

Tombola offers native apps for both iOS and Android, plus a mobile-friendly website.

The iOS app scores 4.7 out of 5 from over 60,000 reviewers. The Android app holds steady at 4.5 with nearly 30,000 reviews - impressive numbers for a gambling app.

You get the full game library, account management, deposits, withdrawals, chat rooms, and safe play tools on mobile - nothing missing compared to desktop. The app is lightweight, fast, and uses the same interface across both platforms.

Click to zoom

How do you contact Tombola support?

Tombola's customer support is a real highlight. There's 24/7 live chat (average response time: 4 seconds), a freephone number (0800 464 3411), typically answered within 8 seconds, and email support (support@tombola.co.uk), usually within 4 hours. For safer gambling queries, there's a separate address: safeplay@tombola.com.

The entire support team is UK-based, in-house, and located in Sunderland. We tested the live chat ourselves and connected to a human agent almost instantly, with no chatbot or FAQ gatekeeping in the way - which made the process feel refreshingly personal.

For a site this size, the support setup is genuinely impressive. Having both a freephone number and speedy live chat is a rarity in the industry.

What responsible gambling tools does Tombola offer?

Tombola builds a dedicated safe play section into your account. Here, you can set:

• Daily, weekly, or monthly spend limits, based on your net spend (deposits minus withdrawals)
• Stake limits per game
• Session reminders at 30, 60, or 120 minutes
• Time-outs from 24 hours up to six weeks
• Game Freeze to lock specific games
• Self-exclusion for longer breaks

If you lower your limits, the change happens straight away. Any increase is subject to a 24-hour cooling-off period. The net-spend system is genuinely player-friendly, as it tracks what you've actually spent rather than just what you've put in.

Tombola is a registered GAMSTOP member, with prominent links to BeGambleAware and GamCare (0808 8020 133). All responsible gambling tools are easy to find and use.